Bible reading

 Psalms 119:9-16


How can a young man keep his way pure?

By keeping it according to Your word.

With all my heart I have sought You;

Do not let me stray from Your commandments.

Your word I have treasured in my heart,

That I may not sin against You.

Blessed are You, O Yahweh;

Teach me Your statutes.

With my lips I have recounted

All the judgments of Your mouth.

I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,

As much as in all riches.

I will muse upon Your precepts

And look upon Your ways.

I shall delight in Your statutes;

I shall not forget Your word.


I was looking at statistics on Bible reading today after someone I was talking to made a comment about the small percentage of people who read their Bible.  The statistics I saw all said only around 10% of Christians (or Americans, depending on the survey) read their Bibles daily.  On top of that, it seems that more and more people see the Bible as just another book.  Wow!  I’ve only posted the first two sections of Psalm 119 (yesterday and today), but if you read the whole thing, it is clear that David (or whoever the author was, scholars don’t agree) loves the Word of God and feasts on it more than just once a day.  

I once read a story about missionaries and martyrs (I think it was Hearts of Fire from Voice of the Martyrs) in which one of the women copied sections of the Bible by hand whenever she was given the copy of Scriptures that the believers in her area shared so that she could have the Word.  One copy of Scriptures for all the believers in the area to share.  I read a biography about Brother Andrew (God’s Smuggler) who smuggled Bibles behind the Iron Curtain at great risk to himself.  The stories, true stories, go on and on.  But here is the US, most households probably have at least one copy of the Bible in their homes.  Many probably have several copies.  And anyone with a smartphone has many app choices that will give them literally any translation of the Bible they want, some which will even read it to you.  But do we care?

If we really believe that “All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be equipped, having been thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) then shouldn’t we take Scripture seriously?  Shouldn’t we stand on Scripture as Truth, as God’s Word that we base everything in our lives on?  Shouldn’t we have a “high view of Scripture” as the theologians say?  If Scripture is “God-breathed” and God is sovereign over everything and everyone, shouldn’t we be serious about reading what He has to say to us?  Not just for head knowledge.  Not just to finish a workbook.  Not just to say we have read another great book.  But because we hunger to know the God who poured out so much grace to us to save us at great cost to Himself because of His mercy and His compassion and, yes, His justice.  I pray for more of that hunger.  Will you join me?

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