Change your diet. Change your life!

“A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.”

Charles Spurgeon

  Our national obsession with cooking shows, famous chefs and new cookbooks continues to grow. It’s estimated that we spend more than five hours a week consuming “food media,” yet only four hours actually cooking. That means the average adult spends more time watching, scrolling and reading about food than actually cooking. More than half of the 2,000 surveyed admitted that they’d rather watch a meal being cooked, or look at photos online than actually cook with many saying they’re too short of time, or the dishes look far too complicated to manage.

  Doesn’t that sound like a lot of Christians? Studies reveal that the typical Christian is biblically illiterate. The outcome of that is why many believers are both miserable and miserable to be around…just like those who don’t know Jesus.

  The solution isn’t overly complicated. It’s simply that you’ll never be a healthy, growing Christian or have all the blessings and the life that God desires you to have – if you do not habitually read your Bible, His instruction manual. To put it another way, you won’t have peace unless you have a regular connection with the Prince of Peace.

  Yet, there are all types of excuses for not reading our Bibles. They’re just that though, excuses! Here are some common ones. Are any yours?

  I don't have time. We always find time if something is a priority. What’s important to you? How do you find time for that?

  I’m not a reader. Then, be a listener. Most of us have smartphones and a blue tooth. Download a free Bible app and listen as you drive. You can even listen when you exercise or do tasks around the house.

  Reading makes me sleepy. Switch times and locations. Get a cup of coffee or hot tea. Stand up and read if you need to.

  I never get anything out of it. Ask the Lord to open your spiritual eyes before you begin reading (James 1:5), so that you understand His Word.

  The Bible is too confusing to me. It can be. Start with what’s clear like the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John). If you want something practical, read a New Testament letter like Ephesians, Philippians or one of the Thessalonians, or even the book of Proverbs. The Books of Revelation or Ezekiel are not the best places to start.

  How do you start reading the Bible?

  Pick a regular daily time. Make it an appointment like breakfast or lunch. Most of us keep our appointments. Choose a good time that works for you. Most find that starting the day works best. Some like to end their day reading their Bible. The time is unimportant; the consistency is. Pick a period of time when you’re not rushed. We all know a steady diet of fast food isn’t healthy. Short, rushed Bible reading isn’t spiritually healthy. You’ll need at least 15 to 30 minutes (most of us waste far more than that each day on social media). Plan a time when you’re alert so that you can be focused and give your full attention.

  Pick a Bible you can understand. There are many good translations available from the ESV (English Standard Version) to NASV (New American Standard Version) or the NLT (New Living Translation). It’s important that your Bible is easy to read with large enough print, durable enough to use and inexpensive enough that you don’t feel bad writing or marking in it. Your Bible is meant to be used. It’s not a museum piece.

  Read God’s Word not someone’s interpretation of God’s Word. There’s a place for devotionals like Our Daily Bread or Today in the Word, but they’re not a substitute for the real thing. They’re someone else’s interpretation of what the Bible says. Usually, they’re snacks, not meals.

  Have a plan. I enjoy reading the Bible all the way through each year. I haven’t always done that, but I appreciate a holistic approach. God’s Word isn’t a novel, designed to be read from Genesis straight through to Revelation. If you do that, you’re likely to drop out somewhere in Leviticus. What I enjoy about a Bible reading plan is that most have a daily section from the Old Testament, the New Testament along with Psalms and Proverbs. It helps balance out things. For example, when I’m drilling through some of the tougher portions of Job, my soul is also being fed from where I’m reading at the same time in the New Testament.

  If you’re going to read a book of the Bible over a period of days or weeks, read the whole book through first at one sitting. For example, if you want to read Romans set aside a time to read the whole book at one time. It will give you an overview and make your later sectional reading more profitable. This probably won’t work with a large book like Isaiah. Even there though you can read it in a couple of days to get the big picture.  

  God gave us His Word so that His Word would mold us to be more like Jesus. God wants us to understand the Bible, but it doesn’t stop there. We’re to apply His Word to our lives. It helps then to ask some key questions as you read the Bible…

  What is God trying to teach me? At salvation, every believer is given the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16), yet we’re still tempted to think the way we did before salvation. Lasting transformation begins with the renewal of our minds (Rom. 12:1-2). Reflect on wrong thinking that the passage exposes.

  What does God want me to believe? It’s easy to understand truth at an intellectual level without allowing it to change how we live. God doesn’t want Christians to just know their Bibles. He wants Christians who think differently because they know their Bibles. Scripture must change our outlook on life and our worldview.

  What does God want me to do? When Scripture changes how we think, it produces tangible applications in how we live. Sometimes a passage gives us a direct command. Think about what sinful actions the passage exposes in your life and what godly actions you must pursue (James 1:22-27).

  No other book will so radically change you as the Bible both for this life and eternity. It’s silly to own a Bible and rarely read it. As we enter 2020, make this the year when regular Bible reading is a part of your daily life.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.