Three Reasons Why You Don’t Read Your Bible
by Daniel Hames
theologynetwork.org
From the earliest years of your Christian life– whether as a child raised in a Christian home, or as somebody brought to faith and discipled in a church group– you will have been told how important it is to read your Bible regularly. You decided to try some sort of Bible read through and set to reading four chapters a day. Early zeal meant you tore through the Gospels and enjoyed the drama of Genesis, but before long you ran into rock solid Romans, or life-draining Leviticus. You missed a few days out, and then… well, it’s been a while since you found the will to pick your Bible up again.
Every now and then, first thing in the morning and last thing at night, you see it on your bedside table and it stares you out. It’s at these times that other things tend suddenly to grab your attention. ‘I really ought to mow the lawn!’, ‘I never did write that thank you card to Aunt Daisy!’. ‘Wouldn’t it be lovely to bake some bread?’ It’s so easy to drop reading the Bible down the list of priorities just a little bit, and never get around to it. Why is that? There are three very common reasons, and they all have solutions that aren’t so much to do with how well disciplined your are, but more about the way you think about the Bible. The first reason isn’t even really a proper reason, so we’ll start with that one and get it out of the way.
You don’t have time
This may be the most common ‘reason’ we give to explain to ourselves why we’ve not read the Bible for a while: events of the day got on top of me, my feet have hardly touched the ground, I overslept. Yet of course this isn’t a serious reason for missing out on the scriptures. We all make time for what we believe we need, and we certainly make time to do what we want! Life is rarely too busy to surf the Internet, watch the television, or go to the pub. The fact is that our priorities reveal what we truly value, and the ‘not enough time’ excuse is most likely a cover-up of one of the two reasons below. So if this first one is you, admit it’s nothing more than an excuse and read on!
You think the Bible is about you
The first is that deep down, you feel your Bible reading isn’t ‘working’- and it’s really because you read the Bible with your eyes on yourself. As you read it, you’re looking for practical lessons on life, instructions on how to behave, and commands to go away and do right now. And you find that the Bible doesn’t provide these particularly well!
It’s hardly the best ‘how to’ guide for life: it’s full of ancient history, genealogies, instructions for priests and kings, bizarre-sounding visions, and precious little in the way of direct instructions to you, the reader. Even in the New Testament where things seem a little easier to apply to you, vast chunks go by without a word on how to live! The whole of Acts passes without even one command to go and do evangelism like Paul did; Romans takes 11 long chapters to get to any application.
This can be immensely frustrating for us at times as we often want some moral guidance so that we can take whatever nugget of wisdom we need for the day, and get going with life. This will lead us to ignore the ‘boring’ bits, allegorise and twist the difficult bits, and generally stick to our favourite bits. We focus on what we think will directly apply to us, and generally avoid instructions about the tabernacle, minor prophets, and anything about numbers of people in tribes.
The solution to this problem is to see that the Bible is about Jesus and not us. The solution is to take our eyes off ourselves and begin to look at Jesus in the Bible. Despite all that our hearts would have us believe, the Bible isn’t a book given to dole-out moral lessons, but a book given to us to teach us about Christ so that we can delight in him. If you’ve found yourself treating the Bible as a moral ‘how to’ guide, your next move is to start reading it differently. Let the Bible show you the glory and beauty of Jesus, and you will find that as you do, love for him will bubble-up inside. Believe it or not, you will see him held-out to you in even the obscure passages you’ve always avoided. You will find that far from dutifully going to the Bible for handy hints for the day, you will gladly run to it so that Christ will conquer your heart afresh; so that you will take your gaze off yourself and obsess over him instead.
You think your Bible reading is for God’s benefit
Everyone will be familiar with this situation: you’ve been going strong with your Bible reading, enjoying it and feeling your love for the Lord grow. But something comes up (perhaps opportunity for a Saturday morning lie in) and you miss a day. Somehow the next day gets dropped too and, before you know it, it’s been a week. Maybe two or three.
The feeling you get isn’t a stomach-rumbling or a dry throat; not a spiritual hunger or thirst. It’s a nagging guilt which tells you that if you really cared about God then you would have read the Bible, that you really should have finished Jeremiah by now. The flipside of this feeling is, of course, a sense of satisfaction (dare you admit it, a smug satisfaction) when you do read the Bible, especially when you manage a whole book in one go. You think, ‘I’m obviously maturing as a Christian!’, and are tempted to drop into conversations that, ‘Yes, I was in Ezekiel 47 this morning. Marvellous chapter!’
