[Monday's Devotional] - Reading

We are often encouraged to read our Bibles and read them regularly, either during our church services or in our Small Groups, or in other Christian books we read. In 2011 some of us read the whole Bible in a year and we have just completed "40 Days in the Word" inviting us to read and learn verses which will help us to grow as Christians.

Now, in our church in Rugby, we are preparing to take part in a "Bibleathon" where we will be reading the whole of the Bible aloud over four days during May, each person reading for a short time and possibly more than once. Overall we are to be encouraged to read a few verses of the Bible each day and think about what we have read and what we might learn from it. Then we can go forward and put what we have learned into practice.

This may sound like an awful lot of reading and some parts of the Bible can be hard going. Then again, if you are like me, you may read a book (other than the Bible) and not be interested in reading it again for quite some time – even if it's a favourite. This also can apply to the Holy Book. Many people go to Bible Study Groups which can be helpful, but sometimes these can dissect the passage being studied so much that you come away more confused than when you started.

So am I suggesting that you don't bother to read the Holy Bible except just occasionally, perhaps when you have nothing to do for a short time? Not a bit of it. I know that I don't read the Bible every day, and perhaps not as often as I should, but if I think about the events of the day in the quiet of the evening they can sometimes reflect a story in the Bible in a modern way, and a brief read of that story can help 'put the day to bed', as it were. I also have to read the stories so that I can re-write them in a way that the children I tell Bible stories to can understand and, hopefully, enjoy them and learn from them.

In truth, I also encourage you to read your Bible. To read as often as you wish and feel comfortable with. Then to think about what you have read and how it can assist you to continue being the Christian you want to be. And enjoy, it's not a task it's a treat.

Jim Finch.