What if the guy who invented atoms pulled you aside and said, "Hey, I want to tell you a secret." Would you listen? I'm not talking about the person who DISCOVERED atoms, but the one who CREATED them. All of them. What if he said, "I want to explain how things work, why people do what they do." I don't know about you, but I would be all ears.
The way I see it, that's just what the Bible is. It's the mysterious book that explains how things like peace and justice and mercy work, and why people lie and love and sacrifice. The more I read it, the more questions I have, but the more I learn. It is a VERY curious work with many crevices that I missed on my first couple readings. And I'm sure I'll have more questions every time I read it again. I try to read it every day because it grounds me in the most important reality: God is the author of my life and the world I live in. If I can start there, I'm already ahead for the day.
So, if it's that good, why would I ever miss it? 'Cause I'm human. I am a mess like everyone else and I get sick and I think I'm too busy and I make mistakes. When I get away from reading the Word of God on a regular basis, I become acclimatized to living without it, which is dangerous. But thankfully, He brings something across my path that brings me back and I get in the flow again. I read, I learn, I live, and I fail.
Curious about reading the bible? Try this recipe:
- Get a Bible at any book store or from your grandma or from your local church. Don't worry about what translation it is, just get one that you can read.
- Get a bookmark.
- Ask God to teach you through his Word.
- Start reading.
- When you are done reading, insert the bookmark there.
- Repeat steps 3 through 5 until you complete the book.
It's kind of like reading any other book.
Have you read any of the Bible? What did you learn? What did you like about it? What did you not like? Do you have questions? What would you tell someone that is intimidated by the prospect of reading it?