Why Bother Reading Your Bible?
“In America, almost 90% of households have one or more Bibles sitting on bookshelves or bedside tables. And that’s generally where they stay: unopened and unread.” - Mikal Keefer
Trying to keep track of who is who, where and when things took place, in the Bible, can be overwhelming. Bible names like Maher-shalal-hash-baz, Chushanrishathaim, and Zaphnathpaaneah can cause panic attacks during public reading. Why not let the professional preachers tell us what it says? Why bother reading our Bible?
01 Because you want to hear Jesus’ voice
Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.”
Investing into a personal relationship with Jesus is worth the bother.
A women’s testimony lead a town to investigate Jesus for themselves. They ended up telling the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” (John 4:42b NIV)
They didn’t settle for second hand knowledge. They took the time to hear Jesus for themselves and their faith went from second hand faith to powerful personal faith.
02 Because Jesus is your friend
Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples” and “You are my friends if you do what I command.”
Friendships thrive with connection.
Reading the Bible merely for information, misses the opportunity for connection with your friend.
In The Lion King, Simba sees a stampede quickly approaching.
This is how our day starts. All the things on the to-do list race towards us and we feel like there’s no time to read our Bible.
However, refusing to receive God’s word and expecting to accomplish God’s will, is like refusing to fill an empty gas tank and expecting to reach our destination. Filling the gas tank takes time, but the fuel is worth it.
Mary woke up on a busy day, took time to sit with her friend and hear His voice. When she was criticized for not getting busy with the to-do list, Mary’s friend came to her defense, “Mary has chosen what is better” (John 10:42 NIV).
Maybe you’ve been reading your Bible to avoid feeling guilty and it feels like a chore.
Today, choose to open your Bible to hear His voice and invest in your most valuable friendship.
“Spend time in God’s Word today so that others will see Christ in your attitudes and actions.” –H. G. Bosch.