When our hearts were once on fire with scriptural truth and now they are not, we must realize that nothing has changed in the Bible; heaven and earth will pass away before a single letter changes in Scripture (Matt. 5:18). No, it is we who, by our sin, have quenched the Spirit and the fire of God’s Word (1 Thess. 5:19). Our sin soaks the wood of Scripture and makes it difficult to ignite. To regain a passion for the Word of God, we need to ask God to search our hearts and lives and show us the sin that is dousing the fire of God’s Word (Ps. 139:23–24).

One of the most dramatic moments in history occurred early one morning centuries ago as three men walked along a dusty road together. If you had been passing by on the other side, you would have seen nothing out of the ordinary—just three men talking together. But it was no ordinary day, and it was no ordinary man talking with those other two. For it was resurrection day, and the man was the risen Lord Jesus Christ.

The two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus were deeply discouraged, stunned that Jesus had died on a Roman cross. But they were also trying to make sense of reports from some women that the tomb was empty. They had no idea that the ordinary-looking man walking with them was the Lord. But Jesus is the Great Physician, and He heals more than just bodies. He ministered to their downcast hearts with a careful exposition of the Word of God, prophecies that made plain that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. And as He poured forth timeless truths into their ears, their hearts began to burn within them, hotter than ever before (Luke 24:32).

God calls His Word a fire (Jer. 23:29), and our hearts are the furnace in which it was designed to burn. One of the main purposes of Scripture is to save our souls from sin; salvation is knowing God and Christ (John 17:3) and loving God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength (Mark 12:30). Love is likened to a blazing fire, a mighty flame (Song 8:6). Scripture works knowledge into a love that blazes like a fire. Tragically, sometimes the world, the flesh, and the devil conspire to quench that fire temporarily. We become cold, distant, and hard. How can we rekindle our delight in God and His holy Word? Let me give five brief exhortations.

1. Acknowledge your coldness.

Start by being aware of how cold your heart has been toward Bible reading. Reading has been mechanical or entirely neglected. No light, no heat—that is, no insights and no passion for God. Cry out against your heart’s coldness. The Psalms are full of prayers concerning our own defective hearts. Three times in Psalms 42 and 43, the psalmist cries out against his own heart: “Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?

Read More