{"id":431,"date":"2011-01-11T21:41:47","date_gmt":"2011-01-12T02:41:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.bottlerockettheology.com\/?p=431"},"modified":"2011-01-11T21:41:47","modified_gmt":"2011-01-12T02:41:47","slug":"the-bible-do-we-read-why-are-we-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dave.dlscott.info\/?p=431","title":{"rendered":"The Bible … Do we read? Why are we reading?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do we read God’s holy book? <\/strong><\/p>\n

You know, the one to which we devote several lines in our doctrinal statements insisting that it is inspired and infallible, breathed by God, our lamp and light, etc.<\/p>\n

We consider it important enough to articulate and defend our views of its lofty nature, but do we consider it important enough to read?\u00a0 Wouldn’t that be a greater witness to its sharp and powerful nature than a paragraph in our church documents.<\/p>\n

We bemoan its absence in schools but do we have the same anxiety that it may be absent in our lives save a couple hours on Sunday morning?<\/p>\n

So do we really read it?<\/p>\n

Have you ever thought that God wants to speak to you daily?\u00a0 To you personally and directly, not through a radio program or the pastor of your church.\u00a0 To you.\u00a0 Do you give him that opportunity through a living relationship with him through his words?<\/p>\n

I don’t know.\u00a0 It’s sometimes a hard question to ask, especially to ask someone who has been following Christ for a while.<\/p>\n

Missionaries, pastors …<\/p>\n

Well, of course they do, but I do wonder with some of the things they say.\u00a0 Yes, I wonder how many of our pastors move their hearts in this direction, that God’s word is important enough to devote significant time to reading it.\u00a0 I had an associate once, a full-time minister of the gospel, who had never read the entire Bible.<\/p>\n

I also wonder if some of the people who spend hours studying the Bible ever move out of their comfort zones and allow God to speak to them over the course of a year by making their way through this treasure he has given us.<\/p>\n

You see, one thing that makes me wonder is what we consider – as individuals and churches – to be most important.\u00a0 There are clear statements in Scripture, and God’s main themes keep bubbling up throughout Scripture.<\/p>\n

We don’t have to guess; he comes right out and tells us.\u00a0 Number one – he calls us to love him.\u00a0 Take all the power and drama of Genesis through Deuteronomy, and Jesus sums it up in one sentence.\u00a0 Love God with your heart, soul and might.<\/p>\n

We can’t read God’s word for the right reasons and not want to please him with all our being.<\/p>\n

That leads to my second question.<\/strong>
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\nWhy are we reading the Bible?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Take a breath.\u00a0 Think about it for a minute.\u00a0 And test that first thought that comes to your mind before you ask yourself the question.\u00a0 Or even better, ask the Spirit of God to help you ask and answer the question.<\/p>\n

Are we reading so God won’t be mad at us?\u00a0 Do we make God like us more by plowing through those hundreds of pages?\u00a0 Are we afraid of God?\u00a0 Is reading merely our duty?\u00a0 Do we earn God’s blessing by reading?<\/p>\n

His words are life.\u00a0 That is what God tells us.<\/p>\n