Fruit of the Spirit: How to Grow in Faithfulness

"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17) In order to have faith, we need to know about God and what he has said, his message. To be faithful, we need to know what God requires of us, and what he desires. To have faith and faithfulness, we must know the Word. We need to practice the spiritual discipline of Bible Study.

Galatians 3:6-9 tells us that Abraham, the father of those who have faith, believed God. In order to believe God, we need to know what God has said. We need to learn the Bible.

II Timothy 3:14-17 links Scripture with wisdom, salvation and faith. Scripture teaches us what is true. It tells us what is wrong. It instructs us on how to change. It trains us in how to please God by doing what is right.

Bible study is not just reading the Bible. It is focusing in depth upon a specific part of Scripture: a person, a topic, a passage. The purpose of Bible Study is application. The question that should always be in the back of your mind when you study Scripture is: What does God want me to do because of this truth?

There are many good books on Bible Study. One that I can recommend because I have found it useful personally is Personal Bible Study Methods by Rick Warren.