Developing an Eagerness for God's Word

I read a verse in Luke a few weeks ago that really challenged my approach to the Bible. The verse also changed my approach. I've noticed that a change will follow the challenge if I don't ignore it. What good does it do to ignore the Bible? You stop the transformation process if you ignore what the Bible says.  

And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,  Luke 5:1

The verse made me wonder if I had that kind of hunger for God's Word. Was I that eager to know what God had to say? Would I "press in" to hear the Word? Our pastor recently went on a missions trip to Zimbabwe to conduct a training conference for preachers and laypeople. Our church raised money and sent over one hundred Bible to Zimbabwe for them to hand out. They videoed the part of the conference where they handed out the Bibles.  It was so precious. Zimbabwe is a very poor country and Bibles cost about $40 there. The people can't afford them and they were so excited about their Bibles! 

Do you know how many copies of the Bible we have at our house? We have at least eight that I can think of right away and that's not counting digital copies on phones and iPads. And sometimes I treat my Bible like it's old news. It's always there; we always have it; what's so exciting, right? Wrong! 

This is God giving me everything He wants me to know for this life. It's my guidebook. It teaches me Who God is. It's God's Word. And I have my own copy- in my own language. Not only can I read it but God gives me understanding. Do we understand how amazing this is? 

I don't think we do or we would take it more seriously. We would appreciate holding the Bible and being able to read it. We take for granted that we aren't being persecuted. No one is going to come into my home and search for my Bibles or try to take me to jail for having one. No one is going to arrest me for going to church and hearing the Bible preached. 

God's Word is a treasure. I want to come with eagerness to hear it. I remind myself of that when I'm awake in the morning before I "have to be" because my children are up. I remind myself of this when I come to church and find myself distracted with life. 

So here are some ideas for approaching the Bible with a "press in" attitude. 

1. Pray. Ask God to give you the right attitude toward His Word. 

2. Remind yourself how important the Bible is to your life. Read Psalm 119 if you need help with this. 

3. Look for one truth to take with you through your day. Write it down and over time you will have quite a collections of truths. It will allow you to see how personal God is when you realize how closely His Word relates to your life. 

Today will be determined by my heart with God. And my life will be determined by how I spend today every day. Let's approach God's Word with eagerness to hear what He has for us today.