I have always been surrounded by books. I am grateful to my mother for instilling a love of reading within me from a young age. She read to me regularly, and I watched my older brother devour thick books at a speed I have never come close to attaining. As a result, I was reading before entering kindergarten. Once there, I made quick work of plowing through the required reading for the year and had completed the first-grade readers as well before ever stepping foot inside an elementary school.
My love of books and passion for reading has never waned. More than half a century later, books line my walls and inhabit stacks throughout my house. And that’s before even getting to the hundreds more residing in my Kindle and Kobo e-readers. Yet, after all this, I have to agree with Solomon. There is no end to books and learning (Ecclesiastes 12:12). Unless we put into practice what we learn, it is all vanity, a chasing after the wind (Ecclesiastes 1:14).
Of all the books I’ve read, nothing compares to the Bible. I have been known to hug my Bible tightly to my chest, trying to absorb it and perhaps feel a little closer to the Holy God responsible for authoring it. The more books I read, the more I realize you truly need no other book but the Bible to navigate this life. Each year, my love and appreciation for the Bible grows exponentially. I would, and likely will, die for this book that is like no other. It contains the words of the Creator God, the very Word of life (John 1:1; John 14:6). Where else can we turn but to His truth (John 6:67-69)?
You can’t turn on your television or browse the internet without facing a bombardment of books and programs to help you look better, feel better, and be better. It seems as if you can do anything for three easy payments of $19.99. But if you have the Bible, you already have all you need. You don’t need another program to help you discover your purpose or build self-discipline. Save your money and read your Bible!
Books and learning are wonderful, but there is no more learning you need than what you will find in the pages of God’s Word. If we seek Him first, God promises to provide everything else we need (Matthew 6:31-33). So, seek Him by reading His Word. If you devote yourself to God’s Word, everything else in life will take care of itself. I’m not implying your life will be easy because, for most of us, it never is. But I do promise that you will never need to worry about what’s next. God will never leave or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).
Maybe books and learning aren’t your thing. That’s fine so long as you commit to reading one single book in your lifetime. Read the Bible. Nothing will make sense if you don’t, and everything will be clearer if you do. I’ve read hundreds of books, taken many courses, and enrolled in several programs seeking to better my skills and instill quality habits in my life. I can tell you none of them were as valuable as the precious Word of God. Nothing I’ve learned holds a candle to the wisdom of the Bible.
Don’t become so consumed with your books and learning that you neglect the Bible and your relationship with its author. God is all you need. He reveals Himself perfectly in the body of His Son Jesus and in His Spirit-inspired Word. Its pages contain the answers you are seeking. There is no need to look anywhere else.