It's hard to tell how many times I heard it. But I definitely heard it enough to make me realize the importance of it. "Read your Bible," was the command I received over and over again. And I remember when I was in high school I wanted to read my Bible. The problem was that when I sat down and tried to read, I was a little intimidated. I mean this was a big book and I didn't know where to start or how to find the things the preacher was finding in there. It was almost discouraging. I had a good friend who was a senior when I was a sophomore. I remember we went to the lake together and he would get up each morning, sit at the picnic table, and spend time in the word. I thought to myself, "This is my breakthrough! I can just copy him and I finally will have figured this thing out." So I watched him, but it only took me so far. I still didn't feel confident in what I was doing.
It was almost as if I had this attitude that since I was young, I wasn't mature enough yet to be able to understand the Bible. I don't know if the culture taught me this or what, but I had this mindset that I could not do this. The confusing part was, I was taking AP courses in school. I had read and understood The Great Gatsby and The Scarlet Letter. I had an A in pre-calculus. I had been able to learn every concept in school and master it. So why did I feel so intimidated when it came to this thing?
Well fast forward to college. During a summer discipleship project, I was asked for the first time if I knew how to spend time with God. I admitted that it had been a challenge. And then a guy just sat down with me a few mornings and showed me what he read and how he applied it. It was a simple formula he used to find what the text said, what it meant, and how it applied to him. It wasn't anything groundbreaking, but just seeing someone actually do it took away all of the intimidation I was feeling. He then helped me find a reading plan, so I wasn't just randomly picking passages. For the first time in my life I had a plan to confidently dive in God's Word. I wasn't perfect at understanding everything, but I was learning. And as I have continued to read more and more, God has shown me so much and increased my understanding.
So don't just tell people to read the Bible, show them. We take the time to explain and teach all other things, so take the time with the Bible as well. I assure you our youth can handle it. They are a very bright bunch. If you have family and friends that aren't in the Word, I encourage you to just do a devotion with them, pray with them, and help them get started on a plan. If you are intimidated yourself, please ask someone you trust and respect to sit down with you so you can begin having that time with the Lord. The Word of God is powerful and will change us. We just have to make sure we are reading what it says.
It was almost as if I had this attitude that since I was young, I wasn't mature enough yet to be able to understand the Bible. I don't know if the culture taught me this or what, but I had this mindset that I could not do this. The confusing part was, I was taking AP courses in school. I had read and understood The Great Gatsby and The Scarlet Letter. I had an A in pre-calculus. I had been able to learn every concept in school and master it. So why did I feel so intimidated when it came to this thing?
Well fast forward to college. During a summer discipleship project, I was asked for the first time if I knew how to spend time with God. I admitted that it had been a challenge. And then a guy just sat down with me a few mornings and showed me what he read and how he applied it. It was a simple formula he used to find what the text said, what it meant, and how it applied to him. It wasn't anything groundbreaking, but just seeing someone actually do it took away all of the intimidation I was feeling. He then helped me find a reading plan, so I wasn't just randomly picking passages. For the first time in my life I had a plan to confidently dive in God's Word. I wasn't perfect at understanding everything, but I was learning. And as I have continued to read more and more, God has shown me so much and increased my understanding.
So don't just tell people to read the Bible, show them. We take the time to explain and teach all other things, so take the time with the Bible as well. I assure you our youth can handle it. They are a very bright bunch. If you have family and friends that aren't in the Word, I encourage you to just do a devotion with them, pray with them, and help them get started on a plan. If you are intimidated yourself, please ask someone you trust and respect to sit down with you so you can begin having that time with the Lord. The Word of God is powerful and will change us. We just have to make sure we are reading what it says.