The Word of God is...
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God" (John 1:1).
This was the most mysterious verse in the Bible for me. As a teenager, I heard a sermon on John 1 which opened my spiritual eyes to Jesus in the Scripture and increased the value of the words between the pages of my Bible for my walk with God.
In order to understand the Creator, I needed to understand the Bible. It was no longer something my mother would read every night, or my dad would talk about on Sunday mornings, it was something that I needed to understand as well.
In my opinion, the divide in the culture over the relevancy of the Bible seems to have quieted down. Not because people have come to a favorable conclusion on the Bible, but rather because even for Christians, there is a lack of passion for reading, understanding, and sharing the Good News found within its pages.
The disinterest seems to be an unspoken reality in the Church not often addressed from the pulpit. According to an article in Christianity Today, "Now only 39 percent say they read the Bible multiple times per year or more. It is the steepest, sharpest decline on record" (Macinnis, 2022).
Last year, I was convicted that I spent more time reading about the Bible than actually reading it for myself. The new commitment to reading God's Word first has started growing a deeper appreciation for the God who loves me and a greater desire to see the lost come to him.
The words within this precious book point to Christ and he is "The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone" (John 1:4). I feel Christ's life restoring me as I meditate on the Word and value the Word.
If you want a place to start, download a free Bible reading app, sign up for a plan, and start listening or reading every morning. Want something emotional? Turn to a Psalm. Want to read something familiar? Begin in the book called Luke. Want something to make you feel small and God big enough for all your problems? Flip to the last few pages and read Revelation.
Let me know how it goes!
Macinnis, Adam. (2022, Oct. 20). Report: 26 Million Americans Stopped Reading the Bible Regularly During COVID-19. ChristianityToday.com
https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/april/state-of-bible-reading-decline-report-26-million.html
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