“What a precious treasure is the Word of God! It is like a deep mine filled with gold, silver, and precious gems, and we must take time to ‘dig’ for these treasures. A mere surface reading of Scripture will not put spiritual treasure in our hearts. Mining treasure is hard work, but it is joyful work when we ‘mine’ the Bible, as the Spirit guides us into truth.” – Warren W. Wiersbe

I’ll be honest with you, I know NOTHING about mining… especially for treasures like precious gems. Unless that is, if you count me digging into my laundry pile of clean clothes for that one matching sock in the rush of the morning – then I totally get you. Ha. That one sock in the nick of time… a true gem!

“Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.” ~ Psalm 119:111

Searching through Scripture, taking time to dig deeper and earnestly find that “gem” of truth takes hard work and dedication.

So let’s be honest, shall we? We don’t always feel like reading God’s Word, let alone digging into it. Yet God remains faithful to us and continues to reveal little “nuggets of manna” – just like He did for the Israelites thousands of years ago – as we choose to read His Word, giving us just what we are needing for the day.

Small “gems” of truth one at a time – morning after morning – yield a treasure chest of wisdom collected over a lifetime of digging.

The digging is worth the effort.

Friends, it’s time we get our hard hats on and shovels in hand. It’s time to start digging!

We need to choose depth over quantity.

Don’t skim Scripture. Dig into it.

Dig into Scripture verse by verse and word by word. Being committed and dedicated is key, and having that group of friends to help you do it?

Priceless.

God’s Word is alive and He speaks to us through it.

“’Living and active.’ The words of the Bible have life! Nouns with pulse rates. Muscular adjectives. Verbs darting back and forth across the page. God works through these words. The Bible is to God what a surgical glove is to the surgeon. He reaches through them to touch deep within you.”- Max Lucado

Make this your lifetime commitment:

Love God Greatly

“To the very end….”

Those are the words of someone who is determined and willing to put in the hard work to complete the task.

I saw that determination recently…

A few months ago my husband participated in his first half Iron Man in Utah. Preparing for the race took months of hard work and dedication. Hours were spent running, cycling, and swimming to train his mind and body for race day. Dirk would get up early in the morning to fit in a workout before he headed off to work. Many evenings he’d come home only to change his clothes and head out for a night run with some of his friends. As the race approached, so did the intensity of the training. He is blessed with a great group of guy friends here in our town who train together and encourage each other as they prepare.

I firmly believe the key to their success is the fact that they are not doing it alone.

We were made to live life in community. Whether we train for races or dig into Scripture, it’s always better to do it with friends.

I’ll never forget the day of the race. It was a REALLY hot one – almost one hundred degrees on the black pavement as the men and women cycled and ran past me. These men and women were ALL incredible in my book! Just training for this race and then showing up… super impressive.

And this particular Utah race? It was said to be the hardest in the nation.

Which is why these guys signed up for it. They love the challenge.

And that’s exactly why you saw me on the sidelines… cheering everyone on!

So let’s be honest: this race was extremely hard and many wanted to quit.

I saw them.

I heard them.

As men and women ran by, I tried to encourage them by cheering for them. “Gooooo Jason!!! Way to go, buddy!!! You’re doing GREAT!” “Awesome job, Kristi!!! You are going sooo fast!!”

Some of the people would smile. Some would even have the energy to go in for a high five as they passed by. But a few others? They were struggling in the race and the finish line was just too far away.

They were spending their energy looking around and getting discouraged.

“That woman just passed me.”

“That mountain is just too steep.”

“Why am I here in the first place?”

You could almost see it on their faces – the doubts and discouragement penetrating their minds and hearts. I would see them as they approached me and my heart would break. So I would yell out to them, “Way to go, Steven!!! I’m so proud of you!! You are doing GREAT!”

Occasionally an angry response would come back. “I am not doing great. I stink at this. I hate this.” YET they kept going.

Crazy how two people can see the same event entirely differently. While he was discouraged and saw himself as a failure compared to the other athletes, I saw him as a champion. I was so impressed with him because even in the pain and discouragement he KEPT GOING!!!

He was committed to the race “… to the very end,” and that’s just what he did! He crossed that finish line!

“My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.” ~ Psalm 119:112

Sweet friends, being in God’s Word isn’t always going to be pretty. Digging for truth isn’t always easy. We don’t always find a “diamond” every day in our devotions. But stay in the race! Find friends to run with you and encourage you along the way…. “to the very end!”

Let’s dig in and run hard because God wrote a book and HE is worth the read!

 

Let’s Talk:
What are some ways you dig into Scripture? Is it by reading additional commentaries? Reading the verses in different translations? Looking up the Greek or Hebrew words and their meanings? Feel free to share in our comment section! I can’t wait to hear your ideas and suggestions!

 

 

Love God Greatly!

Angela- Love God Greatly

 

 

 

 

Angela Perritt

Angela Perritt

Angela Perritt is the founder and director of LoveGodGreatly.com, a nonprofit online Bible study ministry reaching thousands of women in over two hundred countries around the world with God’s Word through their translated Bible studies. She and her husband live in Dallas, Texas with their three daughters. Angela is passionate about God’s Word and believes one woman in God’s Word can change a family, community and ultimately a nation. Her greatest joy is to encourage her children and others to love God greatly with their lives one day at a time. You can connect with her on Instagram.

Grab a journal, build a community,
change women's lives.

Shop our Bible study for women, Triumph Over Trials: 1 & 2 Peter!

Thanks! Make sure you like our Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest pages - and let us know if you'd like to get involved with sharing God's Word with women globally!

Pin It on Pinterest