“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” – Matt. 4:4
I wish I could get people to see that a lack of hunger for God’s word is an indication that something is seriously wrong in their life. Our body requires food and having an appetite for it is natural. The loss of appetite is sometimes an indication that a person is ill. Sick people often don’t desire the very thing they need and they deprive themselves of that which would be helpful. The same is true when it comes to your spiritual life. The normal Christian craves the Word of God. He realizes that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”– Matt. 4:4
When you neglect God’s word you deprive yourself of what you need and the result isn’t good. The question is “Why would you do that?” Do you have any idea what you are depriving yourself of? Do you understand the effect that has on your life? If you don’t know it’s because of your neglect. And if you claim to know, I’ll ask again, “Why would you do that to yourself?” Maybe you don’t understand as much as you think you do. Or it might be that you are not a Bible believer at all. Knowing what the Bible says is not the same as believing the Bible. Do you really expect anyone to believe that you believe the Bible when you don’t have a desire to study it? If you refuse to read, study, and obey God’s word there is no evidence that you’ve been born again. How can you actually believe all the wonderful things the Bible says about its benefits and then have no desire for it? I’m convinced that there are not nearly as many Bible believers in your church as you think there are.
I just read a report from “The American Bible Society” on the “State of the Bible”. The report, from two separate surveys, revealed that only 9% of Americans read the Bible daily. It is no wonder that our nation is in such a mess. The sad fact of the matter is that most professing Christians don’t do any better. Another study a few years ago said only 19% of churchgoers read the Bible every day. Imagine that! There is no doubt about it – the average church member refuses to read the Bible daily and far fewer actually study God’s Word every day! Whether they realize it or not they are paying a high price for their neglect.-HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
