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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

 

Dear Rev. Graham: I have recently been challenged to actually read the Word of God. I’ve grown used to reading lots of Christian books that have taken the place of reading the Bible and I think this is an epidemic. I don’t think any great book about the Bible can be better than the Bible, right? – B.B.

 

Dear B.B.: Our spiritual lives need food. What kind of food? Spiritual food. Where do we find this spiritual food? In the Bible, the Word of God. The Bible reveals Christ, the Bread of Life for our hungry souls and the Water of Life for our thirsty hearts. If we fail to partake of daily spiritual nourishment, we will starve and lose our spiritual vitality.

Some parts of our world do not enjoy the freedom we have to read the Bible and study it together with fellow Christians. In most of the world, in fact, there’s a veritable famine for the Word of God!

There’s a story about a musician in a country that suppressed any witness to the Gospel. He was converted and strengthened spiritually through the reading of individual pages of the Scripture torn from a Bible and slipped to him by an unknown friend.

We should cherish our freedom to read God’s Word. We shouldn’t be content to skim through a chapter merely to satisfy our conscience, or read what someone else says about the Bible. Rather, we should hide the Word of God in our hearts.

We should not allow anything to take the place of this daily exercise. Memorizing Scripture can bring comfort to us on sleepless nights, and advise our thinking when we’re confronted by something. The Bible is God’s Guidebook.

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)