Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner. (Nehemiah 8:18)
On occasion when my wife and I are traveling, we will stop at a restaurant called the Cracker Barrel. These restaurants feature a laid back country atmosphere replete with antiques and a large stone fireplace. When we have the opportunity to dine there, my favorite meal is country ham, hash brown casserole, turnip greens, and homemade biscuits. For some reason I can never
get enough of that simple meal.
And like our favorite meal, we should never be able to get enough of God’s Word. From the day that Ezra found a copy of the Law and began to read it to the people, the people made the Word of God a daily part of their lives.
The Word of God was feeding their soul and drawing them closer to their God. We are reminded that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” And without that steady diet of the Word of God, our faith would begin to weaken to the point of non-existence. And without faith, “it is impossible to please to God.”
Reading the Bible should never become just a habit, or an obligation. Reading the Bible should be a desire on the part of God’s people to hear what He has to say about their lives. Some people will read the Bible every day in a systematic way that will carry them through the Book in one year,
others like myself get ‘lost’ among the pages as God’s Spirit speaks to my heart and reveals truth and principle. Neither way is wrong, so long as we make a point to allow God to speak to us through His revealed will, the Bible.
Some people make it a habit to jump out of bed in the morning, grab a cup of coffee, read the paper, look over the days’ work schedule and prepare themselves for what lies ahead. That’s great, but think how much better your day would be if, over that cup of coffee you allowed God to speak to you through His Word? Listen, if you don’t want to meet the devil during
the day, allow me to suggest that you meet God first thing!
Miss your breakfast, your lunch or your break, but don’t miss an opportunity for God to speak to your heart through His Word.
Pastor Matthew Mills
