Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.(Acts 17:11)
Except for a new believer, who among us has not heard that it is essential for us to read our Bibles? How many sermons, Sunday school lessons, workshops, and books have we been exposed to that exhorts us to get into the Word of God? And yet according to the Barna Research Group 90% of Americans own a Bible, but less than 20% will ever read it in its entirety. Our problem is not that we haven’t heard, it’s we really don’t believe what we’ve heard. If we truly thought the Word of God was essential to our lives, we would read it. Our problem is not with knowledge, our problem is with our values. We do not value the same things God values.
So how does one change their values? I think that there are three basic problems in this arena;
1. I have not experienced the Bible as being valuable in my personal life (Mk 4.15)
2. I have never been taught how to translate biblical truth into practical day-to-day living (Mk 4.16-17)
3. I have been taught and have experienced this but I choose not to allow the Word of God to influence my life (Mk 4.18-19)
The third problem is a war between values. Other things press in and distract the would be follower of Christ from devotion to His Word. The second is a matter of poor discipleship. How many Christians have started in Genesis and stopped reading at Leviticus, Numbers, or Deuteronomy? We need to do a better job of helping people navigate the scriptures. For some, a little direction and encouragement would be very helpful. And the first is a result of not reading or reading for intellect’s sake only. I believe that teaching a person to look for personal application is key to personal experience.
But there is also the intangible part of disciplemaking. When a follower of Jesus seeks Him in the scriptures, Christ reveals Himself to them. Suddenly the Bible comes alive and now has practical advantage for living (Heb 4.12, 2 Tim 3.16).
If you are seeking Christ in the scriptures daily, press on. Your reward is in the process. But to those who are not, you are robbing yourselves of true spiritual transformation and a deep abiding life with Jesus. Find someone to walk with you daily through the Bible until you gain the strength to read on your own.
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