I was the chaplain for pro sports teams long enough to hear from players a decade or two after their playing days ended. They rarely quoted something that I said in a pre-game chapel service, but they could recall extensive details of passages that we discussed together. 

They could tell me what they applied to their lives and the biblical truths that became personal convictions.

Number 3 effect on your spiritual growth – processing biblical truths with Christian friends.

Several things happen when we discuss biblical truths with other believers:

     We discover more details of a Bible text.

     We fill in the gaps for each other, especially in application of a text.

     We develop accountability to rightly interpret the Bible.

     We are encouraged by sharing our lives with each other.

     We will retain more of the Scriptures when we study together.

It is one thing to read the Bible. It is another thing to process our responses out loud, to put our thinking into words. It not only enhances our relationship with God, but with other Christ-followers.

When a group of Christians have a shared perspective in life driven by the Scriptures, they become the people who encourage each other, support each other and walk through life’s difficulties with each other.

I not only hear those former players tell me what they remember from the decade-old studies we had together, they tell me that they are now teaching and discussing these same truths with others in their current church and home. 

Bible study together deepens our walk with God and expands our impact with others. 

Today’s devotional is one of five this week on “Spiritual Growth” by Tom Petersburg.

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