Most of us have heard that the Bible is a road map for this life. I have not only listened to messages like this but have spent much of my life proclaiming it. Nonetheless, believing something is true and being thoroughly convinced this is the path we should take does not mean that we will always follow it.
For example, we realize that eating right and daily exercise would be extremely beneficial to our health, but we seem to be experts of procrastination by consistently putting off until tomorrow what we should be doing today. I'm also guilty of this, and then I walk around beating myself up for not doing what I know I should do. This is just one area that some of us struggle with among the vast subjects of opportunities that we face every day.
So what do we say when we know there is nothing more important than God's word and still refuse to study it? The same is true with prayer, as we all know there is nothing more powerful, and yet many times we choose to put it off.
The reason why the Bible is so important to the human race is because it's basically a reflection of who God is and a personal letter from him that explains what he wants from us. It contains true stories and words of divine wisdom that can strengthen, encourage and lead us into his will. Learning and understanding the Word of God illuminates our mind and opens our spiritual eyes so that we can see more clearly how to not only live an abundant life but to also give him the honor and glory that he deserves.
Since God is the creator of all things and has uniquely designed you and me, we should be grateful and consider him worthy to receive our deepest love and adoration. The concept of absorbing God's holy truth is a crucial part of the process of knowing him personally and opens the door for us to live in the awareness of his presence.
The Bible stands or falls as a whole. If a newspaper were routinely discovered to contain errors, it would be quickly discredited. It would make no difference to say, "All the errors are confined to Page 3" or "Many of the stories we publish are probably true."
For any publication to be reliable in any of its parts, it must be factual throughout. Why would we waste our time reading something that is fabricated? In the same way, if the Bible is inaccurate when it speaks of everything from geology to genealogy, why should it be trusted? It is either a trustworthy resource, or it is not.
It's clear to see who is behind all of this negative publicity as the devil is against God and commonly referred to as the enemy of our soul. He also understands the potential spiritual power that can be generated when someone reads and applies God's Word. This kingdom of darkness is aggressively working around the clock to prevent anyone from discovering the secrets and mysteries that God intended for us to know. The devil realizes that if the spiritual principles within the Bible can be dismissed and discredited as fictional fables, the possibility for salvation and victorious living are diminished.
R.C. Sprout is quoted as saying, "It is fashionable in some academic circles to exercise scholarly criticism of the Bible. In so doing, scholars place themselves above the Bible and seek to correct it. If indeed the Bible is the Word of God, nothing could be more arrogant. It is God who corrects us; we don't correct him. We do not stand over God but under him."
I feel so strongly about the importance of absorbing God's Word that last year I went into the studio and recorded an 80-minute CD where I narrate over 100 encouraging and inspiring Bible passages. I realize it's challenging for many people to sit and read, so I've made this resource as an enjoyable alternative where anyone can just relax and soak in God's truth. It has beautiful background music and is filled with Scriptures about faith, healing, hope and peace. I would be glad to send this out free to anyone who is interested. Billy Graham is quoted as saying, "Let us encourage all believers to feed on God's Word - it is nourishment for the soul."
William F. Holland Jr. is a minister and chaplain based in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Read more at billyhollandministries.com.