“Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.” ~ Proverbs 9:5-6
Life-change begins with coming to Jesus. For in the act of coming, we admit that we can’t save ourselves, and need the help of our Maker.
The second phrase in this verse from Proverbs says, Eat of my bread. This points to a second thing that must happen if our lives are to change for the better: we need spiritual nourishment. Colossians 3:26 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”
While the ancient Egyptians were busy leaving us stone monuments to show future generations how great they were, the ancient Hebrews gave us a far better gift. We call it the Bible. If you’re new to this, your first order of business is to just start gobbling up the Bible. Don’t be shy. Put on a bib and stuff your face full of it.
Come, eat my bread, God says to us. What a gift of grace, to have the very words of God right at our fingertips.
Why’s is Bible reading important? Here are two reasons among many:
First, because I need to be taught God’s truth.
I’m not born plug and play. Humans are the most pitiful of God’s creatures when they are born. We are naturally ignorant. Everything must be taught us. (Listen up, parents!)
But it’s even worse than that. Scripture teaches that we are born spiritually dead. “You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked.” (Ephesians 2:1)
What that means at a practical level, is that in almost every area of my life, if I play it as I feel it, I’ll make a colossal mess of things. The book of Proverbs says (and says it twice, so it’s got flashing yellow lights around it), “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” (14:12, 16:25). In other words, we need to be taught.
Second, if I don’t learn God’s truth then I’ll be susceptible to all the bad teaching that’s out there.
Our culture is systematically sweeping away tried and true biblical teaching as we speak, especially in the sexual arena. Many are thoughtlessly going along with the social experiment. But if the Bible is true, then this is not going to end well.
Jesus, without apology, said that those who followed his teaching would get a storm-proof house built on rock. But those who ignore his words would get an unstable house built on sand, destined to collapse in ruins.
Look no further than your own heart. You’ve played it the culture’s way long enough and where has it gotten you? Addicted, broke, confused, empty, alone, frustrated. Jesus said that we humans don’t live on bread alone. What we need to live on is ‘every word that comes from the mouth of God’ (Matthew 4:11).
Don’t you think it’s time that you sit down and open up the greatest book that’s ever been written, and figure out what it’s about? An intelligent person would at least do that much.
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