How Great is Great? Psalm 86:13

Why do Christians make a regular practice of reading the Bible? Are we studying for a test? Are we trying to master a classic of ancient literature? Is it a ritual requirement of our religion? Are we spiritual lightweights if we aren’t experts on the book? Are we disqualified from a relationship with Jesus if we can’t recite vast passages of Scripture?

No, no, no, no and absolutely not. (btw, tons of Christians over the last 2,000 years have been illiterate, so can we all just relax?) 

Let me ask a different type of question… Why do you want to eat your favorite food? Why do you put the coolest song you’ve heard this year on a playlist? Why do you tell all your friends about that amazing movie you just saw? Why do you pick out a specific outfit for a photo shoot with your friends?

Easy, right? 

You like these things. They make life more fun, enjoyable, delicious and they fill you with joy, encouragement and enrichment. Let me tell you why you should read the Bible. Ready? It might not be what you’ve always heard, so buckle up. 

You should read the Bible because the God of all the universe who knows every secret of every heart really likes you. In fact, He loves you and He wants you to know and believe in that love He has for you until it gives you courage, peace and happiness for the day you are living. That’s it. That’s why you should read the Bible. Yesterday I opened the Bible and read Psalm 86. There is a verse in there that says, “Great is Your love toward me…” I know that the Psalms were not written in my language, so I looked up what the word was in the original language. And wow! My mind had a party, simply feasting on what I learned. 

The word that says His love toward me is “great” is a word that is used a ton in the Old Testament and is translated into a lot of different English words. Words like “large, lots, very, intense, more important, deep, main and even the word older”. 

Take a minute and think about that. God’s love for you is great. But that’s not all. God loves you lots! His love for you is the main thing! His love for you is older than your mess ups. His love for you is intense. His love for you is more important than your insecurity. His love is deep. He loves you very, very much. And on and on and on. Mmmm! Delicious. My soul is feasting. How about yours? That’s why you should read the Bible.