by Pastor Patrick Cho

It is somewhat assumed that in order to properly gauge your spiritual health, you need to at least evaluate how your time is in God’s Word. Certainly, most Christians have been taught that reading the Bible is essential for spiritual growth. The Bible has been likened to the spiritual food we eat, and that without our daily reading we would be malnourished and unhealthy. Still, many Christians allow days, weeks, and even months to go by without spending any quality time in Scripture. They rely on the occasional Sunday sermon, Christian book, or blog to give them their boost for the week. But having a regular, daily, deliberate, disciplined time in God’s Word is becoming rarer.

Why don’t Christians read the Bible? Some may feel like it is too difficult to understand and get frustrated that much of the Bible seems irrelevant. Others might feel like the sheer length of the Bible deters them. They might argue, “I’m just not a reader.” Still others might simply be distracted by the everyday duties and busyness of life. All their responsibilities, chores, errands, appointments, and tasks crowd out all the time they might have had for God’s Word. And honestly, some might simply dismiss the Bible as boring, and so they refuse to read. Of course, none of these excuses are a good reason for not reading.

So why should you have a daily consistent time in God’s Word? There are many reasons, but here are a few.

1. First, having a deeper understanding of the Scriptures will deepen your understanding of God. If you want to seek God, you must find Him in the Word (cf. Ps. 119:1-2). God has revealed Himself through His Word, and so we read it not only to know the Book, but also to know the God of the Book (cf. Exod. 34:6-7).
2. Second, it is important to understand that without a growing understanding of God’s Word, spiritual growth isn’t possible. Our spiritual health is proportionate to our intake of Scripture. This growth takes place as we long for the Bible like infants longing for milk (1 Pet. 2:2). The maturity of the Christian comes from abiding in the sufficiency of Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
3. Third, being in the Word helps the believer fight against sin. The Psalmist sang, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your Word. . . . I have stored up Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Ps. 119:9, 11). Remember that Jesus quoted Scripture in the wilderness when He was tempted by Satan. His familiarity with the Word helped Him in His temptation. How much more do we need to have our lives saturated with the Word of God?
4. Fourth, taking time in the Word helps build us up in spiritual wisdom. The opposite of this is to settle with foolishness. There is great wisdom in obeying God’s commands (Job 12:13; cf. Deut. 4:6). God’s wisdom cannot be found elsewhere, and it certainly cannot be found in men (Job 28:12-28). God’s Word does not only make us wise unto salvation, but gives us wisdom for daily decisions in how we act, speak, and reason.

The month of April marks the beginning of the second quarter of 2011. For those of you who began the year with the resolution to read through the Bible, how is the reading going? Have you kept up faithfully or is there some catching up that needs to be done? As I wrote in my article back in January, don’t simply quit because you are behind. Maybe you won’t finish by the end of December, but that doesn’t mean you should abandon your reading altogether. Keep reading and develop that discipline because of the great rewards that come from consistency in God’s Word. Remember always that the soul that loves the Lord will spend consistent time in His Word.