Is The Bible Boring?
You’ve had a very busy day, or maybe your day is about to start, and you’ve just sat down to have your personal devotion. You push the pause button on all of your other responsibilities, pick up your Bible and begin to read. But there’s a lack of enthusiasm that you would never admit for fear of being labeled unspiritual! If I’ve just described your inner feelings, then this devotion is for you.
There are many good people who find it hard to stay committed. Even with the Bible at everyone’s fingertips (print, cds, computers, smartphones etc.), we are seeing the rise of the most biblically illiterate generation in history. One lady even told us that she shyed away from reading the Bible because she was afraid of what God would require of her. She thought by ‘not’ reading, she wouldn’t be held accountable. We should never fall for this trick from Satan. We cannot choose certain verses that suit our taste, like a picky eater. Folks, the Word of God is our spiritual bread and water! We must eat all of it! If your spiritual appetite is lacking, consider whether you’re feeding too much on something else. Keep in mind that on a day to day basis, you ARE digesting something!
On the other hand, we have those who love to read the Word, but they spend a great deal of time worrying how ‘much’ they’re supposed to read. While there may be a lot of opinions, the fact is, there isn’t a specified amount that we’re required to read each day or God would have a given us an eleventh commandment. I feel that Bible reading falls under 2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” When a time of testing comes, we should have the studied knowledge of God’s Word to tell the devil: “It is written…!”
Studying is a process that requires us to meditate and digest the Word, just the same as we chew and swallow our natural food. Have you ever eaten an entire meal without chewing and swallowing? Of course not. Our bodies were not created to function like this. If we aren’t meditating, or may I say, chewing and swallowing what we’re reading, we cannot expect to grow spiritually. Sadly, there is a growing opinion among Christians, that the Bible is too complicated to understand without a minister’s interpretation.
Sometimes this is brought on as they hear ministers refer often to Greek and Hebrew in their sermons, or the minister preaches something that the congregation feels is way above their head. Child of God, never allow yourself to feel separated from the simplicity of the Word! Someone once said, “The Bible is shallow enough for a new babe in Christ to wade in without fear of drowning, yet deep enough for theologians to dive into without ever touching the bottom.”
So don’t allow the enemy to ever make you feel ignorant or unlearned during certain moments of a sermon. I’m afraid that sometimes, we place too much emphasis on man’s interpretation of the Word. And without realizing it, scholars and commentaries become more important than the Word itself. If Jesus told us in Matthew 18:3 to “…become as little children…” I believe He would have us to read His Word as little children.
A few years ago, a preacher encouraged a new convert to stand on the Word concerning a desperate need in her life. She came to him later and testified that God had miraculously worked it all out. And then she added, “I knew everything was going to be alright because I stood on the Word just like you told me to.” She then proceeded to take off her shoes and showed him two pages of the Bible that she had worn in each shoe until God performed the miracle! What pure, simple, childlike faith to take God at His word and believe for the impossible.
May God help each of us gain new appreciation for the Word as we realize how powerfully alive it is! I love what Chuck Colson said:
“The BIBLE – banned, burned, beloved. More widely read, more frequently attacked than any other book in history. Generations of intellectuals have attempted to discredit it, dictators of every age have outlawed it and executed those who read it. Yet soldiers carry it into battle believing it more powerful than their weapons. Fragments of it smuggled into solitary prison cells have transformed ruthless killers into gentle saints.”
It isn’t just a book, or a fairy tale. It is the words of Almighty God. He spoke the world into existence and He’s still speaking today, straight to our hearts thru His word. May we never take this privilege for granted!