How often do you open your Bible? The only correct answer to this question is “not often enough.” I know this because, like me, if you opened it often enough, your life would not resemble what it looks like today. The Word of God is unstoppable, inexhaustible, and transforms us to the core of our beings. (Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16–17) I can say with confidence that you don’t love the Bible enough.
For that matter, you don’t love God enough. I don’t either, and it disgusts me. If you desire to follow Christ with all of your heart, soul, strength, and mind (Luke 10:27; Deuteronomy 6:5), let me ask you the same question I ask myself: where’s the proof? Can you say with a straight face and complete honesty that you are walking just as Jesus walked? (1 John 2:6)
There’s a video making the rounds depicting what it would look like if we treated our Bibles like we do our smartphones. It is both humorous and convicting. People are cracking open their Bibles at stoplights, pulling them out while standing in line, and reading them just before they fall asleep and as soon as they wake up. (Psalm 1:2; Joshua 1:8) Imagine if that could be true of us! What if you saw every spare moment as an opportunity to open your Bible? What might our lives look like if we began treating the Word of God as the most indispensable and cherished gift that it is? (Psalm 119:97)
Do you open your Bible as often as you open your mouth or comment on social media? If you don’t, what is the foundation for all the words you speak and type? (Matthew 12:34) Unless we saturate our minds with God’s Word, our thoughts, words, and even actions will reflect the garbage of this world rather than the purity of God’s wisdom. (Romans 12:2; Psalm 119:11) This is why Paul instructs us to only think about things that are pure, lovely, excellent, and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8) That’s what will fill our minds if we keep our noses buried in His Word! And that’s what will come out of our lips when we decide to speak. (Luke 6:45)
None of us is ever strong enough to neglect reading the Bible. No matter how strong your faith is today, no matter how great your knowledge of God, we are all one temptation away from falling back into sin. (1 Corinthians 10:12; Romans 7:18) This will be true until we join our Savior in Heaven. As long as we walk this earth, we must be diligent in our study of God’s Word and vigilant against anything that would keep us from it. (Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 2:15) Satan never sleeps and is always prowling at the edges of our minds to distract us from the beauty and splendor of our King. (1 Peter 5:8; 2 Corinthians 11:3)
Open your Bible! It’s how we learn about the character of God, why He created us, what He did (and is doing) for us, and what He expects of us. (Psalm 119:105) Everything we need to worship Him and live our lives for Him is in His Word. (2 Peter 1:3; Psalm 19:7–11) If it feels dry and dusty, you aren’t reading it with an attitude of discovering His glory. If it feels too familiar in places, you aren’t approaching it with the reverence it demands. Holding a Bible in your hands means you hold the very words of the One true God, the Creator, Sustainer, and Savior of all life. Nothing in this world is more vital, more interesting, or more necessary. Open your Bible and discover the God who loves you, who died for you, and longs for you to be with Him in glory forever. (John 3:16; John 17:24)