More noble than those

Acts 17:11

These were more noble than those [unbelieving Judeans] in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

These wonderful, noble believers were esteemed because they legitimately received the word and they took the time to consider it and make it their own. They took the time to learn and grow. They didn't passively take it in or let it go in one ear and out the other. Their focus and love for God and His Word are inspiring examples for us to follow today. God doesn't desire for His people to be passive with the study of His Word.

II Timothy 2:15

Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.

 The word "study" in this verse is to expend diligent effort with the brevity of time in mind. It is to make the most of your time in God's Word. For most people, the time that they spend in God's Word is the only time of day that they get to devote solely to spending time with God. Reading the Word for enjoyment is a wonderful and beautiful thing, but in order to really get blessed by it, we need to be thinking about it and mentally digesting it.

Jeremiah said, "thy words were found and I did eat them, and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart." The word "REjoicing" means to joy again. He continued to think about those words. We can rejoice in the words of the Father as we continue to consider, think about, analyze, and seek to understand deeply what we read and study. To simply spend time looking at the words will do nothing (or at least next to nothing) for our lives. It's when we make it our own and retain it with conviction!