away in the panning process there was a substance which today is more valuable than gold. It’s uranium. Sometimes there is a real parallel in Bible study. There are portions of Scripture containing such gold de posits such as the 23rd Psalm and I Corinthians 13, the passage on love. The treasure just falls out as a rich ore. But there are many other por tions of Scripture containing urani um, if we are only willing to take a little more time and effort in pros pecting. What marvelous discoveries await us! This all comes as a result of meditating upon the Word of God. This calls for a continual investiga tion of the Word of God in such a way that the Word really investigates us. Study requires an inquiring mind. Are we really interested to find out what God’s Word has to say to us for these perilous times? It is thrilling when someone digs out a nugget for us, but are we really interested in finding similar precious truths for ourselves ? Years ago Socrates espoused the view that to be successful a man should simply know himself. In actu ality, such a philosophy for life would really only bring torment and frustration. When we see ourselves for what we really are, what agony! What we need to know is the Word of God and our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to be able to say with the Apostle Paul, “I know whom I have believed, and am per suaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.” There are some very important key elements or avenues of Bible study which follow in a progression quite naturally. Use your hand as an example. First of all, hold onto your little finger. Let that represent the word hearing. This is the first ele ment of Bible study, to hear it. The Word of God says, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Notice that
the little finger doesn’t contain a great deal of strength. It’s also small er than the other fingers. It needs to stand alongside of the remaining four. The second finger next to the little one, we’ll let represent reading. In I Timothy 4:13, the Apostle Paul reminded his younger brother in the Lord, “Till I come, give attendance to reading.” We need to read the Word of God continually. It’s always a good practice to read through the Bible at least once a year. Keep in mind that it’s not so much a case of just going through the Bible, but rather it’s valuable for our spiritual growth when we let the Bible go through us. The application is the thing which is most significant. As you hold your hand flat, you’ll notice that the middle finger is the longest and most prominent. It stands up above all the others. That middle finger should represent the word study. II Timothy 2:15, this portion of Scripture upon which we have been basing these several messages, urges us, “Study to show thyself ap proved unto God, a workman who needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” So we have hearing, reading, and now study. The next finger, sometimes called the index, represents the word memorize. After we have heard the Scripture, after we have read it, after we have studied it, then we need to memorize it. Psalm 119:11 testifies, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” You see, if we’re con cerned about sinning before the Lord, and certainly we should be, this verse teaches us that the way to keep from 5 It’s better to be despised for the right, than to be praised for the wrong.
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