Easy Access to the Bible
How many of us actually read, study, and meditate on God's Word on a daily basis?
The Bible is more accessible to people today than at any point in history. Back in the day, people didn't own personal copies of the Bible. The Scriptures were usually held in specific places of worship and were only handled by religious leaders. Jesus, Himself, didn't carry around a Bible with Him. There weren't any personal copies to be had. Instead, like many people during His time, Jesus memorized large portions of the Scriptures.
But today, it's a different story especially after the invention of the printing press. The Bible is now widely available to anybody who wants it (except in places where it is banned due to Christian persecution). Anybody can pretty much own a physical copy of the Bible. Or they can at least go on the internet and find an online copy of God's Word. The Bible can even be downloaded as an app on one's mobile phone making it even more accessible than ever. We can conveniently bring the Bible in our pockets wherever we go.
But I wonder if we take this ease of access to the Bible for granted? How many of us actually read, study, and meditate on God's Word on a daily basis? Studies consistently reveal that people (even those who say they are believers in Jesus) aren't actually reading the Bible. It's in stark contrast to how the Lord wants us to honor His Word. According to Psalm 1, the blessed person is the one "whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night" (Ps. 1:2 NIV). This person cherishes God's Word by reading it, studying it, and meditating on it daily.
It's been my habit for a long time as a believer in Jesus to read, study, and meditate on God's Word as much as I can. These days, I read about 6 passages of Scripture each day (4 passages from the Old Testament and 2 passages from the New Testament). I literally try to do this during the "day" and during the "night" as suggested in the quoted statement above from the book of Psalms.
Since I'm a busy person, I try to find any opportunity to read Scripture during the day. Just yesterday, I was at the barber shop waiting for my turn to get a haircut. Since I had extra time on my hands, I decided to open up the Bible app and read a chapter or two. The Bible is so accessible to me today through my mobile phone. I'd be foolish not to take advantage of it to read more Scripture during the day. Before I knew it, I was being called for my haircut.
How can you "up your game" when it comes to reading, studying, and meditating on Scripture? The Bible is so accessible to you today. Don't just take it for granted.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
