Action

Praise God! I just completed by research paper, which is really good news since I have to turn it in tomorrow night.  These papers are always such a struggle and very time consuming, but I learn so much through the research on each one.  In fact, the problem is that I want to read every word in each book, instead of focusing on the specific topic.  It's easy to get off track on something else that is interesting. And there is always something new to learn about the Bible.

It does, however, bring up a good reminder. As interesting as a certain topic might be in a biblical commentary, we need to realize that it is not the reading or studying in itself that is useful.  It is, instead, what we do with the knowledge.  After reading something new or recognizing a new concept from a passage, we need to immediately ask ourselves, "how can I apply this?"   Or better yet, stop and pray over it and allow God to show us how to apply it to our own lives and in service to him.  This is my challenge and possibly yours as well - to allow God's word to become an action plan for my life.