Day 19: The Call to Study

Week 3, Friday, January 22

Text: Jeremiah 29:13
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Thought for the day:
I remember the day I graduated from high school. It was such a freeing experience, because I believed I had the choice to never study again. Even though I knew that I was going to college, and that I would study again, my graduation from high school marked the day that I could choose whether or not to study.

When we think of studying, we usually think of a boring, tedious activity that requires us to sit down, book in hand, in order to prepare an essay or report that no one will ever read. But studying does not have to be drab. In fact, studying can be a key way that we seek to know God.

When I got to college, I discovered an enjoyment in my studies, primarily because I could seek to learn about areas that interested me. I didn’t have to study Medieval Russian Literature or the history of the Ancient Amalekites (which held little interest to me). I could choose to seek knowledge in areas that interested me.

If studying seems like a terribly burdensome task to you, let me ask you to re-think your opinion. You can seek God through studying, but He is so vast, that there is plenty of ways that you can learn about Him through studying. Many have grown closer to God as they struggled with deep theological debates. Others have grown closer to Him as they made an effort to study the stories of His people in the Old Testament. Still others have sought God by reading books by Christian authors on topics that vary from prayer to evangelism to parenting.

Journal/Exercise:
See if you can recite your memory verse for this week. Has your attempt to memorize helped you grow in your understanding of this verse and what it means?

After you recite your verse, write down three of four specific ways that you can study to grow closer to God. These can include attending worship services, reading Bible Studies, reading the Bible, reading Christian books, asking questions, attending conferences, etc. Do your study times happen predominantly in groups, or are there some study habits that cause you to spend time alone with God?