It was a very basic edition of the Bible featuring the King James translation. The cover was black and there were no study helps. It was the only copy of the Bible in our house and I don’t remember ever seeing anyone read it.

As a kid I was intrigued by it. Occasionally I would take it to my bedroom and read it with the door closed so no one would see me. I always started with the first chapter of Genesis since that was the way you read any book. I never made it past the story of Noah and the flood.

When I became a believer in my teen years, the Bible became a different book to me. I felt like a sponge soaking up new and exciting truths as I read it. It came alive for me and I loved reading it.

I still have that Bible from my childhood. The notes from my first year as a believer written throughout its pages are a reminder to me of that time when Jesus transformed me. From time to time I scan those pages and remember…and give thanks.

The Bible is no longer a new book for me. I’ve owned several copies in the years since and worn out a few preaching Bibles. There are two copies now that I primarily read from. What has not changed is that God continues to use His word to speak to me. It is food for my soul and correction to my sometimes wayward steps.

Needless to say I am troubled by the recent findings of a survey of churchgoers by LifeWay Research. When asked how often they personally (not as part of a church worship service) read the Bible:

• 19 percent respond “every day.”
• 26 percent say “a few times a week.”
• 14 percent say they read the Bible “once a week.”
• 22 percent say “once a month” or “a few times a month.”
• 18 percent say “rarely/never.”

Reading and studying the Bible has tremendous impact on a person’s spiritual growth and maturity in Christ. That is why these statistics are so troubling. Over half of the people attending church don’t read the Bible enough to grow as Christians.

What about you? How often to do you read the Bible?

If you desire to grow and honor Christ, the Bible in your house does not need to be like the one in my house when I was a kid…seen but not read. My family was not Christians then…what is your reason for not reading God’s word?

Pastor Steve Hogg