As a follower of Jesus, reading the Bible regularly is vitally important to that relationship.

Some of you out there reading that first line may think “Duh, that’s a gimme”. Others may cringe a little bit and say “there is no requirement for reading the Bible and being a follower of Jesus”. Unfortunately, the opinions on the importance of regular Scripture reading are about as varied as the flavors in a bag of Skittles.

My question, for those who hesitate on the importance of consistently consuming the Word is, why would you not want to devour this book?

I’ve heard excuses such as “if you get too much head knowledge, you’ll be all puffed up like the Pharisees”. Or there’s the popular cliche proffered by preachers (I’m guilty) “We want to know God not just about God… so it’s more than just reading a book”. While both of those statements contain truth, if they become the deciding factor in preventing us from faithfully reading the Bible, then we have a problem.

It is possible to be puffed up and have too much head knowledge. We can easily fall into that category when we negate experience and emotion. We can also fall into that trap when we focus on the letter of the law versus grace. But as for the Pharisees, they weren’t as they were because of too much head knowledge, they were that way because of their own sinful hearts. An affluent knowledge of the Scriptures did not lead to their arrogance and distortion of the heart of God. Their own pride and selfish ambition did.

And as for the excuse of “knowing God” and not just about Him… I wholeheartedly agree that our relationship with God is more than a book. But I also wholeheartedly believe that without the Book, we have no grounded understanding of that relationship. Why would we disregard words that were spoken by the One we’re wanting to get to know? When we treat the Bible as a mere informational source and not what it is, a conversation, then we miss the beauty of it. Paul tells us that ALL SCRIPTURE is God breathed (2 Timothy 3:16)… so why not get in on what God has said and wants to continue saying through His words?

I’d encourage you, if you’re not, read the Bible consistently and regularly. Your relationship with God will grow. If you are already in the habit of reading it and it’s getting dry or if it’s seeming redundant, then change up your plan.

For a few years in a row I read through the whole Bible using a plan. Last year I just sat in the Psalms all year long, occasionally reading a gospel (such as John) or an epistle (such as Colossians). But this year, 2012, I’m switching back to reading through the Bible in a year. I’d encourage you to check out YouVersion and their offerings of plans. Even if you have missed a few days into the year, their method of tracking allows you to start any day and it adjusts the plan. And to top if off they have hundreds of options.

I’d encourage you, if you’re not regularly reading the Bible, get into the Word! It’s worth every minute of it.