Dust Off the Book

By Bonnie Ricks, This Day's Devotional Thursday, June 03, 2004

All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man (and woman) of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16)

Have you visited a book store lately? If not, you should. You'll be amazed at the number of "self-help" books that line the shelves. Everything from how to raise your kids to how to be a spectacular cook to how to improve your self-esteem will be in abundance. Then, back in the corner, sort of hidden away, you'll find a small set of shelves for the "religious" books - not necessarily Christian. The smallest section of all will contain the Bibles. Sad, isn't it? Sad that the one and only reliable book on improving one's life is relegated to the position of least importance by the world – at least here in the U.S.

But sadder still is the position God's Word takes in the lives of most Christians. How many Bibles do you see that are nearly worn out from constant use? Very few, even those carried to church by the faithful. More often, the Bibles, even those found in Christian homes, are just objects that must be dusted every week, but whose pages are rarely opened and studied for the help with daily living that they contain. We'd rather look to Dr. Spock or Dr. Joyce Brothers for advice on child rearing and relationships. Why are we so reluctant to turn to the best doctor of all - Dr. Jesus? Why aren’t we more like those in Red China, where those seeking God’s Word are so grateful to get their hands on a copy that they weep with joy? And where the common practice is to tear a Bible apart page-by-page and distribute it. Each person memorizes the page he receives and then passes it along to someone else to memorize! Why isn’t there a hunger for God’s Word in the U.S. like that? Can you spell “t-a-k-i-n-g—G-o-d—f-o-r—g-r-a-n-t-e-d”?

Is your Bible gathering dust? Do you ever need advice on how to handle a problem in your life? Then why are you letting the best advice you can get gather dust? Think about it.