Need for Both Knowing and Applying Bible's Truths

As I looked out into the garden one day, I saw three things. First, I saw a butterfly. The butterfly was beautiful, and it would alight on a flower and then it would flutter to another flower and then to another, and only for a second or two it would sit and it would move on. It would touch as many lovely blossoms as it could, but derived absolutely no benefit from it. Then I watched a little longer out my window and there came a botanist. And the botanist would lean over a certain flower and he would look for a long time and then he would write notes in his notebook. He was there for houors writing notes, closed them, stuck them under his arm, tucked his magnifying glass in his pocket and walked away. The third thing I noticed was a bee, just a little bee. But the bee would light on a flower and it would sink down deep into the flower and it would extract all the nectar and pollen that it could carry. It went in empty every time and came out full.

- H. P. Barker (A. Naismith, 1200 Notes, Quotes and Anecdotes [Chicago:Moody, 1962], p.15)

Some Christians, like that butterfly, flit from Bible study to Bible study, from sermon to sermon, and from commentary to commentary, while gaining little more than a nice feeling and some good ideas. Others, like the botanist, study Scripture carefully and take copious notes. They gain much information but little truth. Others, like the bee, go to the Bible to be taught by God and to grow in knowledge of Him. Also like the bee, they never go away empty.

May we all learn to be like the bee in reading His Word... meditating in it day and night that we might observe to do all the things that are written in it. For if we love Him, we will keep His commandments and His commandments are not burdensome. =)