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Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Ezra 7-8
Acts 11:1-26

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Ezra 7:10 (CSB): “Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the LORD, obey it, and teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

Ezra 7:10 is one of my favorite verses. It simplifies the life of a Christian who takes seriously Jesus’ command to “go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:18-20). Not only does Ezra 7:10 give us action steps, but it also gives them in the appropriate order.

“Ezra determined in his heart”

Ezra didn’t wait until he felt like studying God’s Word. He “determined in his heart” that he was going to study it, obey it, and teach it.

Don’t wait until you feel like it. Determine to do it.

“to study the law of the LORD”

You cannot obey what you do not know. And you certainly can’t teach what you don’t know. So, you’ve got to decide to study it. Don’t just read the Bible. Dig into it. If there is a verse or section that you don’t understand, study it until you do.

“obey it”

The Pharisees studied God’s Word, but they didn’t obey it. They were really the only people who were the object of Jesus’ anger. Don’t seek to merely fill your mind with facts. Fill your heart and determine to conform to what the Bible says.

“and teach its statutes and ordinances”

The previous steps give this step credibility. If you aren’t living according to God’s Word, there will be people who want to hear the truth; they just won’t want to hear it from you. Credibility is built by studying to understand God’s Word and then living what you know.

But obedience also provides us with experiential knowledge of the truth we know. Someone who lives the truth of God’s Word will have much more conviction and understanding of it than someone who merely knows the facts. Those we teach will almost certainly be able to know the difference.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you follow Ezra’s example by determining to study your Bible, obey it, and share its truths with others.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into what we should strive for in studying our Bibles, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What is a Bible scholar?”

“What is the proper way to study the Bible?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)