I want to share something that has been heavy on my heart over the last several months. I have observed that our churches seem to be severely lacking when it comes to God's Word. The statistics are very disturbing to say the least.
- Only 16% of churchgoers read the Bible everyday.
- Only 32% read the Bible at least once a week.
- Only 37% say that reading and studying the Bible has made a significant difference in the way they live their lives.
We must do something about this! As I said, the statistics are very disturbing to say the least. Just a little over 1/4 of our congregations are reading their Bibles only one time each week. It is no wonder that our churches are in the shape that they are in! Could you imagine only eating physically one time a week? Most of us couldn't even imagine eating only one time a day. We all know that if we skip eating that we are not going to grow physically; in fact, we are going to get weaker. Why is that we do not apply the same standard to our spiritual lives? How can we expect to grow spiritually if we are never in God's Word, or if we just read it once a week? We are spiritually starving ourselves to death!
The most disturbing of these statistics to me is that only 37% say that reading and studying the Bible has made a significant difference in the way they live their lives. This should not be! If you are truly a child of God, every time that you read God's Word, it should radically change you! I truly believe that what we have in many of our churches is a bunch of lost people trying to read the Bible and understand it, which is the problem. I hear so much about how people say that they cannot understand the Bible. Now let me be very clear, even as a Christian, you are not going to understand everything you read in the Bible, but you should have a general understanding. As a child of God, when you read His Word it should convict you and stir your heart, it will change you!
I believe one of the biggest contributing factors to this epidemic is that many pastors and churches push reading your Bible through every year. I have heard countless preachers talk about how many times they have read their Bible through during their lives. I have even heard them make condescending remarks about those who have never read their Bibles through during the year. It is not important whether or not a person reads their Bible through each year, but rather it is more important that they read their Bibles everyday. We must encourage our people to get in God's Word everyday, even if they only read a few verses each day.
I will be the first to admit that I don't spend time in God's Word like I should, and if you are honest you would have to admit the same. Purpose in your heart, that moving forward you are going to spend time in God's Word each day, but more importantly, that you are going to allow His Word to radically change how you live. Get in the Word!!!
"The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver." - Psalm 119:72
"Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction." - Psalm 119:92
"O how I love thy law! it is my meditation all the day." - Psalm 119:97
"How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" - Psalm 119:103
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." - Psalm 119:105
"The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding to the simple." - Psalm 119:130
Prayer For Today:
Heavenly Father, help me to spend time in Your Word each day! Father, I pray that as I read and study Your Word each day that You would radically change my heart and my life to look more like Christ. Father, give me a burning desire for Your Word! In Jesus name, Amen!
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