I want to make a confession today: I am really lazy, I don't read bible
daily, and I never finish my bible plan reading in my bible application,
not even one. If there something I can boast, it is only the fact I
have finished bible once, though I don't remember and understand a
thing, which only bring me shame.
I tried, seriously. I tried a
thousand times to read bible everyday. But, most of my trials didn't
succeed for whatever reasons. Actually, I know I'm just lazy. I tried my
best to understand what those verses mean, sometimes I desperately
google it, nevertheless it was useless.
Despaired about the
bible, Christian books caught my eyes. They are easier to read and convey God's message too, all the better explaining about it than google do. I
started to read C.S. Lewis, Judah Smith, Max Lucado books and others. Each book has specific theme which make it easier for me to
understand better about specific issue. However, the fact that I spent
those books more often that I read bible is terrifying me.
Maybe
it is not a sin for spending much more time reading Christian books
than reading bible, yet I know it is not right. It feels similar to us
liking to read opinion article without really understand the event, or
wanting to hear about a friend we are too lazy to contact from another
friend. Perhaps, I should read bible in the first hand. Reading Christian books is not wrong, but they are not our daily bread. They suppose to be snack, while bible is the main course.
Though I
still don't understand the bible, I promise myself to never stop trying
to read it daily. I wanna know Him better through His words, believe
someday He will reveal it in the right time, and keep praying that He
will always lead me in this bible reading activity.
So, I pray that we all can keep reading bible daily and understand it in His time. Amen!
It's not a sin to read Christian books. When those books TAKE THE PLACE OF the Bible, that's when it becomes a sin (idolatry.) When you read the Bible, you're reading an instruction manual for the Christian life. It tells you how to live and what kinds of decisions to make. Separate Christian books written by Max Lucado, Ravi Zacharias, Beth Moore, etc, help to expound on the Bible. In other words, the people that write those books, they give you a better understanding of certain contexts, put verses and words and situations in the Bible in practical and everyday terms, or they're just sharing their spiritual life experiences in a novel form and sharing it with the world. There's nothing wrong with reading Christian books.
ReplyDeleteIf you can't understand the Bible (which happens to the best of us) then ask questions. The Bible says to seek and you will find. God's not hiding information from you. The Hold Spirit helps you understand. The Holy Spirit is there to guide you and be your helper (1 Corinthians 2:6-16.)
Youth pastors, godly radio sermons, blogs, books, lectures that can be found even on Youtube, and many other resources can be used to your avail. Nothing is stopping you from learning more about God and who he is :)
It's not a sin to read Christian books. When those books TAKE THE PLACE OF the Bible, that's when it becomes a sin (idolatry.) When you read the Bible, you're reading an instruction manual for the Christian life. It tells you how to live and what kinds of decisions to make. Separate Christian books written by Max Lucado, Ravi Zacharias, Beth Moore, etc, help to expound on the Bible. In other words, the people that write those books, they give you a better understanding of certain contexts, put verses and words and situations in the Bible in practical and everyday terms, or they're just sharing their spiritual life experiences in a novel form and sharing it with the world. There's nothing wrong with reading Christian books.
ReplyDeleteIf you can't understand the Bible (which happens to the best of us) then ask questions. The Bible says to seek and you will find. God's not hiding information from you. The Hold Spirit helps you understand. The Holy Spirit is there to guide you and be your helper (1 Corinthians 2:6-16.)
Youth pastors, godly radio sermons, blogs, books, lectures that can be found even on Youtube, and many other resources can be used to your avail. Nothing is stopping you from learning more about God and who he is :)