Reading the Bible with reverence

It is not only about reading the Bible, but how we read it. If we believe it is the word of God given to us for our profit, we should not only explore it, study it and meditate upon it, but also submit ourselves to it. In this age where knowledge abounds and many analytical tools are available, there is a danger that we sit before the Bible with an intention to crack it, extract its knowledge and and feel smug as experts, while we remain the same as people, without transformation and without godly power in our life!

Think of the number of Bible college students who need to bring out some original treatise on the Bible for their thesis, ending up with 'new' discoveries of things that have been hidden even from the eyes of the apostles of old! They can get their degrees, write books, give talks and become famous, but the question is how much importance they have given to becoming like Jesus – in conquering their thoughts, attitudes, looks, words, behaviour, ambitions, etc. (2Ti.3:16,17).

Think of countless number of Christians who read their Bible every morning without fail, because that is the custom they have been taught when they came to Christ, but who are unable to see how un-Christ-like they still are after many years of being born again!

Through the Bible, God is trying to instruct us, show us where we are wrong, correct us, lead us to higher planes of relationship with Him. Yet many Christians who can do well in a Bible quiz are not managing so well in their relationships.

'Application' is not what people have in mind when they read the Bible. But here is a clue Jesus gives us about how we can make progress in knowing Him and His ways. "If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself" (Jn.7:17). Jesus is saying here in a broader sense that it is when we obey something we have come to know that we are given revelation of something we do not yet know. Obviously, those who read God's word but do not obey it will not be able to go further, spiritually speaking.

Think of it in another way. Let us say God just revealed to us which way we should go when we are standing at the crossroads of life. Suppose for various reasons such as what would happen to us, what people would say, what we might stand to lose, etc., we choose to ignore taking that way, we can understand how we are not going to be able to go in the way of spiritual progress. Our spiritual progress hinged on our making the right choice there. By making that one wrong choice we have stopped ourselves from going in the direction God had prepared for us. But if we make the right choice there, then we can go to higher and higher levels.

What will be important in eternity is not an unbroken record of Bible reading, a doctorate in theology, or an impressive ministry, but how much we have become like Jesus in our character. God calls it His most precious promise (2Pe.1:3,4). Will we run after it?