The diagnosis for you is that you imagine your Bible reading to be doing God a favour. The crushing guilt you feel when you miss it is your heart telling you God is displeased, and the slightly haughty contentment you feel when knocking out five chapters instead of your usual four is your heart telling you that God is now smiling on you.
The solution is to recognise and live in God’s grace. You are eternally loved and accepted by the Father because of Jesus. He and he alone is the reason that sinful people can relate to God at all; as we find ourselves in him we are adorned with his status and standing before his Father. That is the heart of our salvation and the ongoing reality that dominates the Christian life. To imagine that regularity with which we read our Bible can in any way augment or diminish this in some way is to totally misunderstand our very salvation! Missing a quiet time could never change God’s gracious love for us! If you have thought this way, you must realise that you’re cheapening what you have been given in Christ and attempting to wrestle back from the Jesus the great burden of pleasing God. Give it back and pick up your Bible- it’s much lighter!
In this context the Bible is given to us as a gift to feast on, rather than a project to complete before judgment day. We will find we go to it to savour and enjoy, and when we miss a day we might feel hunger pangs, but we could never feel guilt, fear, or condemnation. In the same way that skipping breakfast is more of a missed opportunity than a morally dubious choice; not going to the scriptures for nourishment is not a matter of calling down the anger of God, but of omitting to take advantage of his good gifts to his children.
Conclusion
The Bible has been given to us to help us know and love Christ. Our Father is generous and loving, and loves to communicate with us; the Spirit has inspired the scriptures so that they bring life, joy, and fullness to the Christian walk. If you have misunderstood or abused the Bible up until now, making it about you and your efforts, simply look to Jesus instead: the One of whom the Bible speaks, and the One on whom your salvation rests. Read it to love and trust him more.
WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!!!!
Dove’s New Ad Campaign
I respect Dove tremendously now, after they came out with these new ads. These ads speak volumes, and I can’t believe we live in a society that would actually broadcast these!
Here is a link to Dove’ Real Beauty Campaign. If you have a daughter, it might be a good idea to give this site a gander.
3 Things That Everyone Loves But Me
1. Pizza
Why is this the default for everyone? All it is is cheese on greasy bread. And don’t say that it’s more than this because you can get meat on it. One piece of pepperoni or three pieces of sausage does not constitute a meaty meal. And what the heck is pepperoni anyways? Who eats pepperoni, besides on a pizza? So then if no one ever eats this, why is it the default, i.e. most common, topping?
2. Meeting over coffee
I don’t understand the draw or appeal of meeting over coffee. “Hey you want to get together sometime, maybe grab some coffee?” or “I’m bored, let’s go get some coffee.” or “Are you a Christian? Me too! Let’s get some coffee!” If you are a Christian, you have to like getting coffee while talking about life with people. Why not go some place that has a wider variety of things to do together than just to sit and drink coffee? I understand if you want to sit and talk, then why not go to a restaurant so you can get coffee, tea, coke, chips, pie….is there something magical about drinking coffee with someone?
“Maybe we can just get together and eat a bunch of caramels. When you think about it, it’s as arbitrary as drinking coffee” ~ Will Hunting
3. U2
……did DJ just say that he doesn’t like U2??? That’s right. Why does everyone love U2 so much? Not only do people love them, they treat them like mini-gods or something, setting them on a level much higher than the rest of the musicians. Is it because they are such incredible humanitarians? I agree that they do a lot for the less fortunate, and that is definitely a respectable trait that they possess. But is it ok for this to factor into their ability to produce good music? If that were the case, then Mother Teresa really missed out on not publishing that album of polka songs. I mean come on people, U2’s style has not changed in 20 years! It all sounds the same!
Fluffy Toilet Paper Said to Be Worse for Environment Than Hummers
Friday, February 27, 2009 
That super-soft toilet paper you’re fond of using? It’s an ecological disaster, environmentalists say.
Millions of trees are harvested throughout the Americas – including rare old-growth forests in Canada – to sustain the United States’ obsession with quilted, ultra-soft, multi-ply toilet paper, the New York Times reported.
Although toilet paper manufacturers could produce products from recycled materials at a similar cost, the newspaper reported, the fiber taken from standing trees are necessary to help give the tissue its fluffy feel.
“No forest of any kind should be used to make toilet paper,” said Dr. Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist and waste expert with the Natural Resource Defense Council told the Times.
The United States is the largest market for toilet paper in the world, the newspaper reported, but tissue from 100 percent recycled fibers makes up less than 2 percent of sales for at-home use among conventional and premium brands. People from other countries throughout Europe and Latin America are far less picky about what they use to wipe.
