The Bible Is God Speaking To You?

The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.' John (6:63). Did you know that the longest telegraphic message ever dispatched was in May, 1881? It carried 188,000 words. It was printed in full that day in the Chicago Times. One of the nation's leading newspapers gave space for four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistle to the Romans. 'A triumph of publicity', was the verdict of the nation's press.

All this was done because the Revised Version of the New Testament in English was on sale that day. In New York City, 33,000 copies were sold within 24 hours, setting a new sales record for any book. Why does the Bible remain the world's most widely read book? 

For one simple reason: you read every other book - the Bible reads you! You say, 'But I don't get a lot out of the Bible when I read it.' You are not alone; many people say the same thing. But it doesn't have to be that way. F. B. Meyer, one of history's great Bible teachers, writes, 'Read the Bible not as a newspaper, but as a love letter. If a cluster of heavenly fruit hangs within your reach, gather it. If a promise lies upon the page as a blank cheque, cash it. If a prayer is recorded, launch it as a feathered arrow from the bow of your desire.' 

Why do we keep going back to the Bible? Because in a world where trust is in short supply, 'Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave, 1 Kings (8:56).

I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.' Job (23:12).

Psychologists are agreed on this point: people only keep doing what rewards them! So when Bible reading becomes unrewarding, we quit. As a result we feel guilty, and become spiritually weak and discouraged. Your soul can no more thrive without God's Word than your body can thrive without a daily intake of food. 

The Bible says, 'He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord' Deuteronomy (8:3).

One of the dangers of the iPhone is that you begin to live on 'hits' of information and short messages limited to 140 characters or less. This creates spiritual ADD (attention deficit disorder). God cannot be reduced to a limited word count or a few hurried moments in your day. To prosper, you must meditate day and night on the Scriptures, Psalm (1:1-3). 

You say, 'But I don't have time to read the Bible.' How much time do you spend each day watching television? Hours? If you find television to be rewarding, but not God's Word, your soul is in need of intensive care! If you want to change your life, change your habits and start reading the Bible. Job, who had more trouble than any of us will ever see, said, 'I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.'