Unfortunately, American Christians are wasting this precious gift. Studies like this one show a disgraceful amount of Bible knowledge among those of us who call ourselves Christians. It goes so far as to state, shamefully for Christians, that "level of education was the best predictor of religious knowledge." This makes me sad for two reasons. First, "religion" is not what God seeks from us. A personal relationship with the God of Heaven is what He desires. Secondly, with such abundant access to God's Word, why do people of other faiths know more about what we believe than we do?
Let's examine my first point a little further. Make no mistake, God created us for His pleasure. He desires relationship and communication with us. He asks us to acknowledge the fact that we're helpless in our sinful state, turn from our sin, and follow Him. Allowing Him to be Lord of our lives. Simply stated, He wants us to desire to know Him. That means reading His Word and having conversation with Him every day. He does all the work, we just have to realize who He is and accept Him into our lives.
What I said above was simply stated, but not necessarily simple. Please do not mistake my message for one that promises ease, wealth and success once you start following the Lord. That is almost never the case. The road is narrow and it is downright hard on this earth. But trust me, the benefits far outweigh the cost. To be able to walk alongside the God who created heaven and earth both now and for all eternity is worth any cost I might face on this crazy planet!
On to my second point from above. With all the access American Christians have to the Bible, please explain to me why we're so woefully Bible illiterate. We have absolutely no excuse. Dear one, if you are a professing Christian and you have to blow the dust off your Bible before you leave for Sunday morning church, shame on you! Let me say that again - shame on you and shame on me for having periods of time where I've let God lose His place of priority in my life.
As disciples of Christ, we should be yearning to know more. Simply picking up our Bibles, opening them, and devoting some real time to the Lord will bless you more than you imagined. God has given us a counselor within us to teach us what He wants us to know from every single passage in Scripture. That counselor is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God in us. If we thought more about the fact that God is within us daily, I'll bet we'd crack open that precious book more often. There are a myriad assortment of resources to help you study your Bible. But much can come from simply reading, then sitting at the throne for awhile asking the Lord what He wants to teach you about Himself. If you choose to go deeper, I recommend this method for truly learning what the Scripture says rather than taking someone else's word for it.
I hope this post has challenged you as much as I was challenged while doing the research. One final thought. If you are a professing Christian but have no desire to learn more about your Lord, that should raise an alarm for you. Take that concern to the Lord and reason it out with Him. Be sure of your salvation, then follow Christ with vigor. Eternity awaits you. Don't trust in "I hope so" or "I think so." Be encouraged, disciple!
