In John 17:17, in Yeshua’s priestly prayer He said, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”

How important are biblical studies in our lives as believers and how important is the Word of God? And if we believe we are being sanctified by the Word, why do we take such little time to read it?

A recent survey was published in Christianity Today, June 2012 and some sad statistics were revealed in how seldom believers today read their Bibles.

The survey made known that 32% of the people said they never have enough time to read their Bible. Imagine if the God of the universe was too busy to come down to save us. It goes on to say that 27% of people surveyed between the ages 18-27 said they did not feel excited about reading the Bible. Sixteen percent of those falling between the ages of 28-46 agreed that the language of the Bible was difficult to relate to.

“Could this be due to a lack of commitment and discipline?” Few of these people would say this concerning their daily meals, “I don’t feel like eating today …or …. I don’t have the time… there is no excitement in eating”. Both Moses and the Messiah during the time of the Law and the dispensation of Grace said that Man shall not eat of bread alone, but of every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

Eating of the Word is not just good advice. It is a necessity. The Word is the means by which we know the will of God and His thoughts for us. The Word will give us wisdom, it will give us understanding so that the things of this life will become easier to deal with. It is, as Yeshua said, the means of our sanctification. We are blessed when we hear the Word of God and are obedient to it. This is how we must furnish our minds and hearts, with the Word of God.

It is my heart’s desire to see that all our brothers and sisters at Beth Ariel, our spiritual family, take the study of the Word of God seriously and that through it we grow in grace and humility being sanctified by it.

At Beth Ariel we study the Word through Books of the Bible and enjoy an in depth, chapter by chapter analysis, taking the Jewish perspective into consideration which serves to further enhance our appreciation of what is being said and taught. Join us for an enriching time in the Word and be thankful how God has made His Word so freely available to us, that we might in turn share with others and shed some light in a dark world. Let’s get excited about the Word and change those statistics!

J.Isaac Gabizon, Pastor Beth Ariel Congregation