The Good Portion : ScriptureSample

Surpassing Worth 

  Islam’s sacred book is called the Qur’an. This book is said to have been copied from the original, which is in paradise, and it supposedly defies translation because Arabic is the heavenly language. So Muslims in Pakistan and Indonesia and all over the world memorize the Qur’an in Arabic even if they don’t understand the language. Their religion emphasizes reciting the Qur’an and performing its rituals, not understanding it. This is because Islam is not about knowing God. 

But Christianity is about knowing our God. When the psalmist entreats God to open his eyes, he’s not just asking for the ability to see words on paper. He wants deep understanding of God’s Word. He knows he must think through, study, meditate on and memorize the Word of God to know God and live according to His ways. Rote memorization is not what the psalmist has in mind. The people of God desire the intimate knowledge of God that understanding the Scriptures provides. 

It is vitally important for Christians to understand what we read in the Bible so we can know God and love Him with all our mind, as well as our heart, soul and strength. Filling our minds with truth, fills our hearts with joy because of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus. We don’t follow our God in blind obedience but we obey with eyes wide open, knowing we have a faithful God. Don’t you want the joy of knowing this God?