In John 5:39-40, Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”
The Pharisees in Jesus day thought that God would be pleased simply with their knowledge of His Word. They were proud of their Bible knowledge, But they rejected the invitation to Know God’s Son. Jesus said they had fallen short, because although they knew scriptures, they did not KNOW God. Studying the Word should lead us to a deeper relationship with the God of the Word. It’s good to know the book But we should ALSO know the Author. The Author wants a relationship with you. Never substitute activity or anything else for relationship. When you have a relationship with the Author, it makes life and the work of the Kingdom so much more fulfilling, and rewarding, because through our relationship, God guides us in accomplishing His purposes and becoming beneficiaries of His promises. When we know the Author, our life pursuit becomes about God and not about anyone or anything else. When we make it about God, He heals our diseases, gives peace to our troubled hearts, fills us with every good thing, supplies our every need and causes us to abound more and more.