How to Enjoy Your Bible
By William S. Sadler
HOW TO ENJOY YOUR BIBLE. No. I.
SOME people casually read their Bibles, while others really engage in the study of the Scriptures, and there is yet a third class who, while they both read and study, actually enjoy the Word of God. The enjoyment of Bible study largely depends upon the methods pursued, and upon the mental and spiritual condition of the student. To the highest enjoyment of the study of the Word of God, there are a number of prerequisites. First, the Bible must be read and studied as the will and Word of the living God, the Creator of all things, the Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Second, the Bible must be regarded as a personal message from God to your soul. Third, the mind of the student must be fully in harmony with the Holy Spirit of God, who inspired the Scriptures. One can not enjoy the study of the Word of God if the will and mind are at variance with the laws of God, or when the practises are antagonistic to the known will of God. Fourth, the highest pleasure in the study of the Word comes to the soul having a conscience void of offense toward God and toward man, and therefore always able to peruse the Scriptures with pleasure and joy, and not with sorrow and condemnation because of the constant meeting of precepts and truths which are being trampled underfoot, and divine laws which are knowingly being violated. Fifth, if one would really and truly enjoy a study of the Bible, he must walk in the light, day by day, as it shines across his pathway. Sixth, the Bible is a missionary Book. The New Testament is the life of the greatest Missionary the world ever saw, and so the acting, growing missionary—the one who works for his fellow-men—is able to delight his soul in the Bible as others can not. Seventh, prayer is the companion of helpful and enjoyable Bible study. The more the soul communes with God, the more will the mind delight in the study of the Word of God. Having done our best to place the soul in right relationship with God, and to bring the mind in full harmony with the will and way of God, there yet remains one thing to be done, which may enhance the study of the Word of God. That one thing is the method or methods by which Bible study may be carried on. There are a number of ways in which one may approach the Bible, with a view to acquiring knowledge and discovering truth. While we eagerly search the Bible with but the one desire to know the will of God, and with perfect willingness to believe, receive, and obey every new truth discovered; to walk in the light of truth, as our Bible-study unfolds it to the mind, there are at the same time many different ways in which we can approach the sacred Book, which afford variety and pleasure to the mind engaged in its study. Some of these different methods will be discussed in the next article.