Recently I have done a lot of pondering on the importance of reading our Bibles. Many Christians make this a priority, but many do not. There was a time in my life when I did not make it a priority. But now that it is a part of my daily life, I can definitely see how I have changed for the better because of it. Here are just a few reasons why reading the Bible is essential.

The Bible is one way we get to know God. When we became Christians, we entered into a relationship with the Lord. In our earthly relationships, we get to know other people by spending time with them. Let’s say you are dating someone. You wouldn’t say you are dating that person and then never actually get together with them. You want to meet up at a restaurant or a park, so you can have some face-to-face time. You want to learn about this person, their likes and dislikes, their quirks, their childhood, their character. Reading our Bible is similar in that we are spending time with God. We are learning about His character, we see the different things He has done in the past, and we get to know what’s important to Him.

The Bible also helps us in battle. The truth is that we live in a fallen world. And as Christians we are going to see adversity. Much of it, I believe, comes from the enemy who wants to bring us down. So we have to be prepared. When a young person joins the Army, he goes through training. In the beginning he has to go through boot camp, which gets him into shape quickly. But even when boot camp is over, he doesn’t cease to keep his body in shape. He doesn’t stop his target practice. He has to stay sharp and ready in case of a battle. The same is true for Christians. We have to be ready every single day. Our enemy doesn’t stop, he doesn’t take a nap, he doesn’t declare peace. So we too need to be on guard at all times, and the Bible is our weapon.

The Bible helps us make decisions. We make thousands of decisions every day. Some are seemingly not important, such as which outfit to wear. But other decisions are important and we don’t necessarily know the best route to take. The world bases their decisions off of their wants, their feelings, and what everyone else is doing. But, as Christians, we are not of this world and we shouldn’t make our decisions in the same way the world does. The Bible gives us clear guidelines on how we should live, what we should do with our money, how we should treat other people, and so on.

Based on these three points alone, it is apparent to me that the Bible should be a part of our daily lives. Reading our Bibles is a privilege and a treasure. And I am so thankful that the Lord has given us this precious gift.