Why Do You Read the Bible?

We live in a therapeutic culture. And it subtly pervades the church. Do we recognize it? How often do you attend a worship service hoping the pastor will say something that will make you feel better about what's going on in your life? To encourage you or cheer you on? How often do you start your day with Bible reading so your day will run smoother? Skip the reading and what do you expect? A not-so-good day. Do you have your favorite passages that give you a boost when you're feeling down? Not that any of these reasons are wrong, but what is truly at the core of why you read your Bible? Is it about you? Or is it about God?

As I was recently listening to a conversation on Revive Our Hearts between Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Richard Owen Roberts, Mr. Roberts made the following statement that gave me pause. It's part of a series entitled When God Revives A Heart.

What if you were to call a moratorium on all misuse of the Bible? What if you were to say to yourself, “I’m tired of using the Bible as a medicine cabinet—going to the Bible to get a pill to pick me up; to get a vitamin—something to encourage me. I’m going to use the Bible for the next six months to gain such a picture of God that His holiness becomes my holiness.”  

Desiring God Himself.

If you'd like to hear the conversation, you can listen in here. This day's segment is entitled "Reversing the Decline."

Painting ~ Woman Reading by a Paper-Bell Shade 1766, Henry Robert Morland 1716-1797

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