Anyone who knows me, knows that I read… like, a lot. It is not uncommon for me to finish two to three books in a week. Sometimes a few days longer depending on how busy I’ve been. I read just about anything. Well, except for Harlequin Romances. Everything from theology to physics, from comics to textbooks, from history to biographies. Of course, I read the Bible as well. I try to get through it three times every year. Most of the time it’s about two and a quarter. The point is, reading is an important part of the Christian life. You don’t need to read everything I do, but Scripture should be read daily.
Many people will ask ‘Why?’. And I’m glad they do. It gives me a chance to give my short answer. That being; when we know more about God our faith grows as we give God praise for who He is. Even shorter answer; Knowing about God fuels our faith. The 1689 Baptist Confession puts forth this little gem in chapter 22, section 1 concerning worship:
“The light of nature demonstrates that there is a God who has lordship and sovereignty over all. He is just and good and does good to everyone. Therefore, he should be feared, loved, praised, called on, trusted in, and served—with all the heart and all the soul and all the strength.”
By filling your mind with the Word of God, you then know who God is and then naturally are prone to fear, love, praise, call on, trust and serve – with your whole heart. The writer of Hebrews also puts forth this same though in Hebrews 13:15 by writing, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
God has designed a way… a beautiful way… for our faith to grow by leaps and bounds. Great things happen when you continually confess the mercy of God. Faith rises up on the inside of you. The reality that God loves you begins to sing through your spirit. What’s more, it brings honor to your Father when you believe His Word and magnify His love and mercy. You honor Him when you speak of His goodness and lovingkindness, when you talk about Him as your Father of love who does only good. It blesses Him when you praise Him as the great God of the universe who is eager to bless and who even gave His own Son because He so loved the world.
But, you must read His Word, continually hiding it in your heart, in order to live by faith and praise in spirit and truth. How are you reading the Word? Do you have a plan? Do you set a goal to read it once a year? Do you have a set time each day? Do you lose yourself in the reading and just want to know God more? Do you listen to the words as you read them? Reading Scripture shouldn’t be a habit so much as it is a necessary part of your relationship with our heavenly Father.
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