Why Should I Read the Bible?
It seems like a given that we read the Bible as Christians. But have you ever considered why we should read the Bible? In this blog post, Bro. Chris Carter shares four reasons why we should open up our Bibles regularly.
Scripture: Joshua 1:7-11
Being strong and courageous is not a feeling. It's a choice to trust God when we are afraid and discouraged.
Imagine being Joshua and receiving a call to lead two million formerly enslaved people into the Promised Land if you look at our text. That's probably a call that none of us would want to take either.
But the text makes it evident that God was concerned about Joshua. He knew how Joshua would feel; weak, fearful, discouraged and overwhelmed. Maybe that's you right now. You're trying to figure out how to get through the day or some challenging circumstance. Perhaps, you're facing rejection, loss, and heartache. It could be a job change or some other difficult circumstances. Or maybe you're in a season of transition, and you're not sure if you have what it takes to face tomorrow.
God knew the hesitation in Joshua's heart, and He undoubtedly knows the fear in yours too. He has a way of bringing the right word back to us again and again until we're able to embrace it and receive our act of courage.
God tells Joshua, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you, where ever you go."
I recently saw a refrigerator magnet with the picture of a well-dressed but frazzled woman dragging her loaded suitcase behind her. A text bubble above her read, "I don't have time for the nervous breakdown that I deserve."
Some of you might feel like that, and I've got a word for you: God says postpone your breakdown.
Remember the promise of God's presence. As you face challenges, you're going to have more breakthroughs than you are breakdowns; That's part of the Promised Land life.
If Satan can talk angels out of heaven, he can talk you into hell. Be careful what voices you listen to. Be cautious about the voices that are driving you that are motivating you. Make sure God's voice is behind that motivation.
Why should we read the Bible?
1) It Gets Us Unstuck
Move, now, that's a word we need to hear more often. When we as individuals, families, or organizations are stuck in the wilderness, we can be stuck for too long. Sometimes God will have the mercy to say "move." If you take that step, you'll no longer be stuck, or at least take the first step towards removing yourself from the wilderness. If you take that first step, that act of courage, God tells us He won't let you stay stuck. To discover spiritual growth, we must have a tool, and the Bible is that too.
Thank God for the gift of communication that we should enjoy as human beings. It involves listening and speaking. We have to listen and be willing to share our hearts with God and other people. There's no such thing as a real, a real good, authentic relationship that's helpful without the gift of communication.
2) We Silence God When We're Not In HIs Word
God tells us that He wants us to know that we're alive, on the inside, that I have for you exactly what you need during this season. People don't grow because they're busy. People grow in Christ because they read and trust their Bibles. We have to get into God's Word if we want God's Word to get into us.
Do you have the kind of heart this morning that longs to hear God's voice above all others? Do you have a prayer on your heart? Charles Spurgeon said, "To me, the Bible is not God. We know this Bible is not God, that that would be the worship of the Bible. The Bible is God's voice. And I do not hear it without all."
3) The Bible Is Inspired & Living Word
The Bible says that this book is God's inspired Word, but not only that, it is also living and active. It knows how to cut us where we need it to cut, and it knows how to heal us where we need to be healed.
Imagine if something similar occurred today. If we found a book written in the year 1899, and it prophesied two world wars, depression, an atomic bomb, the assassinations of a president and a civil rights leader, and the formation of the world's largest terrorist group that ever existed. Don't you think that somebody would trust that kind of book?
Gandhi said, "You Christians have in your keeping a document with enough dynamite in it to blow the whole of civilization to bits, to turn society upside down, and to bring peace to this war-torn world. But you read it as if it was just good literature and nothing else."
Folks, the Bible is far more than good literature; It is God's Word, forever settled in heaven. In a day of uncertainty, insecurity, and instability, we have the rock of God's Word to stand upon and to build our lives. But to receive that, we need to take God at His Word and let it be authoritative in our lives.
4) Great Rewards Come To Those That Trust in God’s Word
God tells Joshua, "If you read and meditate on my word if you get in it, and it'll get in you, then you will be prosperous and successful."
