Pastor Rick Warren: God’s Path to Blessing: Study His Word

God’s Path to Blessing: Study His Word
by Rick Warren

“Blessed is the one . . . whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers” (Psalm 1:1-3 NIV).

The Bible is more than just a book you put on your shelf. It’s a pathway to God’s blessing.

Over and over in God’s Word, we’re told that studying and applying the Bible leads to blessing.
For example, the Bible says, “Blessed is the one . . . whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers” (Psalm 1:1-3 NIV).
What does it mean to meditate? Some people think it means to put your mind in neutral and contemplate the lint on your navel as you say, “Ommmmmm.”
But that’s not what meditation is!
Meditation is seriously thinking about something. You meditate on God’s Word when you read a verse, think about what it means, and ask yourself how you could apply it to your life.
Doing this, Psalm 1:1-3 says, is like planting deep roots into the ground. It means you won’t get blown over when troubles come.
God won’t bless you if you’re not digging in and studying the Bible.
I want whatever you do to prosper. I want your life to be filled with meaning and purpose. But for God’s blessing, the Bible says you must not only read God’s Word but also study it.
I want whatever you do to prosper in the years ahead. But God makes the condition clear. If you want his blessing, you must study his Word.
James 1:25 tells us how: “But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” (NIV).
If you want God to bless you, commit to looking intently at the Word, continuing to examine Scripture, remembering what you’ve read, and obeying what it teaches you to do.
It’s not complicated.
But it’ll change your life.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
Talk It Over

How would you evaluate your current Bible study habits?
What’s the difference between quickly reading the Bible on a regular basis and intently studying it?
What can keep you from making Bible study a bigger part of your life? What can you do to rectify that?

Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.