Why understanding the Bible is essential?

Today’s verse is from the Gospel according to Luke 24:44. The passage given below is from the three versions of the Bible.

He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” (version NIV)

Then He said to them, This is what I told you while I was still with you: everything which is written concerning Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. (version AMPC)

And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (version KJV)

This verse points to what Jesus spoke to his disciples after he was resurrected after his crucifixion and death. When Jesus was not found in the tomb, when he appeared in their midst, the disciples could not believe it. They were filled with doubt. Totally in oblivion to what was foretold about the resurrection. Instead of blaming them, I want to remind them that they were very much like us, lacking a diligent scripture reading habit.

What Jesus spoke to the disciples, he speaks to us now, today.

Have we heard the law of Moses, read it and understood it? Having heard, read and understood it, do we keep remembering them? When we see these come pass, are we dumb like the disciples then, having no clue?

Many aspects which were foretold in the Bible are happening today. Do we recognise these or are we failing to recognize these events? If we recognise these, our faith can be built. If not, our faith could fail.

Daily reading the Bible is important. Reading the Bible with the intention of understanding and learning what lessons we need to take from it. A habit of writing the key points and going through the notes would go a long way.

Since the Bible teaches us eternal truths and equips us for building up our faith, salvation, are we not supposed to be wise and spend time on it. As a family, each of us read the Bible daily and share the valuable nuggets we learn from it during family prayer time and also occasionally during our meal time.

Let us make a decision and stick to it regarding our daily Bible reading habit, first ourselves and then the family, so that we can encourage each other. The importance of the Holy Spirit in making us understand and highlight specific passages relevant to our daily life is like getting a great treasure, a source of joy.

Note: From the verse mentioned above, it’s clear that Jesus expected the disciples to know what’s mentioned in the scriptures thoroughly. As Christians, we are disciples of Jesus, hence our mandate to read and understand the Bible well

Why study the Bible?
Why read the Bible?
Why meditate on the Bible?