I once heard it said that trying to grow in Christ by reading only devotional books, is like trying to nourish your body by watching a cooking show. You may be entertained, you might even learn some good things about food, but ultimately, you have to actually eat something in order to be nourished.
I have, throughout my 38 years, been round and round and round with "quiet times" and read-through-the-bible-in-a-year programs and reading one verse a day and well, any other type of Bible reading system you can imagine. I've had guilt and dread and pressure at times. I've also had delight and comfort and encouragement. It finally hit me one day that I have been viewing this whole Bible reading process wrong! It's not something I "have to do" or even something I "want to do". God calls His word bread. In other places His teaching are called milk or meat. In other words, God's word is the food my spirit needs. In my physical self there are days I'm more hungry than others, but I always feed myself. I accept the fact that I need to eat in order to be healthy and strong physically. Being around other people while they eat is simply not going to help me. Hearing about another person's meal is not going to help me.
Time to dig in for myself! God's word is rich and varied and so chock full of goodness! It mainly points me back to Jesus, and that is what I need most of all. If you've ever felt like the Bible was confusing or too hard to understand, just remember- it all points to the story of God coming to rescue us from ourselves. I suggest starting to read in the book of John. Try not to approach reading the bible like a book of rules. Listen instead for the story of God's love. You really can't go wrong as long as you are taking it in!
I have, throughout my 38 years, been round and round and round with "quiet times" and read-through-the-bible-in-a-year programs and reading one verse a day and well, any other type of Bible reading system you can imagine. I've had guilt and dread and pressure at times. I've also had delight and comfort and encouragement. It finally hit me one day that I have been viewing this whole Bible reading process wrong! It's not something I "have to do" or even something I "want to do". God calls His word bread. In other places His teaching are called milk or meat. In other words, God's word is the food my spirit needs. In my physical self there are days I'm more hungry than others, but I always feed myself. I accept the fact that I need to eat in order to be healthy and strong physically. Being around other people while they eat is simply not going to help me. Hearing about another person's meal is not going to help me.
Time to dig in for myself! God's word is rich and varied and so chock full of goodness! It mainly points me back to Jesus, and that is what I need most of all. If you've ever felt like the Bible was confusing or too hard to understand, just remember- it all points to the story of God coming to rescue us from ourselves. I suggest starting to read in the book of John. Try not to approach reading the bible like a book of rules. Listen instead for the story of God's love. You really can't go wrong as long as you are taking it in!
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