John 5:39 “Search the scriptures for in them ye think you have eternal life: but they are they which testify of me.”

Jesus told the religious leader of his day that in their searching of the scriptures they had missed the main point-finding him. Learning who He is, what He does, His will and purpose for our lives, His blessings and His love.

“The Greek word for search signifies a strict, close, diligent, curious search, such as men make when they are seeking gold, or hunters demonstrate when they are earnestly pursuing game. We must not rest content with having given a superficial reading to a chapter or two, but with the candle of the Spirit, we must deliberately seek out the hidden meaning on the Word…No man who merely skims the Book of God can profit thereby; we must dig and mine until we obtain the hidden treasure.” Charles Spurgeon-“Evening by Evening”

Think of those scavenger hunts as a child. How I loved those! You received your first clue-that led to the next-that led to the next. The treasure was never close at hand, or easily obtained. You had to figure out the next location from a few simple words. Sometimes the clues got harder as you went along. Most of the fun was in the searching out the meaning of the clues and the next location-but always at the end there was treasure.

If searching scripture or studying scripture (as opposed to just reading) is new to you and you don’t know how to start, you have several options. You can purchase a bible study or find one online that will take you through the process of study on a specific topic. I advise you to start with either who you are in Christ or who He is. Another option is to join, or start a bible study with a good teacher who will lead you in your study. There are also many good study Bibles available with cross references and study guides that you can tackle on your own. As you grow in this you will be able to study the things that God is laying on your heart, with the Holy Spirits leading you through the hunt with clues and promises of treasure.