Called to Ministry, Called to ScriptureSample

While knowing God’s Word is a foundational part of our spiritual progress, growing in God’s Word is essential for us to fulfill our spiritual purpose.

When we love the Scriptures, we will saturate our hearts with a deep and personal knowledge of God’s Word that prepares us to faithfully teach it in whatever context he calls us to serve. Our heart saturation is essential and benefits us in three primary ways.

The main reason we must saturate our hearts with God’s Word is that it provides deeper study. Our motivation for studying the Bible should not be because we have a message to prepare. We should come to God’s Word with a desire for a personal encounter with the Lord that will transform our hearts. As a result, we can teach from the overflow of what God has taught us.

Another reason we must saturate our hearts is that those who are called to teach the Bible are held to a higher standard. This may sound intimidating, but it reinforces how essential it is for us to be saturated with God’s Word. Some of the “stricter judgment” involves elevated scrutiny, as others evaluate our lives based on the words we teach. Our role as teachers will magnify any inconsistency between what we are teaching and how we are living. More importantly, the Lord holds us to a higher standard because of the spiritual influence we have on others as teachers of his Word.

In addition to a deeper study and higher standard, a saturated heart is also necessary because it provides us with a wider scope. Too many people, even in ministry, have a limited understanding of the Bible. A frequent focus on familiar passages and recurring truths evidences this. While foundational aspects of Scripture should be reinforced, a love for the Scriptures opens our hearts to appreciate God's Word's comprehensive beauty and depth. We should be committed to teaching the whole counsel of God as we magnify Christ as the supreme subject of all the Scriptures.

Because of our calling and our responsibility to teach God’s Word, saturating your heart with Scripture is essential. It ultimately enhances our intimacy with Christ through deeper study, equips us to be faithful to God’s higher standard, and expands our love for the Scriptures through a wider scope that treasures all of his Word.