Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law. Psalm 119:18
The American Bible Society partnered with Barna Group to study Bible reading trends, Biblical knowledge and impact among Americans. Here are some things they found:
- The vast majority of households in America own at least one Bible (88%), and many own more than one.
- Nearly half of Americans strongly agree that the Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life (49%).
- Half of all Americans believe that the Bible has too little influence on American society today (51%).
- Slightly more than one in four adults say they never read the Bible (28%). One in 10 read the Bible less than once a year and another one in 10 report reading the Bible once or twice a year.
- When presented with five potential frustrations with reading the Bible, weekly Bible readers are more likely to say they never have time to read it (46%),
Read the entire report .
The encouraging thing is that we know the Bible is good for us, good for the culture. We believe the Bible has the answers, but then it’s a lot like eating right and exercising … we have trouble carrying through.
It reminds me of a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile.”
Nature and Selected Essays
In a similar way, God has given us His very words–encouragement, admonition, instructions, life itself–and we are so familiar with them we’ve lost our sense of wonder.
So today’s tip is this: Fall in love with God’s word. Read it like a personal letter. Read it like an encouraging note. Understand it’s from the Creator God who wanted you to know Him, His character and His ways. It has changed history, culture, and countless lives, mine included. It will change you too.
What are you reading now? How has it impacted you?
