Consistently reading
select portions of the Bible while skipping over others.
Eating only one course of a five course meal.
I spent far too many years reading the same parts of the
Bible over and over while neglecting to read other parts. I struggled with
reading several of the Old Testament books. When I finally read all of the Bible, I really
enjoyed it and grew in reading all of God’s Word. If desired, some helpful
reading plans are available here: https://www.ligonier.org.
Reading as a duty to
earn God’s favor
Convincing yourself that the stale moldy cracker you
carefully served yourself brings you spiritual health, though a fine meal that
indeed brings you spiritual health is told of in the Book you just read, and is
indeed the only meal that will bring spiritual health.
In ourselves, there is no righteousness. When we come to
realize this and hunger and thirst for Christ’s righteousness we are filled. (Matthew
5:6) “So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” John 6:53.
Reading as a
technical theological study without enjoying the Lord
Thoroughly examining a gourmet steak’s color, the grains of
the meat, and juices but swallowing the meat whole rather than chewing it and
savoring the taste.
Reading as a mundane necessity
Eating as fast as you can without much thought to the meal's
appearance and taste. Barely chewing as you wolf down a meal you know you must eat,
not taking time to savor or enjoy the meal.
Paul Tripp shares some tips on fighting spiritual boredom in his article, "Bible Study Struggles"
Reading good Christian
books but not reading The Book
Eating vitamin supplements rather than meals and therefore
suffering severe malnourishment.
Reading heretical books
and not reading The Book
Eating poison as your sole sustenance; this has a very great
danger of fatality.
Reading heretical books
and reading the Bible
Eating a fine meal and supplementing it with poison, thus
damaging your health substantially with a danger of fatality.
There was a time in my life that I was researching heretical
material. It is a great temptation to see what some of the “modern” teachings
are about, as they appeal to our flesh. I am thankful God kept me in his Word
during this time, and by grace did not allow me to be consumed by confusion and
unbelief. Heretical material that
teaches a false gospel or allows for sins the Bible condemns must be discarded
with the haste that a bottle of poison would be discarded from the dinner
table.
Reading Occasionally
Intermittently eating well then starving yourself.
Reading without
application
Looking at a gourmet meal and thinking you ate it, though it
still sits on your plate.
But
be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if
anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks
intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets
what he was like. James 1:22-24
Whatever our struggles may be in reading and hearing the Word of God, they can only be overcome by God’s grace. On the cross, Christ overcame all our sins. No one can perfectly read God’s Word but those that feed on Christ are given his righteousness. In his strength, we can read and apply his Word.
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of
Christ” Romans 10:17. God’s children come to faith when the Holy
Spirit makes us able to hear his Word; we then grow in our faith by hearing his
Word. It is important to come under the teaching of the Word in a faithful
church and study the Word personally. God’s Word tells us of his glory and goodness and we learn that we are miserable sinners in need of a Savior. We are told of God’s great love toward us and
the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. We love him because he first loved us. I need to hear this message every day and it
is weaved into Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Let me read, lest my love
grows cold.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from
your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be
careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make
your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8
In closing, I would like to share a variation of Anna
Warner’s hymn “Jesus Loves Me” I love the original version of this hymn and the
story behind it (see https://en.wikipedia.org.) In sharing
my variation, I don’t want to replace or minimize the original song. My
variation is a confession of God’s work of grace in the life of a believer. He
gives us the gift of faith in Christ, adopts us, and seals us by the Spirit. The Bible tells us so.
God my Father cares for me
He is always watching me
Not a need of mine’s unmet
I’m a child of God Most High
My Father loves me!
My Father loves me! My Father
loves me! The Bible tells me so.
Jesus loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to him belong
We are weak but he is strong
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves
me! The Bible tells me so.
My God holds me in his hand
He will never let me go
I am his and he is mine
Christ my Savior died for me
Yes, my God loves me! Yes, my God loves me! Yes, my God
loves me! The Bible tells me so.
I am evil, born in sin
By God’s blood I’m justified
All my sins are washed away
My God’s righteousness is mine
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves
me! The Bible tells me so.
God the Spirit dwells in me
By his power I have faith
And I follow where he leads
Day by day my soul he keeps
The Spirit loves me! The Spirit loves me! The Spirit loves
me! The Bible tells me so.
God my Savior redeemed me
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Holy, Holy, Holy One
God eternal redeemed me
Yes, my God loves me! Yes, my God loves me! Yes, my God
loves me! The Bible tells me so.
