One Book We Ought Not Forget ...
I love reading. I really do.
I am constantly amazed at what can be done with the internet. Through sites like the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) and other sites, it seems like every ancient book and many modern works are available to Christians. One could sit at a screen and read for hours without coming up for air. That is not counting the many blogs and news sites that are out there.
But I do not like to read from a computer screen. Not anything of substance anyway. I like to hold a solid manuscript in my hands and read it. I go through ink at an incredible pace because, when I find something I really want to read, if it is of a reasonable size, I will print it. Why? Because I love to read and I love to read books.
My passion is Christian books. As you might guess, I love reading theology, history, and the biographies of great Christians. But in all this reading there is a hidden trap. It is a trap I have fallen into in the past and one I know many others trip over also. It is the trap of reading so much stuff that we neglect the Bible.
I once made a point while preaching. During the sermon I starting piling up books on the pulpit ... Calvin's Institutes, Edwards 2 volume collected works, Hodge's 3 volume systematic theology, James Boyce's Abstract of Systematic Theology and several other works. I told the people that if they read all the books I had stacked up and read with understanding, they would have a superior theological education. Then I told them, one page of the Bible is more useful than all the books stacked up combined. Why? Because the Bible is the inspired word of God. It is given to us by God through the hands of inspired men. It is God's words. It is that word that sets us apart (John 17:17).
So read, as I do. Read well and read wisely. Read broadly on a number of topics. Read deeply and learn from what you read. But do not forget the book that we ought never to neglect ... the Holy Word of God, the Bible. One page of Holy Scripture is more valuable to your soul that volumes written by men. Be a lover of books, but above all, be a lover of the Bible.
I love reading. I really do.
I am constantly amazed at what can be done with the internet. Through sites like the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) and other sites, it seems like every ancient book and many modern works are available to Christians. One could sit at a screen and read for hours without coming up for air. That is not counting the many blogs and news sites that are out there.
But I do not like to read from a computer screen. Not anything of substance anyway. I like to hold a solid manuscript in my hands and read it. I go through ink at an incredible pace because, when I find something I really want to read, if it is of a reasonable size, I will print it. Why? Because I love to read and I love to read books.
My passion is Christian books. As you might guess, I love reading theology, history, and the biographies of great Christians. But in all this reading there is a hidden trap. It is a trap I have fallen into in the past and one I know many others trip over also. It is the trap of reading so much stuff that we neglect the Bible.
I once made a point while preaching. During the sermon I starting piling up books on the pulpit ... Calvin's Institutes, Edwards 2 volume collected works, Hodge's 3 volume systematic theology, James Boyce's Abstract of Systematic Theology and several other works. I told the people that if they read all the books I had stacked up and read with understanding, they would have a superior theological education. Then I told them, one page of the Bible is more useful than all the books stacked up combined. Why? Because the Bible is the inspired word of God. It is given to us by God through the hands of inspired men. It is God's words. It is that word that sets us apart (John 17:17).
So read, as I do. Read well and read wisely. Read broadly on a number of topics. Read deeply and learn from what you read. But do not forget the book that we ought never to neglect ... the Holy Word of God, the Bible. One page of Holy Scripture is more valuable to your soul that volumes written by men. Be a lover of books, but above all, be a lover of the Bible.
posted by John | Tuesday, March 06, 2007
1 Comments:
John, as much as I love to read, I find that about the only thing I have time to read is my Bible. I did get a book through the inter library loan system by Noel Piper called Faithful Women and their Extraordinary God. I just hope I will be able to finish it before I have to return it.
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