Different people have a variety of reasons for reading the Bible. The same is no doubt also true for those who do not read the Bible. Some have no interest in the Bible and others have a great deal of interest. While they all do not follow the same practice, most Christians have at least some interest in reading the Bible.
I recently finished a new book that not only reinforced a lot of what I already believed about the Bible, but also reminded me why believers benefit so much from reading it. The title of author Michael F. Bird’s latest book for the Christian community is SEVEN THINGS I WISH CHRISTIANS KNEW ABOUT THE BIBLE.
On the surface the title may seem a little pompous and demeaning, but the content is informative and instructive for those who have been Christians for a long time as well as newer Christians and all those in between. The book is neither overly academic nor overly simplistic.
While I enjoyed all seven of the chapters and appreciated the content, I was most struck by three affirmations Bird made in chapter 6 about “The Purpose of Scripture Is Knowledge, Faith, Love, and Hope.” His three observations on pp. 150 and 151 provide a great deal of encouragement and challenge for all of us when it comes to Bible reading:
“The purpose and power of Scripture are experienced in the discipline of immersing oneself daily into the mystery of God as he reveals himself in his word.”
“If we engage in consistent and wise readings of the Bible, individually and communally, then hopefully we will reap many of the benefits of marinating our minds in Scripture.”
“To put it briefly, I like to say that the purpose of Scripture is that God’s people would attain the knowledge of God, deepen their faith, abound in love for God and love for others, and enjoy the assurance of hope—these are things we get from Scripture!”
Those three statements Bird wrote rang my bell with regard to reminding believers why we should read the Bible.
I certainly don’t know what your practice is or isn’t when it comes to reading the Bible, but Bird gives us a lot to think about. If you are a regular reader of the Bible I affirm you and hope you find Bird’s observations meaningful. If you are not a regular reader of the Bible and think you might want to get started again or give it a try, I would suggest the Gospel of John as a good place to begin.
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Pastor Bob Mink 
To receive all of what God wants for you, requires that you are active in your faith. As your sanctification and understanding of Gods promised is increasing, as a result of studying the word. Those truths will set you free.
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Thank you Bob. I am interested in getting Birds book and putting it in my line up to read. You listed a lot of the reasons I read the Bible.
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