Read It

I remember growing up how I hated to read anything but fiction. Science books? Ugh! American History? Blah. Getting me to read anything that didn't grip my mind was met with much angst as a child, even as a young teenager. However, action books, espionage, murder mysteries, now these were mind gripping books that held my attention. I would read through a John Grisham book in a few days. Tom Clancy novels? I ate them up.

When I first became a follower of Jesus Christ, my fist Bible was the King James version. Now that's a tough translation for a 13 year old kid to grasp. There were certain things I could understand, but most of the Old Testament was just too rough to read in the old English style. It made reading the Bible feel like a science book or American History. The style just lulled me to sleep. I lost interest. I have nothing against the King James Version of the Bible. I used it to teach and preach from on occasion. It just used to make me feel like a zombie because it was so difficult to comprehend. Who really speaks like that now days? That translation was written in the language of the people in the 1600's. Even King James himself was not a fan of it. He read the English Standard Version of the Bible. Anyway, I digress. Forgive me.

Once I found a version of the Bible I could understand, which was at that time, the New International Version (NIV), I began to have a fondness for reading the Bible. I understood it. It was written in a language I could understand. I think that's one of the important things in purchasing a Bible, find one that is written in a language you understand, otherwise, what's the point? I read from several different translations now, like the New Living Translation, The Amplified Bible, Today's New International Version, The New King James Version, The Message Bible, and a few others. God did not design the Bible for it not to be understood. He wants us to understand what we are reading because He wants to be known.

Now, God wants to be known and one of the important ways to know Him is by reading the Bible. His character is in there. His promises are in there. The helps for life are in there. The way of salvation is in there. How creation became created is in there.

Studies show that less than 15% of Christians read their Bible every day. Only 19% read the Bible more than once a week! Is it no wonder that most Christians don't know how to explain their faith? Is it no wonder that many follow false teachings without even knowing it? They simply take what the preacher says as fact without ever researching it themselves.
Women read the Bible more than men, almost 5 to 1. Is it no wonder many homes lack male leadership when it comes to spiritual things? Comparatively, in the 1970's almost 73% of Christians read their Bible at least occasionally. Today only 39% say the read it occasionally (occasionally, meaning monthly). Time Magazine reports, 50% of Christians ages 65 and up say they read the Bible weekly, while 15% of Christians ages 18 to 64 read it weekly.

One time while teaching a Bible Study I asked participants to open up their Bibles to 2 Hezekiah Chapter 3. I was amazed that pages actually started turning. Another time at Bible College, I asked during a chapel service for everyone to open up to 1 Hesitations Chapter 13. Of all places I did not expect to hear pages turning, this was it. To my major disappointment, pages turned! The American church is not knowledgeable of Scripture. We need help!

I am sure we all have people we like to spend time with and are very dear to us. In order to know someone we must spend time with them on a regular basis. One way to get to know God, along with prayer is reading the Bible and reading it daily. Don't we who are married spend much time with our spouses? How can we no do that in the most important relationship we will ever have? It's mind boggling!

I knew a man who read the Bible cover to cover every year for decades. When he reached his mid forties, he lost his vision due to diabetes. For the rest of his life, he was able to quote chapter and verse of the entire Bible. This really challenged me to read the Word daily and get it inside of me. We never know when our eyesight may go, or if we will later in life, have access to the Bible. God forbid there be a time in America's future that reading the Bible be outlawed or we become overcome by a foreign nation that excludes the Bible.

I'll close with this quote from American novelist John Steinbeck, "Give me a used Bible and I will, I think, be able to tell you about a man by the places that are edged with the dirt of seeking fingers."

We need to read and know our Bible in order to know God, the plan of salvation, His promises and to know how to defend our faith.

The Bible..... Read it!