This is the only place in the Old Testament where the two words prosperous and successful are found together for emphasis. Those words can be words that you have to think through these days. What does it mean to be prosperous and successful? I can tell you what it doesn't mean.
What God Doesn't Mean When When He Says You Will Be Prosperous and Successful:
It doesn't mean that…
You're going to have all the money you could ever want.
That you're not going ever to have any trouble.
You will always sleep great.
Your breath will never smell.
You will never be inconvenienced.
You will grow hair on your bald spot.
It does mean that you will have a fruitful life with God. His fruit will be born in your heart. You will be like a tree planted by rivers or streams of living water. It means that His presence, peace, help will give you progress towards the Promised Land life.
How Should We Read the Bible?
We've covered the why, but what about the how? We can understand the why all day, but we won't see any of the promises until we do the how.
The goal of reading scripture is not to observe, enjoy and understand, but to let it get deep down in your soul. Let the voice of truth evict the alluring voices that try and keep you away from the Promised Land life. God tells us in verse eight that we should "Meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything that is written in it."
1) Slow & Steady
In our busyness, it's easy to want to mark something off and be done with it. But, reading scripture is the opposite if we receive the benefits. Meditation is not a quick read, but it's a slow read. But it's a prayerful read. It's a read that thinks and rethinks about God's Word before them and submits to the Word that you're reading.
“I’d rather take a bath in three verses and sponge off in three chapters.”
I've been studying the Bible since I was eight years old. No woman or man will ever be able to master the Word of God. The best we can do is submit our lives to the Master of the Word. There is no more significant impact on our spiritual growth than reflection or meditation on scripture. It's not just reliable, but it makes a present and qualitative difference in our lives. This book reads us when we read it. It changes us.
2) Be Open to Being Opened
One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 107:20. The psalmist says, "He sent His word and healed them and delivered them from all of their destructions."
If you feel like you've been shattered open, go to the Word of God and say, "Speak! You have to help me!" When we ask that grace of God, He will be the glue to put us back together again. God is faithful to do that when we come to Him with open hearts.
Also, when we come to scripture, ready to meditate, God will open us up to things that weren't even on our radars. Ask Him to shape your life, thinking, feelings, behaviors, and heart. Ask God to search your heart and reveal the areas where you turn from Him. You may emerge from a wilderness you didn't realize you'd been lost in!
3) Quality over Quantity
So people say, how long should I have time with God? I don't have a magic formula for that. All I can tell you is that we need to be within God's Word until we know that God's Word has spoken to us for that day. That might take 30 seconds, five minutes, or 30 minutes. It's not the quantity of the Word; it's the power of the Word that we let get inside us.
Get up and allow God some time to speak to you. This will enable you to go into the day knowing that the Word of the Lord has spoken and prepared you so you can face anything with God's help.
The Word of God is so deep that theologians can swim in it and never touch bottom, but shallow enough that a child can take a drink without fear of drowning. God speaks to those whose hearts are open to him. It's a drinkable book, and sometimes we don't need to drink; we need to chug.
That's what happens when you read the Bible. You might not understand or remember everything. But when you read it, it will change you. It will clean you from the inside out. God told Joshua and his people to know His Word to find courage. God says that to each of us, take time to read my Word. Take time to meditate on my Word. It will get you out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land.
TL;DR
Being strong and courageous is not a feeling. It's a choice to trust God when we are afraid and discouraged.
If Satan can talk angels out of heaven, he can talk you into hell. Be cautious about the voices that are driving you that are motivating you. Make sure God's voice is behind that motivation.
Why Should I Read the Bible?
It gets us unstuck
We silence God when we’re not in His Word
The Bible is inspired and living word
Great rewards come to those that trust His Word
How Should We Read the Bible?
Slow and steady
Be open to being opened
Quality over quantity
Related Articles
How to Read Difficult Scripture by Brad Bogue
How to Understand the Old Testament by Grant Caldwell
How To Help Your Child Read the Bible by Brad Bogue
About Christ Church Memphis
Christ Church Memphis is church in East Memphis, Tennessee. For more than 65 years, Christ Church has served the Memphis community. Every weekend, there are multiple worship opportunities including traditional, contemporary and blended services.
