“Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature — for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.”
There are no shortcuts when it comes to spiritual growth. The key is consistency and faithfulness for the long haul.
Bible reading isn’t the only spiritual discipline God has commanded us to practice, but, in my opinion, it is one of the main avenues for Christians to know and experience the power of Jesus in their lives.
The words of God feed our souls much like food nourishes our bodies. As Satan tempted Jesus in the desert Jesus told him, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)
For new Jesus-followers who are beginning a new habit of reading the Bible, it is imperative for them to get into the Bible – even if that means reading only one verse per day. But for those who are growing in their relationship with Jesus will notice that their affections for Jesus and God’s Word will also grow as they deepen their study of God’s Word.
Our spiritual health is tied to our consumption and digestion of God’s Words.
Growing in our faith causes us to move from only reading a few verses here and there to savoring and obeying the Scripture. John Piper talks about the concept of not only seeing the Scriptures, but savoring them. “He wants our experience of the word to be such that we go beyond testing to tasting. Beyond knowing to loving. Beyond doctrine to delighting. Beyond seeing to savoring.” (Reading The Bible Supernaturally. p.126)
There is more to Bible study than simply seeing the words – God uses the Scripture to transform lives. Surface level Bible reading will create a surface level Christian.
Live It:
- Are you growing spiritually through your reliance on the Holy Spirit and practice of spiritual disciplines?
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Chase Snyder
Writer, Pastor