“This is a product that we use for less than three seconds and the ecological consequences of manufacturing it from trees is enormous,” Hershkowitz told the Guardian newspaper, which cited the chemicals used in pulp manufacturing and process of cutting down forests.
“Future generations are going to look at the way we make toilet paper as one of the greatest excesses of our age,” Hershkowitz said. “Making toilet paper from virgin wood is a lot worse than driving Hummers in terms of global warming pollution.”
However, hope is on the horizon, if Hollywood is any indicator. The Times reported the Academy Awards ceremony last weekend used 100 percent recycled toilet paper at the Kodak Theater’s restrooms.
Redistribution of Wealth…aka “owned”
This was taken from a friend of mine’s (Tabaitha Kaye) blog, which was taken from a friend of hers (they are my new hero!):
“In a local restaurant my server had on an “Obama 08″ tie, again I laughed as he had given away his political preference–just imagine the coincidence. When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need–the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.
I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I’ve decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful. At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient deserved money more. I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application!”
I GOT THE JOB!!!!!
You are now looking at (well actually reading about) the newest member of The Village staff! Come November 3, I am going to be working as the admin for the Missions department!
Jeremy Pace, the Lead Missions Pastor, called me the other day and told me the good news. It was really cool because when he called, I could tell I was on speaker phone, but I didn’t think much of it. He was telling me he was calling back the applicants, and with his voice sounding kind of somber, I thought “Well great, another rejection phone call.” Then he said he had one more question for me – “How does November 2nd sound for a start date?” I hesitated for a little bit, kind of confused, and I said “Are you serious?!” Then I heard a lot of laughter and applause in the background – the whole Missions Dept (Plus Courtney) were in the room, cheering me on and welcoming me to the team! It was so incredible to feel so welcomed and loved!
Then, later that night, Courtney and I went over to a friend’s house (Matt Elkins, Associate Missions Pastor) to get together with some people and hang out and play games. When we got there, Matt had already picked up some champagne, and had his wife make a congrats sign for me and Andrea Lewis (another Missions dept staff member) brought cookies! What a way to make a guy feel accepted and loved!
Man, hurry up November 3rd!
Quit being stingy at restaraunts, tip well!
Dear BA Foodist,
Can you set me straight on tipping? I was once told that 20 percent is for great service, 15 percent for bad. Unless a waiter’s gone overboard, I’m an 18 percenter, but I was recently accused of being stingy. Am I wrong, or wasn’t 10 percent considered fair not too long ago? Give me a tip I can use. –TIPPER G., Albuquerque
Dear Tipper G.,
Ah, the great tipping conundrum. You are not alone. At a meal’s end, I often find myself staring at the blank lines of a credit-card receipt, concerned that the effects of too much wine and food will impair my basic algebra skills. (That’s what a spouse is for: making sure it all adds up correctly.) Still, I think I can help.
The Foodist waited tables many years ago at a small, well-regarded spot in Brooklyn. (Incidentally, one evening he waited on a major food critic who later gave the restaurant a one-star review. The critic liked the food but described the service as “friendly but very slow and fumbling.” Oh, well: If you can’t serve ‘em, join ‘em.) Waiting tables is a job everyone should be forced to do at least once, if only to learn that it’s not okay to snap your fingers when you want something, and also to find out what it’s like to eke out a living on tips.
It’s disappointing to receive anything less than 20 percent of the total bill. Most waiters at today’s better restaurants expect that much for average service, and even more if they do it with a smile. So unless you’re planning never to go to the same restaurant twice, the days of 10 percent tips–and even 15 percent tips–are long gone.
The BA Foodist’s Tipping Rules
RULE NO. 1: Unless the server is rude, condescending, and/or completely absent, tip between 18 and 20 percent.
RULE NO. 2 : Never tip on tax. Tip based on the subtotal. And if you’re calculating your tip simply by doubling the tax, stop it–you’re being cheap.
RULE NO. 3: Unless you drink like Dean Martin or have a taste for expensive wines (i.e., $40 or more, depending on your budget), it’s best to include booze when calculating a tip. Bartenders expect a dollar tip per drink (which is usually about 20 percent of the drink’s price), and it’s no different with waiters.
RULE NO. 4: Never turn a blind eye when others are tipping–especially if they’re unfamiliar with our tipping culture (i.e., Europeans). If you think your tablemate is lowballing the service, it’s best to hand the waiter a few bills on the way out.
RULE NO. 5: If a few dollars here and there really matter that much to your bank account, perhaps you shouldn’t be going out to eat in the first place.
