This is the second post in our Good Habits series, which challenges a Christian to establish three spiritual disciplines in their lives.
“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul…” (Psalm 19:7, NKJV). These words were written by David thousands of years ago, but they have remained foundational to why reading the Bible is important. The law of the Lord (Scripture, the Bible) has the power to convert the soul. The word converting literally means to turn back. You and I often find ourselves traveling the path of our own choosing, so how can we turn the other way or begin walking a different path? The answer is clearly found in words also written by David in Psalm 119:
“How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word” (Psalm 119:9, NIV).
“Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11, NKJV)
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105, NKJV).
If you believe these words to be true, reading the Bible must become a consistent habit in your life because true and lasting change does not occur apart from the hearing and heeding of the words found written in the Bible. There is no substitute for personal Bible reading. Listening to Scripture taught in church, reading a verse here and there, or participating in a Bible study is NOT personal Bible reading. You must set aside a consistent time to be alone with God and read the Bible. There are a lot of voices speaking to you each day – friends, media, your own feelings – so you must fight to give God a chance to speak to you. If you are waiting for Him to speak audibly, it will never happen. God chose the written word to be the form of communication He would use to speak with His people.
One last thing. Reading the Bible is only half of the habit. Obeying what you have read is the second part. James writes these words, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only…. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:22, 25). It’s that simple. Hear the word. Obey the word. Be blessed.
As a side note, I often get asked the question, “Where do I start reading?” This is a great question, but one that is difficult to answer. In my opinion, someone who has never read through the Bible should start at the beginning. It’s hard to understand the Bible when you start from the middle or end; however, if you have some knowledge of the Bible, you can begin anywhere but I suggest reading whole books at a time. YouVersion provides some great reading plans so you can check all of them out here.
Here is a list of all the posts in this series, Good Habits:
Where it All Begins
Bible Reading
Prayer
Church Involvement
Quotable!
There are a lot of voices speaking to you each day – friends, media, your own feelings – so you must fight to give God a chance to speak to you.
Thanks for reading, Tony!
Just recently about two months ago the desire to seek God more came in the form to read His words. Prayers answered so simply from God, “open the bible and read what I have instore for this nation.” For me I started from the beginning and discovered the amazing adventure of discovering God and his love for us all. Im taking my time and making sure I understand what I am reading before I move on and using your Bible Study guide helps a lot Tom, Thank you.
I’m so glad you are making your journey through the Bible! God will teach you so much about himself and you’ll not regret the time spent getting to know Him. If I can help at any time, let me know!