THAT OLD DUSTY BOOK

By Haley Kelly

Today’s topic: the Bible. God’s Word. The Book of Life. Whatever you may call it, I just have to ask a personal question. Do you read it?

I myself used to not read my Bible. However, it is now strange to me that so many Christians aren’t reading their Bibles. They leave that to their pastor explaining it from a stage once a week for an hour (unless Hadley’s preaching... then it's five hours). I remember being a senior in high school and reading my Bible during study hall. A friend of mine, who has told me he is a Christian, came up to me and asked why I was reading it. I remember his exact words, “Are you planning on becoming a pastor or something?” His question was genuine. He wasn’t making a joke, he was being serious. Is this not the perfect example of how most of us view the Bible? It’s just some old dusty book that only preachers read. The only thing wrong with this statement is everything!!

I bet you’d be interested in knowing that the Bible is full of all sorts of cool stories that aren’t fiction. Stories like fallen angels called Nephilim coming down to earth and impregnating women and basically having demigods. Yeah. That’s not a joke. It actually happened! And it’s in that book you call old and dusty! Go read Genesis 6! It’s the reason God sent the flood and reduced the living age to 120 years. Crazy right?! The Bible is full of all sorts of interesting things. But here is the kicker… you can’t just listen to a preacher once or twice a week! You’ve got to get into the Scriptures for yourself!

Now here’s how you can actually apply this… Choose a book from the Bible that you feel interested in knowing more about. Start from the beginning and be consistent as you read. It’s hard to read a book when you read a chapter one day and don’t pick it up until the next week. Maybe try two or three chapters a day. Now don’t over commit or else you will burn out. Just keep a steady pace. While you read use observation skills. Who is talking? Where is the location? What exact words do they use and why? What does the preceding text say? What do the following verses say? Is something being listed or ordered? Is there a cause and effect? There are so many observations you can come up with for just one verse! Next is Interpretation – what does the text mean? Last is application. How did the text apply then and how does it apply now?

The Bible has been given to us as a tool to understand God’s characteristics. It allows us to know who He is and what He is about. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says that “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work.”

Did you catch that last part? God uses His Word to equip His people to do every good work. So how can we do that if we aren’t reading our Bible? I challenge you to really get into your Bible this New Year. And do not be afraid to ask questions. Hadley and us leaders are readily available to answer any question you may have!