Why our Bible Matters
If you’ve been following on Instagram, there has been a post every day so far in December. It’s been a personal challenge to take the time to wrestle through questions, ideas, and realizations with Jesus and to do it publicly.
Yesterday there was no Instagram post and the day got skipped, for lack of a better term. And it got me thinking about how we so often as Christians decide to do something that sounds like something a Christian should do only to not measure up to the expectations we have set for ourselves. Example: Daily Bible reading.
So, I am going to take you on a little study I did today on Bible reading.
If you are like me, somehow, I have had this preconceived notion that I “have to” read my Bible every day to be a Christian. Somehow reading it every day means I am pursuing holiness and that I will be a better person.
Everything I said above has some truth to it accept or the “have to” statement. There is not a verse in the Bible that says we have to read our Bible every day to qualify as a follower of Jesus.
What?
Don’t know about you but that feels like kind of a big thing.
I have spent probably 70% of my life thinking that I am a bad Christian because I don’t have the discipline to read the Bible every day, thus meaning I am less than others. (Oh, and that God is mad at me; I don’t know why that’s what I always believed).
BUT THAT ISN’T TRUE.
I continually want to live in freedom. The freedom that we are promised in Jesus. And sadly, far too often I am bound by religion and religious pressures to perform and act in a way that I “should.” Perhaps not as much as I used to, but I want to help you and me soak up some truths about the Bible that is helpful and freeing for our journey with Jesus.
Sound good?
Let’s go.
What we do know about the Bible:
The Bible is breathed by God (2 Timothy 3:16). Essentially meaning that not a word on the page is there by accident.
The Bible is a living thing (Hebrews 4:12). It convicts, corrects, and influences our lives in real-time.
The Bible is used for equipping (2 Timothy 3:17). The Bible is a survival guide and life manual… so its kind of vital ;)
The Bible provides sustainment (Matthew 4:4). The Bible is meant to feed our spirit and soul and help us. Think of it as a carb load before a workout, it provides energy for you to tackle what’s in front of you in life.
The Bible is everlasting (Isaiah 40:8). Because the Bible is the written words of God, it will endure through every season of life or year that passes. It can’t be wrong because God isn’t wrong.
Those are 5 things to know about the Bible, as well as reasons to read it.
When we can reframe how we read our Bible to be more about learning who God is, which by default will teach us about ourselves, it completely changes the game. \
Reading the Bible is not so you can be better, it’s so you can know the one who is the only “Better.”
We literally have been given freedom from sin and death because of Jesus’ death, but we decide to condemn ourselves over the fact we don’t measure up in our ability to read our Bible every day.
The Bible was made for our benefit to know God deeper and to learn how to live this life, it’s pretty dang important for our life. But don’t let the fear of man or the qualifications of religion tell you that you have failed to be Christian because of the state of your Biblical discipline. God speaks and moves and communicates through so many avenues. The Bible just happens to be our easy to grab and read option… so it’s worth picking up.
🥂 Cheers
