The Religious Nerd

There are a lot of things in life that are very important to us.  Family, friends, work, school, and Church are some of the big ones for most young Christians. I remember when I was 18, exercising was one of the most important things to me.  I would go to the gym twice a day.  Early in the morning I would head to the gym to lift weights and stretch.

Later that same day I would return after work to do 45-60 minutes of cardio followed by an aggressive sit up routine.  I was the thinnest I had ever been standing 6′ 2″ and weighing in at around 165 pounds.  I was in excellent cardiovascular shape and had a tremendous amount of energy. I had an eccentric wardrobe and was known for dressing very nicely.

Somewhere along the line I got lazy.  First I stopped going to the gym twice a day and instead went once.  Then I started going 3-4 times a week.  Eventually that dwindled down to 1-2 times a week and then there would be weeks where I did not go at all.  All the while I was working a graveyard shift and frequently going out to eat with my friends after work and then falling asleep with a full stomach.  I started buying bigger clothes and eventually didn’t look good in the brands I once loved. Then I got lazy with my appearance and some other areas of my life as well.

In retrospect I look back and think to myself “you could have fixed this problem at an early stage and it would have been easy to recover”. Now I have to work 10 times harder to get back to where I once was and it is going to take me a long time.

Just like anything in life, if you neglect it, if you push it off until tomorrow, if you get lazy with it, it will eventually collapse all around you.  It’s only a matter of time.

I think this may be true of many Christians and their Bible reading habits as well.  There may be times when they are passionate about reading the Word, zealous about memorizing scripture, and committed to learning God’s will for their life, and then they get lazy with it and put it off until the next day, and the next day turns into next week, and next week turns into never.  Before you know it, your Bible is on your book shelf covered in dust, and your walk with God is covered with dust too!

Before you know it you have been out of the Word so long that you end up like me, fighting to get back to where you once were. Just like a lack of physical exercise is damaging to the body, a lack of time in the Word is damaging to the body too.  Not only the body though, if you are away from the Word long enough it will reflect in every area of your life, including your thoughts, your actions, your relationships, and most importantly your walk with God.

It is very important that you face the problem right now.  Start reading your Bible again daily. If you make a commitment to study His Word regularly and purposefully, I guarantee you will see results.  Sometimes it takes a little time before the results are apparent (much like physical exercise) but eventually the results are undeniable. This is worth your time, trust me! As your work out physically you are able to notice changes when you look into a mirror.  I want to provide you with 10 Biblical examples of how you will grow spiritually when you commit to studying God’s Word. The list isn’t exhaustive, but I believe it will encourage you and remind you of how powerful the Word truly is.

1) Studying God’s Word will give you immense pleasure when done consistently and purposefully.

“In the way of your testimonies I delight
as much as in all riches.” Psalm 119:11

“I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.” Psalm 119:16

“My soul is consumed with longing
for your rules at all times.” Psalm 119:20

2) Studying God’s Word will strengthen you spiritually and equip you to live a life pleasing to God.

“My soul melts away for sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word!” Psalm 119:28

3) Studying God’s Word will enable you to discern between what is right and what is wrong.

“Put false ways far from me
and graciously teach me your law!” Psalm 119:29

4) Studying God’s Word will give you a big heart for others.

“I will run in the way of your commandments
when you enlarge my heart!” Psalm 119:32

5) Studying God’s Word will help you discover what matters most in life.

“Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.” Psalm 119:37

6) Studying God’s Word will help you to comprehend the magnificence of the salvation secured through Christ’s Death, Burial, and Resurrection. 

“Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,
your salvation according to your promise;” Psalm 119:41

7) Studying God’s Word is a privilege and obeying God’s Word makes both you and God happy!

“I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever,” Psalm 119:44

“This blessing has fallen to me,
that I have kept your precepts.” Psalm 119:56

8) Studying God’s Word will comfort you during the difficult times in life.

“When I think of your rules from of old,
I take comfort, O Lord.” Psalm 119:52

“It is good for me that I was afflicted,
that I might learn your statutes.” Psalm 119:71

9) Studying God’s Word will help deliver you when you encounter evil.

“Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me,
I do not forget your law.” Psalm 119:61

“How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.” Psalm 119:9

10) Studying God’s Word is far more valuable than watching TV, shopping, surfing the internet, reading my blog, exercising, playing video games, watching sports, etc.

“The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.” Psalm 119:72

I hope you have been encouraged and I pray that you will return to the Word if you have been apart from it as it will change your life guaranteed! I’d love to hear from you how the Word of God is impacting your life now or how it has helped you in the past.  Please feel free to leave a comment.  God bless!