…for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4; NASU
Read the Bible. That is what you expect to hear from the pastor. It carries no surprise, much as “Brush your teeth,” from your dentist, or, “Eat your vegetables,” from your mother. It’s what we’re supposed to say. Yet these and other admonitions for caring for oneself are worth repeating. No one else can make up for what you refuse to do for yourself. And so my admonition: read the Bible.
By immersing ourselves in the Word of God, we cover our lives with numerous benefits. We can understand more fully the mind of the Lord, to pray and act according to His will. The indwelling Holy Spirit has the tool to teach us, through all the Lord has spoken. We guard ourselves from the false gospels and cultish errors whose lies we could invest a lifetime in studying, and still never fully master. If you want to detect error, first know the Truth.
Apart from the practical, “What’s in it for me?” reasoning, also consider this: The very Creator of all, including you and me, has written a letter to us—a complete letter of love, hope, joy, warning, and instruction. There never was anything like it, and there will never be anything to compare with it. In our age, we have nearly lost touch with how it feels to receive a letter from a loved one—yet this is precisely what we have in the Word of God. I wonder how this culture of shallow, cheap “communication” impacts us with the handling of the sacred Word of God. How are you doing at cherishing this “love letter” from home?
The spirit of this age beckons to us: leave off this Word, embrace our “higher” thinking, adopt our values, listen to our prophets and sages, abandon your archaic musings; get with the slick and new. It is this “itching ear” that we must resist. And that is only accomplished by staying immersed in the God-breathed Word.
So, now that we’re on track, why not celebrate after reading by eating that healthy plate of vegetables? And of course, when you’re done, don’t forget to brush.
Now, I’d imagine you never expected to hear that from your pastor!
Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. Psalm 119:89; NASU
