Reading and reaping from scriptures – Part 1

When in 2011, the world rose in unison to celebrate 400 years of the King James authorised version of the Holy Bible, it was an expression of gratitude to God and appreciation of the great gift of His Word. Man is created spirit, soul and body; and we are greater than animals. To maintain healthy and growing body, sound and sane mind, vigorous and lively spirit, we need food to nourish the body, love to nurse the soul, and God’s Word to nurture the spirit.

Yet, we know that food will not strengthen if we don’t eat it; His love will not sustain us if we do not receive it; His Word will not satisfy us if we do not read and believe it. Let us associate feeding the body with reading God’s Word every day. How? Be committed to this principle: No Bible, no breakfast; No Scripture, no supper or sleep. Let BREAD remind you of: Bible Reading Exceeds All Duties, because Bible Reading Empowers All Daily.

God’s unchanging desire is that you read His Word and let His Word dwell in you richly. This can be accomplished only by daily reading and meditating on the Scriptures. Let God’s Word be precious and DEAR to you. If the Bible is DEAR, you’ll Drop Everything And Read. Read the Bible. Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully, meditatively, devotionally, and study it constantly, perseveringly and industriously. Read it through and through until it becomes part of your being. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and obey it to be holy now and happy forever.

The Lord, our God, expects and commands everyone to read His Word. Kings and princes, pastors and priests, parents and children, family members and strangers, believers and non-believers, all people in all places, at all times, and in every generation, have been given the Bible to read. No other book has been given to everyone to read because no other book is universally necessary and eternally profitable. This is The Book and we are all commanded to read it, study it, search it, believe it, keep it, obey it, teach it, defend it, preserve it and love or cherish it till the end.

Reading, studying, hearing or teaching the Word of God is not enough. “Be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). There are those who read and do not understand (Acts 8:30,31), others read much and yet they remain as ignorant as those who have never seen or read a sentence in the Bible! (2 Corinthians 3:14,15; Acts 13:27). Each of us must ask ourselves the question Jesus asked an enquirer: “How readest thou?” (Luke 10:26). We are instructed to (1) read and understand (Matthew 24:15); (2) read and interpret (Daniel 5:17); (3) read and believe (Luke 24:25-27); (4) read and obey, do, keep (Exodus 24:7; Deuteronomy 17:19; Revelation 1:3); (5) read and teach (Nehemiah 8:8); (6) read and command (Acts 13:15); (7) read and run with the vision (Habakkuk 2:2). God’s expectation and the Book’s exhortation are clear: Read what is written and heed what He says.

Further Reading (King James Version): Isaiah 34:16; Revelation 1:3; Jeremiah 5:24; Isaiah 34:16; Deuteronomy 17:19; 1 Timothy 4:13; Matthew 9:35-38; John 4:34-38; Matthew 13:36-43; Jeremiah 8:20-22. Nehemiah 8:5,8; Luke 10:1-3,17-20; Proverbs 10:5; Psalm 126:5,6; Acts 8:5-8; Jeremiah 5:24.