Discipline in Study

Hey all!

Probably several of you already know this about me, but I actually just graduated from college two weeks ago, which gave me kind of an interesting and different take on study than I've had before. It's weird that after 17 years of school, studying is no longer the main priority in my life, and it gave me the opportunity to kind of reassess how I view the discipline of study in a spiritual sense.

I've always had an ongoing battle with myself where I tend to cheapen the discipline of study by over-intellectualizing it as a way of protecting my heart - because I over-intellectualize everything to protect my heart. It's easier to study Jesus and just learn about Him than to actually engage with Him. More so, it's safer. 


I think one of the main challenges for me in being faithful to the discipline of study is allowing the thoughts of that distant intellectual side sink down and connect with me in a deeper, more vulnerable way. It's not enough to "know" the truth in the sense that I'm going to win Bible jeopardy. I need to KNOW the truth. This Truth isn't just a set of facts - it's a person, and to know this Truth is to be intimately connected with Him. That knowledge of the truth is what sets us free. (John 8)

I'm learning that I can't approach study of Jesus the way I approach studying anything else. He's not some concept to be mastered or conquered. He's the Lord of the universe, and He will not be had. While on one level, He's the subject of study, He's also my teacher, instructing; He's also right beside me, studying with me. It's not just to know Him (or worse, to know of Him), but to abide in Him.