WHY SOULD I READ THE BIBLE?

The story is told of a missionary's gift of a Bible to a native on a remote island where the Bible was unheard of. In the missionary's words: I was very gratified at the native's expression of gratitude for the gift. He just couldn't thank me enough. Consequently, I was puzzled when I next saw him a few months later and he showed me the Bible which was now battered and torn. "I thought you would take better care of the Bible I gave you," I scolded. "I assumed you really wanted it and would treasure it." To which he replied, "It is the greatest gift I have ever received. It is such a wonderful gift that I gave a page to each person on the island."

How many of you when you receive a love letter from your lover would keep it for a year before opening it? Isn’t it ironic that the world’s greatest love letter has not been cherished by all those to whom it was written? Some let years pass by without completely reading it. The Bible is a precious gift and the greatest love letter from God to his people. The natives understood how precious this gift was for them. They cherished it, read it and distributed it among themselves.

Hold the Bible in your hands; How grateful are you to hold this precious gift? Did you know how many have lost their lives while translating it into other languages? In A.D. 303, by the Emperor Diocletian’s command many Christians were put to death and sacred writings were destroyed. The persecution on Christians continued. Any attempt of translating the scripture was dealt with severely. Between 1400 and 1557A.D nearly 1000 people were burned to death for defending the Word of God. John Wycliffe was the first one to translate the Bible from Latin to English in 1380 A.D. The pope at that time was so infuriated by his teachings and translation, 44 years after Wycliffe had died he ordered the bones to be dug up crushed and scattered in the river.
William Tyndale produced the very first English language New Testament to ever come off a printing press. He was burned at the stake in 1536 for the “crime” of printing these magnificently Illustrated English New Testaments.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon exposed the Biblical illiteracy of his time, "You know more about your ledgers than your Bible; you know more about your magazines and novels than what God has written; many of you will read a novel from the beginning to the end, and what have you got? A mouthful of foam when you are done. But you cannot read the Bible; that solid, lasting, substantial, and satisfying food goes uneaten, locked up in the cupboard of neglect; while anything that a man writes, a best seller of the day, is greedily devoured.” Wow!! What a challenge? We have time to read news papers, books, magazines, and novels but do we take time to read the Bible?

Many skeptics today try to discredit the Bible stating that its message is not relevant to the 21st century. They are completely wrong. Josh McDowell was once a very hardened skeptic. As an unbeliever, he set out to disprove the Bible as being God's Word. As he examined the facts, though, the exact opposite happened! He is now one of the most respected Christian Apologists in the world! God’s word is still alive, relevant and active and changing lives. Why should you read this wonderful book? While there are several reasons, I would like to talk about three major reasons why you and I should read the Bible on a consistent basis.

I. THE BIBLE REVEALS GOD.
The great reformer Martin Luther once said where to look for God. “God is everywhere. However, He does not want you to reach out for Him everywhere but only in the Word. Reach out for it and you will grasp Him aright. Otherwise you are tempting God and setting up idolatry. That is why He has established a certain method for us. This teaches us how and where we are to look for Him and find Him, namely, in the Word.” The Bible is God’s revelation to mankind.
The Bible reveals God’s greatness, his dealings, his redemptive plan; and the destiny of mankind.
2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness"

Amos 4:13 “He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, …the LORD God Almighty is his name.” This Almighty God made his plans known to Moses and his deeds to the children of Israel and they were recorded for our benefit.

Psalm 103:7-8 “He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”

The Bible not only reveals God but also shows us how we should relate to Him, to ourselves, others and to the world. I don’t know how else a born again believer can grow in the knowledge of God without ever reading the Bible? It is great to hear preachers and teachers share wonderful truths from the Bible but that is only second hand revelation. Have you discovered how exciting it is to have God directly speak to you through his word? Where else would you otherwise find about a God who is loving, merciful, compassionate and forgiving other than in the Bible?. After my conversion in 1982 I became an ardent reader of the Bible.

