"The story of the manna gathered and set aside by the Hebrews is deeply significant. It so happened that the manna rotted when it was kept. And perhaps this means that all spiritual reading which is not consumed-by prayer and by works- ends by causing a sort of rotting inside us. You die with a head full of fine sayings and a perfectly empty heart."  Julian Green Diaries [New York: Macmillian, 1955], p. 101   I was taught that the more bible I could get into me, the more mature I would become. I don't believe that anymore, at least in the way it was then framed. What my teachers meant was that the mind of Christ was transmitted via knowledge, I believe as Julian Green implies, it is transmitted through obedience. At least two generations, mine and the one that preceded mine, were taught that bible study in a very disciplined way was the door to fruitfulness. I believe that reading the bible is supernatural, that praying it through my soul is the beginning of transformation, but unless I am living out the reality , it rots inside me.  My concern is that when people think information is power, they are only part right. In a church setting, knowing the most about the bible has influence. People naturally have a respect for bible scholars, professional or amateur. Real spiritual power is when the bible becomes a means to knowing God in an interactive way. That is why Paul used epignosin in Colossians 1:9 " And so, from the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you maybe filled with the knowledge [epignosin]  of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. It means a knowledge that is interactive with life. That is why he adds "Spiritual wisdom and understanding."  And the result of such knowledge is "to lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge [epignosei]  of God. The preposition epi in front of gnosis, which means knowledge, clearly is talking about a knowledge with wisdom, something only possible when lived out. As Karl Barth said, " I have read many books, but the bible reads me."  When we read or study  scripture, the question that is often left unasked is, " What does this mean for me today at 10:00 when I see Joe, or what have I left undone that needs doing today?  When we act, then God's word becomes a source of wisdom, another part of the mind of Christ attaches itself to my brain, I am on the road to transformation.