Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that... you may grow... - 1 Peter 2:2 NASWhen it comes to Bible-reading, Dr. Howard Hendricks points out three things we must constantly be aware of:
1) Our attitude. Just as a baby grabs for the bottle, we should reach for our Bible. A baby needs milk to sustain its life physically, and we need the Scriptures to sustain us spiritually.
2) Our appetite. We should 'long' for God's Word. This is a cultivated taste. When someone says, 'I'm not getting much out of the Bible,' that's a greater commentary on them, than on the Book! Psalm 19:10 says the Scriptures "are sweeter than honey… (NIV). But judging by some of us you'd never know that. There are three basic kinds of Bible students. There's the 'nasty medicine' type. To them the Word is bitter, but it's good for what ails them. Then there's the 'shredded wheat' type. To them the Scripture is nourishing but dry. It's like eating a bale of hay. Then there's the 'strawberries-and-cream' type. They just can't get enough of it. How did they acquire such a taste? By feasting on the Word. They cultivated what Peter describes as an insatiable appetite for Scriptural truth. Which of the three types are you?
3) Our aim. The aim of Bible reading is 'that you may grow.' Now you can't grow unless you know, but unfortunately you can know and not grow. The Bible wasn't written to satisfy our curiosity, but to help conform us to Christ's image. Not to make us smarter, but to make us more like the Saviour. Not to fill our head with Biblical facts, but to transform our lives.
Note: The article above is taken from daily devotion email from The Word for Today brought by TheVine in association with The Rhema Broadcasting Group Inc, New Zealand and UCB International Ltd
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