YOU DILIGENTLY STUDY / JOHN 5:39-40

START YOUR DAY RIGHT DAILY DEVOTION

(KJV) John 5:39-40

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. ⁴⁰ And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

Beyond the Pages: Finding Life in the Word

“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” — John 5:39-40

It is entirely possible to know the Bible inside and out and still completely miss the point.

In John 5, Jesus addresses a group of deeply religious, highly educated leaders who dedicated their entire lives to the Scriptures. They didn’t just read God’s Word; they diligently studied it. They memorized chapters, debated laws, and guarded traditions. Yet, when the very Living Word of God stood right in front of them, they didn’t recognize Him.

This is a sobering warning for us today. Simply knowing what God’s Word says, or even following its rules out of habit, is not enough to save us or transform us spiritually.

The Danger of Information Without Connection

The Jewish leaders viewed the Scriptures as an end in themselves. They believed that the mechanical act of studying the text would grant them eternal life. But the Bible was never meant to be a destination; it is a map. Its entire purpose is to point us directly to Jesus.

When we read Scripture purely for information, historical data, or a checklist of rules, we miss the heart of God. We risk becoming like travelers who stare at a signpost to a beautiful city but refuse to actually walk down the road to get there.

Coming to Him for Life

Jesus reveals the core issue in John 5:40: “yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”

True spiritual life does not come from intellectual knowledge. It comes from a personal relationship. It requires us to lay down our pride, accept Christ personally, and completely devote our lives to following Him.

When we read the Bible with open hearts, it stops being a mere textbook and becomes an encounter. Every page prompts us to love Jesus more, trust Him deeper, and live out the beautiful principles and purposes He has revealed to us. Let’s not just study the pages—let’s walk with the One who wrote them.

A Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the incredible gift of Your Word. Forgive us for the times we treat it like a chore or a textbook rather than a living invitation to know You. Guard our hearts against spiritual pride and empty routine.

As we read Your Scriptures, open our eyes to see Jesus clearly. Help us not just to gather information, but to experience true transformation. We don’t want to just know about You; we want to know You deeply. Give us the grace to come to You daily, to surrender our lives, and to find our true life in You alone.

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

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Bible Study Tools I Use

• NIV Bible
• King James Bible
• www. biblegateway.com
• www.biblestudytools.com
• Map Pencils
• Strong’s Concordance
• College Ruled Spiral Notebook
• Ballpoint Pens
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Some of our Post That Might Interest You, All Out of the Current Book / Chapter

1. YOU HAVE SENT JOHN / John 5:33
2. THOSE WHO HAVE DONE GOOD – RISE TO LIVE – THOSE WHO HAVE DONE EVIL / JOHN 5:29
3. HAS GRANTED THE SON TO HAVE LIFE IN HIMSELF / JOHN 5:26
4. HEARS … BELIEVES / JOHN 5:24
5. MAKING HIMSELF EQUAL WITH GOD / JOHN 5:18-24
6. PERSECUTED HIM / JOHN 5:16
7. STOP SINNING / JOHN 5:14
8. THE MAN WAS CURED / JOHN 5:9-10
9. THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS / JOHN 5:5
10. SIGNS AND WONDERS / JOHN 4:48
11. CROP FOR ETERNAL LIFE / JOHN 4:36
12. LOOK AT THE FIELDS / JOHN 4:35
13. SURPRISED TO FIND HIM TALKING WITH A WOMAN / JOHN 4:27
14. TRUTH / JOHN 4:24
15. WORSHIP … IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH / JOHN 4:23-24
16. SAMARITANS WORSHIP WHAT YOU DO NOT KNOW / JOHN 4:22
17. WATER … ETERNAL LIFE / JOHN 4:14
18. SAMARITAN WOMAN / JOHN 4:7
19. WHOEVER REJECTS / JOHN 3:36
20. GIVES THE SPIRIT WITHOUT LIMIT / JOHN 3:34
21. LOVED DARKNESS INSTEAD OF LIGHT / JOHN 3:19
22. GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD /JOHN 3:16
23. JUST AS MOSES LIFTED UP THE SNAKE / JOHN 3:14-15
24. THE WIND … THE SPIRIT / JOHN 3:8
25. BORN OF WATER / JOHN 3:5
26. BORN AGAIN / JOHN 3:3
27. TEMPLE / JOHN 2:19
28. DROVE ALL FROM THE TEMPLE AREA / JOHN 2:15
29. SIGNS / JOHN 2:11
30. CHOICE WINE – HAD TOO MUCH TO DRINK / JOHN 2:10
31. WINE – THEY HAVE NO MORE WINE / JOHN 2:3
32. YOU SHALL SEE HEAVEN OPEN / JOHN 1:51
33. CEPHAS … PETER / JOHN 1:42
34. THE FIRST THING ANDREW DID / JOHN 1:41
35. THE TENTH HOUR /JOHN 1:39
36. WILL BAPTIZE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT / JOHN 1:33
37. LAMB OF GOD / JOHN 1:29
38. PHARISEES / JOHN 1:24
39. GRACE AND TRUTH / JOHN 1:17
40. THE WORD BECAME FLESH / JOHN 1:14
41. BORN NOT OF … HUMAN DECISION / JOHN 1:13
42. RECEIVED … BELIEVED / JOHN 1:12
43. THE WORLD DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIM / JOHN 1:10
44. GIVES LIGHT TO EVERY MAN / JOHN 1:9
45. HIS NAME WAS JOHN / JOHN 1:6
46. LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS / JOHN 1:5
47. LIFE WAS THE LIGHT OF MEN / JOHN 1:4
48. WITH GOD IN THE BEGINNING / JOHN 1:2
49. THE WORD / JOHN 1:1
50. CREWS N AWAY: ANCHORED IN GRACE

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Blessings, Margarita & Stace