*********************************************************************
It bothers me to no end how Christians tip (correction: don’t tip). If you are a believer and you don’t tip well, what do you think that does to your witness? I have known several waiters that hate working Sundays with the Christian crowd because we are known to be awful tippers. A friend of mine was telling me that his restaurant staff assigns Sunday afternoons to waiters as a penalty for showing up late during the week, or some other sort of infraction. Absolutely ridiculous. Waiters know that Sunday afternoons are filled with church-goers, so why not take advantage of that opportunity? And don’t you EVER leave one of those million dollar bill tracks either – that does NOT count as a tip!
15% is incredibly outdated, and should only be used if the waitress spits in your food in front of you. 20% should be the absolute bare minimum, and waiters should be rewarded on top of that.
Factor a generous tip into the price of going out, and if you can’t afford to tip, then you can’t afford to go out. Period.
AshleyMadison.com
I can’t even begin to express how heavy my heart is at this moment. It’s a little after midnight and I’m watching ESPN, a family channel, and a commercial comes on that goes something like this:
- A man wakes up pretty groggy with a half-empty bottle of alcohol next to his bed
- As he comes to, he notices a woman asleep lying next to him, who appears to be somewhat overweight and unattractive
- He looks at her as if he is thinking “Oh no, what have I just done?”
- He slowly starts to slip out of bed, hoping not to wake her.
- At just about this time, a voice comes and says “Most of us can recover from a one-night stand….”
- As the man quietly sneaks downstairs, the camera focuses on a framed picture on the wall of this very same man in a tuxedo and this very same woman in a wedding dress.
- The narrator kind of chuckles a little and says “…But not when it’s every night, for the rest of our lives.”
- And then the logo comes on the screen: “AshleyMadison.com – Life is short. Have an affair.”
This is a website designed to help married people hook up with other married people to start an affair. I am speechless and on the verge of tears. My heart is surprisingly not angry at all, rather completely burdened for the site’s members. Certain articles on the website include “The myth of monogamy,” “When monogamy becomes monotony,” and statistical article on “Affairs” and how much more prevalent they are than we realize. After joining for $249, they offer an Affair Guarantee, or your money back.
Under their FAQs, someone asks if there are any single members on this site, and their answer hurt me deeply: “If you are single and wish to meet an attached person, you’re probably going to have to try a little harder. Single people don’t have as much to risk and you may find some attached people unwilling to take a risk with you.” Try a little harder? No risk involved, therefore not appealing? This hurts me badly to see the lengths people will go for their next big thrill, as they desperately yearn and cry out for acceptance and belonging.
As I sit here, trying to take in everything I just heard, saw, and read, a lot of questions come to mind. Are we burdened for the lost? Do we even realize that they are out there? Are we too engulfed within our Christian bubbles to see that this is a very fallen world that is in desperate need of our Savior? Are we selfish with our sweet Jesus? Do we even care?
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying
Snatch them in pity, from sin and the grave
Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen
Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying
Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save
Church open your eyes once more
And see what Christ died for
Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save
Down in the human heart, crushed by the temptor
Feelings lie buried, that grace can restore
Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness
Chords that are broken, will vibrate once more
As we’re playing our songs, while we’re singing them well
Have we forgotten the lost, the reality of hell
If we say we love God, wanna see His will done
Will we offer our lives, or just the songs we have sung
Do we even care, when will we care
Chad Johnson, Oh How I Love Thee….
Chad Johnson, star wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, never ceases to amaze me. Chad Johnson, in addition to his incredible gameday performance, is probably best known for his on-field antics, usually resulting in penalties and/or fines (let’s just say he walks to the beat of his own drum….). Some of his noteable shenanigans include:
- called out michael phelps, saying that he could beat him in a swim race
- made his own hall of fame jacket and wore it after scoring a touchdown
- sported a bright yellow mohawk
- mock-proposed to a cheerleader after scoring
- performed CPR on the football after scoring
- played putt-putt with the ball and the endzone pylon ~ fined $5,000
- kicked the camera guy off and assumed his role and began filming after scoring ~ fined
- fashioned a nametag that read “Ocho Cinco” on the back of his jersey (#85 is his number) ~ fined $5,000
- after being fined several times by the league for being a showboat, scored a touchdown and held up a sign that said “Dear NFL, please don’t fine me again!” ~ fined $10,000…….
Well now Chad has gone and done it again, except this time he has topped even himself. He really liked to be referred to as Ocho Cinco (his number), and got mad that he couldn’t have it on the back of his jersey or else he would get fined, so he found the answer – he legally changed his name. Chad Johnson will now be legally known as Chad Ocho Cinco, and can therefore have that on the back of his jersey without being fined by the league…….wow. Words can’t express how proud of this guy I am…….
Take THAT Roger Goodell!!
