Studying the Old Fashioned Way

But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.  -Deuteronomy 4:29 (KJV)

This morning as I sat down to write my daily blog I was unable to get on the Internet and it was unavailable here the better part of the day.  I cannot blame the good people at Bristol Virginia Utilities because the storm we had the night before no doubt kept them busy doing an overwhelming amount of repair work.  Speaking of the storm, we had high winds, thunder, lighting, and more hail than I have ever seen fall at one time.  No kidding, when it was over our yard looked like it had snowed.  I spoke with several other people in the area and they reported similar amounts of hail.  I regret not taking pictures.  We may not see that much hail fall at one time again for a while.  If so I will not complain.

Okay, back to the topic of modern technology; we can become so dependent on it that we do not know what to do with ourselves when we are deprived of it.  If you are over the age of 40 you can easily remember a time when no one had cell phones or home computers.  I usually type my sermons and Bible study outlines, yet I recall a few short years ago when I wrote them all out by hand.  Needed to look something up?  We had to get up, go to the bookshelf, find a book on the subject, and start reading.  Or, we had to (hold onto your seats here) make a trip to the LIBRARY – oh no!  I recall it like it was yesterday; I would gather as many books as I could find on one subject, pile them around me, and start reading and researching my topic.  I always kept a notepad handy to scribble notes, quotes, and reference information.  You know something; I miss those days.

These days we can simply do a Google search and there is enough information to keep us busy for hours.  Gone are the days of leafing through dusty volumes of great theological works and commentaries.  I am deeply grateful I am just old enough to have gone through college and seminary without the modern convenience of the Internet.  I honestly believe having had to dig into books the old fashioned way made me a better and more committed student of the Bible.  

The great saints of old attained heights of faith and depths of grace without the benefit of modern technology.  Our first and greatest resources for spiritual growth are God’s Holy Word and prayer.  No modern technology can replace these – nor should they.  Make studying God’s Word and seeking the Lord in prayer a top priority, every day.  

God’s Word was here long before modern technology, folks, and God’s Word will remain long after it’s gone.  Modern technology has its purposes, yet God’s Word will prevail and remain preeminent.  Open it and glean its riches every day.