II. BIBLE READING IS ESSENTIAL FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
It is a well know fact that mother’s milk is important for the health of infants. There are many advantages in breastfeeding: A bonding develops between the mother and the child. The child will learn to trust the mother in a stress free, tender, and loving environment. Why is mother’s milk is better than formula? Because it contains natural antibodies, that provide immunity against certain bacteria and viruses commonly responsible for a newborns gastrointestinal distress. A study following children from infancy to adolescence found that the average IQ of children who were breast-fed scored higher than formula-fed children.
Another classic study determined that the longer a child is breast-fed, the greater the enhancement of his or her cognitive ability.”

Paul used the analogy of an infant to illustrate a powerful truth. He showed how feeding on mother’s milk is essential for the growth of the babies in the same way feeding on God’s word is absolutely essential for new Christians. 1 Peter 2:2 “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,” We may have seen how newborn babies latch on to their mother because they knew their total survival depends on it. Paul compared the word of God to “Pure spiritual Milk” The words of God is compared to many things in the Bible but most often it was compared to food that provided nurture and growth:

David said; in Psalm 119:103 “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

The Prophet Jeremiah confessed: Jeremiah 15:16 “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight,”

God told the prophet Ezekiel to eat his words: Ezekiel 3:1-3 And he said to me, "Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel." 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. Then he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
This is a wonderful picture of how exactly we are to absorb and integrate the Word of God into our lives. God wants us to study the scriptures with a passion of a hungry person, hungry for wisdom, strength, encouragement and even his correction. A hungry person comes to the table expecting to be nourished and satisfied. We should also approach the bible with same expectation. When we understand just how life-giving God’s word really is, how can we fail to delve into it?

III. BIBLE READING REVEALS GOD’S PLAN.

Have you ever wondered whether God has a plan for your life? A title of a book goes “If God has a plan for my life why can’t I find it? This title suggests two things, it proposes that God has a plan for individuals and it challenges them to find it out. The Bible tells us that God has a plan for our lives. God’s plan is both general as well as specific.

There are treasures to be found in the Bible that every person would do well to pay attention to as it says in Proverbs “to acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is just and right”. A tremendous type of training takes place in a person’s life when he or she is simply committed to the reading, meditating and applying of the truth of God’s Word.
Hebrews 5:12-14 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

The general plan and purpose of God for all of mankind is revealed all through the Bible. His specific plan for individuals however differs from person to person. The prophet Isaiah knew from his childhood that he was called to be God’s servant. Isaiah 49:1-2 “Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver.”

The Psalmist notes in Psalm 139:13-16 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. This scripture tells us that when God created you he had a specific plan in his mind. He has gifted each differently.

Paul acknowledges that each of us is differently gifted. Ephesians 4:11-12 “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,” In 1 Corinthians 12:11 “he gives them to each one, just as he determines.”
God gives different gifts to people but the purpose is the same that is to build his Kingdom. As we grow in an intimate relationship with God by listening to His voice through the reading of His Word he will lead and guide us in the specifics of our life.

Several times God has led me to do a specific thing through his word and I am grateful to God for his direction. The more we read His Word the more we will learn to discover His good and perfect will for our lives. God speaks to us through His written word. When you are making crucial decisions in life do take time to consult God through the reading of his word, you might be surprised by the wisdom you will find in His word. When you don’t know what to do and where to go turn to the pages of the Bible you may find the direction that would be just right for you at that moment.

Young people can discover a life without regrets by simply living according to God’s word. There is wisdom in the words of David; Psalm 119: 9-11 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; and not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
For more than one reason I can not over emphasize how indispensable is the daily reading of the Bible for a child of God. You should read the Bible because it reveals God, it is essential for your spiritual growth and it reveals God’s plan. If reading God’s word is such valuable why not pick up a Bible reading plan today and make a resolution to read God’s word this New Year?

A few practical tips to help you in this exciting journey of reading God’s Word:
1. Start with one year Bible reading plan. Choose a plan that fits you.
2. Pick a version (New International Version) that is easy to understand.
3. Choose a time preferably morning when you are fresh and your mind is not cluttered by the things of the day.
4. Read prayerfully and expectantly for God to speak to you through His word.
5. Encourage your children to read the Bible, ask for their feedback and discuss God’s truth with them.
6. Memorize scriptures; they will help you in times of trouble and temptation.
7. Apply the truths that you are learning from God’s word in other words aligning your life with God’s word.