Count it All Joy

I've read quite a few books in my day. I'm quite confident there are people who have read more, but I'm not stating this to begin a contest. I remember quite a bit of the facts I have read in books. Fiction is not my favorite genre, but I've read a couple of fictions that stick with me. I've read quite a few nonfiction books also.

I feel the memory I have for these nonfiction books gives me a relatively wide array of knowledge, though my occasional Jeopardy viewing kills that dream. The reason this matters is because I think many people treat the Bible as if it is a non-fiction book being read for some mythical report we have.

The truth is that the Bible can teach you a little history or a little science. It can even teach you a little sociology, psychology, or literature. But reading it like a textbook in any of those subjects reduces it to human dispatching of information and knowledge, when the fact it is that it is a life-changing book.

This is why I made a suggestion that memorization become a part of your regular worship and walk. The knowledge of Scripture is different than the knowledge of any other book. Being familiar with it is different than being familiar with another text.

So, if, like me, you find yourself saying that you've got to get through your Scripture reading, so you can meet your goal of reading whatever amount of Scripture you want to get through, begin thinking about it. When I was a child I had to do book reports and "get through" books that I believe did me little to no good. But reading the Bible will always give me benefits, even when I do it out of drudgery. (I assert one of those benefits is making it less drudge-worthy).

This is why we should read the Bible with Joy. This is why you should make every effort to adjust your attitude. The reading of books is beneficial and can teach a lot. Yet, it should never be a substitute for a reading of the Bible, whose author can grant us wisdom and knowledge with the reading. Reading the Bible is one of the joys we get, where we learn more and more about the God who saved us and loved us when we were unlovable!