You have to do the wash; you work a full-time job; you have two (or maybe 8) children; you have a house to clean… And you go to church and they keep telling you to study your Bible.  The teachers and the pastor make it sound pretty important.  But why?  Isn’t prayer and church attendance enough?  Isn’t it the pastor and teachers’ jobs to study and teach you? When I was a young Christian, I could tell that Bible study was considered very important.  It was even proven to me that it was God’s Will.  Well, that settled it; it had to be done.  But I would start reading in Genesis and part way through Leviticus or Numbers, I’d just quit.  It was too hard and didn’t mean too much. So… how do we study; and why do we study? When he writes Timothy, Paul sheds some light on this problem. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (HCSB) 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. The Interlinear Bible (Hebrew, Greek, and English) puts it this way: Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; so that the man of God may be perfect, fully furnished for every good work. First of all the Scripture wasn’t written by Paul.  He didn’t sit down one day and think, “I’ll write Timothy a few good rules to live by.”   Moses didn’t sit on top of the mountain and think, “Gee, we don’t have enough to do; let’s write some rules and history.” (Be sure to check out First Light Expressions today.) Scripture is “God-breathed.”  That means that the Scriptures were inspired by God. 2 Peter 1:20-21 (HCSB) 20 First of all, you should know this: no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, moved by the Holy Spirit, men spoke from God. So what is written is God’s Word for us.  But why did God go to so much trouble? First and foremost, He wants a relationship with you.  And the Scripture is the biggest tool that God uses in relating to us Who God is and Why He loves us. Paul tells us that the Scripture is for teaching (doctrine), for reproof (rebuking), for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. Doctrine is “theology.”  Doctrine tells us the history of our Christian heritage.  Doctrine is the stories of the Patriarchs and the prophets and the disciples.  As we study their lives and histories, we learn about God and how He interacts with man.  As we study doctrine we learn Who God is - His character, His ways, His expectations.  As we learn what to believe about God, we learn how to live Godly lives. The Scripture is for reproof or rebuking.  As we study Scripture, we learn where we are wrong.  It shows us where there is sin in our lives and in our belief systems.  Often our actions and beliefs are the result of our experiences as children and young adults.  When the Scripture differs with what we have been taught or our traditions, the Scripture is always right. The Scripture is for correction.  This sounds like a repeat of “reproof,” but it is a little bit different.  Correction shows us how to change the action for which we’ve been rebuked (reproof). For instance, if the Scripture convicts me (rebukes me) that I am a negative individual, I might not have the slightest idea of how to change that characteristic.  But I will find the answers in books like Philippians (Chapter 4 tells me what to think about to be positive.), Thessalonians (tells me how to live a grateful life), stories of Joseph (tell me how to have a great attitude).  Therefore, study of the Scripture is good for correction – changing my lifestyle.    The Scripture is for instruction in righteousness.  Righteousness is having a right relationship with God.  In order to have a right relationship with God, I must follow the two greatest commandments (as given by Jesus – Matthew 22:37-40):  Love God; Love People.  The New Testament and the Old Testament are filled with ways to love God and love people.  The Old Testament even tells me what to do if I borrow something and it is broken while I’m using it.  The New Testament, not only gives me the example of Jesus’ life, but it teaches me (in the Epistles) how to treat church members when they are in need, when they are ungodly, when they are grieving.  The New Testament teaches me how to love people who don’t know and worship Jesus.  Everything I need for “instruction in righteousness” is right there at my fingertips – or should I say at my eyeballs? Verse 17 is very  exciting:  17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. In verse 17, the word complete (perfect) means mature.  We won’t be mature enough to do the good works. For instance, if I haven’t studied my Bible, I won’t understand that persecution is a natural consequence for being a committed Christian.  When I suffer persecution, I might grow discouraged and quit.  But if I understand that Jesus told Believers to expect persecution, I can rest in the fact that I am doing what God called me to do and that I will receive rewards for being persecuted for righteousness sake (Matthew 5). If we don’t study our Bibles and learn doctrine, rebuke, correction, and instruction in righteousness, then we will not be ready to do good works.  Though we aren’t saved by our works, we are saved to do good works: Ephesians 2:10 (HCSB) 10 For we are His creation—created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them. If we don’t study our Bibles, we will not be instructed in these areas. We will not be equipped to do the good works that God has prepared for us to do.  And when we try in our own strength, we fail or do a poor job. So, Sisters Who Care, get out those Bibles.  Get you a good Bible study (anything by Beth Moore, Henry Blackaby, Charles Stanley, John Mac Arthur) – maybe even join a group study.     **Lord Jesus, we long to be mature Christians who can perform the good works that you have chosen for us to do.  Please use me.  When I open Your Word, speak to my heart and change my life.  Teach me; rebuke me; correct me; instruct me in all righteousness.  In Your Precious Name I pray, Amen.