Just wondering

What would happen if one would spend 6 or 7 hours a day listening to or reading the New Testament?

Bear.

I think, from your own life, you know what has happened. :-)

I would that reading the Bible (spending time with the Lord) 6-7 hours a day would indeed change a person, but it all depends on how you come to the Word.

There is this little component called the "heart".

Some come to the Word with a broken and contrite heart and others with a cold, religious heart seeking how they can use the Word for their own opportunity, taking advantage of others.

It is the same way that men came to Jesus when He walked the earth. Some wanted to use Him for their own advantage (conquer their physical enemies and they wanted to sit on his right and left hand), while others saw Him with true sight and realized their enemy was mostly themselves (self, flesh). Jesus not only freed them from self, but also freed them from "all the power of the Enemy".

Judas spent a lot of time with Jesus and the experience did not change him. He was always thinking and conniving how the Lord could benefit Him in material ways.

If we think this way, then we will never be free.

If you come to the word with a hard, unrepentant, prideful heart you will only have a religious experience not a life-changing experience.

If our reading of the Scriptures does not make us more Christ-like, more like the Son of God. And if it does not make us to sin less then we are reading without obeying. Reading must come with the fear of the Lord and also action motivated by love.

We must all read our Scriptures more. We have them readily available to us.

Very good question, thank you brother. I would think that it is better though, to read one verse a day that we learn to obey - rather than an entire book a day and never obey one verse at all.

So I would pose another question, "what would happen if we read 6 or 7 hours of scripture a day and never obeyed any of it"?

I believe we would become puffed up with knowledge and be able to answer and slay all before us on internet forums (smile), but we would slowly atrophy into stale, first class hypocrites.

As just-in said, its all about the heart!!!

Brother your post is not judgemental. Just a sad commentary on the church in America. Perhaps 6 or 7 hours a day is too much to ask one to be in the word.. So how about just 3 hours a day. Actually this is obtainable. That is the average American spends 3 to 4 hours a day watching TV. This according to a survey done a few years ago by Neilson Rating. And mind you this is not talking about time spent in social media or internet.

I can testify that TV has a deadening effect on one's spirit. I used to watch the Military History Channel. Nothing wrong with that. But when I started watching it an hour before a Persecution Watch call I had an issue. With God given discipline the cable was severely reduced, money saved, and more time spent in God's word. My flesh screamed but my spirit was revived listening to the New Testament. Have not gotten to 7 or 8 hours listening to it yet. But have listened to it over 5 hours. But even listening to the word for 3 or more hours I have a revived spirit and more prayer power. Can't get that from the Military History Channel.

But brother let us say a person listens to or reads the word for only 6 hours a week. That breaks down to 360 minutes. Divide that by 7 that cones out to about 52 minutes a day. I can hear the cries of the flesh oh that is too much. Give me the TV remote.

And you wonder why the persecuted see revival and we don't

Bear.

Agreed brother. Bottom line. The more time spent in God's word the more blessed we will be of Christ. And the more effective we will be in His kingdom.

Bear.

John Bunyon, D. L. Moody, and Smith Wigglesworth had one thing in common. They lacked a formal education. Yet they loved God's word and devoured it voraciously. Eventually these men were used by God in great and mighty ways.

It was said of Bunyon that if you cut him he would bleed scripture. The word of God was so much a part if him and resulted in his great preaching. John Owen the great theologian of his day was quoted as saying he would gladly give up his theology to gave the preaching ability of Bunyon.

D L Moody had less than a 6gh grade education. He cried out to God for more faith. This went on for months. Until one day he was on his knees with an open Bible. His eyes fell on the verse in Romans that said faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. He stopped asking God for more faith and spent extended tine devouring the word of God. This resulted in Moody becoming the greatest soul winner America has ever known.

Smith Wigglesworth was illiterate. He was taught to read by reading the Bibke. He fell in love with the Book and he could not go an hour without reading it. He became a powerful preacher with credible signs and wonders in his ministry.

I believe the person who spends more tine reading or listening to God's word will br greatly used of God as opposed to one who spends little time in God's word.

Bearmaster.

We can't just be hearers or readers of the word, we must be doers, also. The emphasis in the church is too much on reading and not enough on being "doers of the word".

Brethren if Gid puts it on your heart to read and meditate on 1 or 2 verses then this is good. For sure those who are in Eritrea draw strength from even a verse on a scrap of paper.

But in places such as N. Korea the saints there value and treasure their Bibles. The do this at the risk if their own physical lives. They can be seen reading and devouring the words of life itself. If given time they will do this for hours in end.

I read reports of elderly saints in China in their 80's having never owned a Bible. When they recieve their first Bible they will hug that Bible and weep for joy. They will read and devour that precious book for hours on end

Saints you may liken to extended time reading or listening to the word as gushing water from a fire hydren. I do not see it that way. In Mark 12:37 the verse says the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him. In Luke 19:48 the verse says the people were hanging on every word He said.

Have we ever come into a place where our Bibles, particularly our New Testaments become a source of delight and joy. Where we simply cannot put our New Testament down? Why is it the persecuted spend hours a day reading the word in raturius delight and we are content with just a few minutes of the word. Assuming some spend that much in reading in the word.

I remember coming back from a mission trip. While boarding the plane back to Little Rock there was a man engrossed in a novel. He was so absorbed in it he was oblivious to everything around him. The novel was the latest Jurrassic Park book that came out at that time. I was wondering could I not be absorbed in my New Testament like that

I remember when the Tim LaHaye Left Behind series was popular. People could not wait for the next book to come out. I thought why can we not approach our Bibles like that.

Years ago I became a fan of Gar Wilson and Tom Clancy men action adventure.stories. I would devour the Jerry Ahern Survivalist series. I was a Christian at the time. How grieved the Spirit must have been with me. How He must have been pleading with me saying child please immerse yourself in my word.

I remember in ny Calvinistic days on my way to a John MacArthur conference a godly young sister said to me. Blaine, please fill your mind with the word of God. She had that quality of life to back up what she was exhorting me to do. I did not heed her gentle wisdom until years later. And those were lost years of foolishness.

Saints why is ut acceptable to enjoy s secular or spiritual book and devour it? And we cannot do the same with our Bibles. Bunyon, Moody, and Wigglesworth spent bourse reading their Bibles just for the sure joy if it. Yet their ministries were powerful. And they were not puffed and arrogant. The persecuted spend extended time for hours on end in the word and they are not puffed up.

We are exhorted by Peter to long for the pure milk of the word so we may grow in respect to our salvation in Jesus. Moody was quoted as saying the best way to fill a broken bucket is to stay close to the faucet. So yes, give me the fire hydren. For I want to be filled to overflowing with His word.

Bearmaster.

You make very good points, bearmaster and it just reminds us that walking with God is not one dimensional. There are many things to emphasize in our walk, but lest it become too mechanical, if we align our heart with His will, everything else will fall in place. We will hunger for the Word, listen to the Spirit and be Doers.