Why You Should Read More (Specifically The Bible)

 My day job is as a High School teacher, specifically, I teach reading and comprehension skills. My focus is to help students who struggle in those areas gain skills and proficiency. I know that it is important for them for the rest of their lives. American (and most other societies) are based on the written word. We have books, we study books, we write things down, take notes. Even in the digital age things are written. Videos have scripts and captions and memes are a form of written satire. Even websites are written in code, and you have to know how to read and write that code to program. It is imperative that students are proficient readers once they graduate, and my goal is to get them there.

Unfortunately, we have seen growing apathy among many that reading and comprehension are no longer important. They see it as antiquated and obsolete. I assure you it is not (and I probably don't have to convince a blog reader that reading is important). We are now and in the near future will be a text-based civilization. It will be that way until some major technological breakthrough changes fundamentally how we learn, think, and communicate. We will not be moving away from the written word, even if it becomes digital. The email, text message, blog, and website will not be replaced anytime soon. 

With reading being an essential part of life, reading and good comprehension is key. For the Christian, it is even more important. God has chosen to reveal Himself to us through His Word. God became incarnate in Jesus, and we find His life, deeds, and words written in a book. The Bible is key to knowing God. We learn about the nature and character of God and about the work of Jesus through reading. We study and meditate on the word. We are commanded to know the word. The Bible is vital to the Christian life.

Let me implore you, do not neglect to read. Read the Bible, and read good Christian works. Read old books and new books. Read, and grow in your ability to read fluently and be able to think critically about what you have read. Being literate is critical and a tremendous gift. Read to your kids, grandkids, to people around you. Be involved with books and most importantly with the scripture. It is vital to living a successful Christian life!