The Bible is God’s instruction manual for us. People say “men wrote it” – but they miss a critical detail. Yes, men wrote it, but these men were under the direction and influence of God Himself. The Bible mentions many times when the Spirit of God was upon or within a particular person and He led them to a particular decision or action. In fact, the entire Bible is a documentary of individual encounters with God.

When a person is filled with the Holy Spirit, they are being directed by God. Imagine for a second, the living God. The Eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful Being that created all life, that spoke everything we know into existence, who parted the sea, who raised the dead, who saved your father and grandfather… Imagine that God, sitting next to the authors of the Bible saying “write this… No don’t write that” because He wanted this book, His book, to be used throughout the age of humanity to direct and guide us. That is what is meant by saying the Bible is “God breathed”. He used men to write it but these are His words. That should give you an idea of how God put His words to paper, through men.

There are some books that were written in Biblical times, that included encounters with God and angels, that were never included in the Bible. Why is that? Why this particular set of books? And how did this book survive all the religious persecution over thousands of years, including the burning of Bibles. Not only did it survive, but it’s still the number 1 sold book in the world. Men didn’t do that. Also, the original writers never received a single dime for their writings. In fact, they received absolutely no benefit for their writings. In fact, the opposite is true, they were persecuted and many of them put to death in gruesome ways, for their beliefs. So, what motivated them? This is the first reason why this book is so important. It’s God’s word.

Secondly, it is not just a book of His words. He didn’t write it for us and then say “good luck, see you later!” and go back up into the sky. It’s an interactive book with spiritual power. Many items in the physical world are known to have spiritual power. In the Christian faith, rosaries and crosses. On the other side you have certain symbols, amulets, talismans, Ouija boards, or crystals. These objects are used to connect to the spiritual world (note the latter group is Demonic. You are either dealing with God and His kingdom, or the devil’s kingdom, there is no in between). If you want to know what God wants to say to you, here and now, it’s there right now. You just have to read it and find it. If you ask Him, God will lead you read the right message, and it’s the easiest way for us to understand His will for us. This is priceless.

The sad truth is that many churches act like God wrote this book and then left us to our own devices. We are supposed to read it, and worship God, and have faith in Him and His message… Do the right things and you go to Heaven, do the wrong things and you go to Hell. That’s it. Cut and dry. They act like God is just some kind of God-like being up in the sky that wants to watch us from a distance, whom we can never interact with. That is so far from the truth! God is present in everything, in every person and every living thing on Earth, and that living, omnipresentGod, ruling over the entire Universe – He wants to know you personally – yes you! Every one of us. He wants to be your best friend and be able to talk to you and joke with you, and teach you, help you, comfort you, and show you things in this life. You just have to seek Him, ask Him, and then let Him be a part of your life.

I’m afraid many churches and church leaders don’t stress the importance of a real-time relationship with God and of spiritual growth. It’s like they’ve never experienced any real evidence of His existence… I suppose it’s good that people like this have faith in something they’ve never seen, felt, or heard – because faith will bring you to salvation at the very least – and I’m not saying this is a small thing! I’m saying you don’t have to stop there! How much more meaningful would it be for you to know the living God? And you can! Keep reading that Bible and you will. Faith is only the beginning. If you thing you’re done with God in this life because you have faith, you are missing out on so much more.

Thirdly, it is very much an instruction manual. In the Old Testament, you will learn about God’s character and demeanor. How He deals with His people, His nature, and temperament, His role as a Creator, Redeemer, Healer, and Deliverer. It is a documented, historical account of God’s interactions with people. I believe He included every single testimony to teach us and provide examples and guidelines for us to follow in a variety of situations. It gives us a guidebook that we can use to look for situations or problems that we are encountering today and learn how God’s people responded, or how God told them to respond. Think about the stories of Saul, King David, Nebuchadnezzar, Samual, Samson, Daniel, and so many others.  

In the New Testament, we learn about Jesus, our Savior. His life, death, and resurrection and the significance of this to mankind. Again, the life of Jesus provides an example for us to follow. In His baptism, ministry, encounters with Satan, believers and unbelievers, we are provided with a model to follow. His speeches tell us how to deal with everyday life; marriage, children, friends, enemies, prayer, worship, oppression, persecution, and everything else you can think of. He tells us how He wants us to live and treat each other and deal with different kinds of problems. Then, His disciples (by the influence of the Holy Spirit) provide us with a clear model of the Christian life. These are principles to live by and how we are supposed to conduct ourselves in every aspect of life as ambassadors of the living God. Finally, it’s an account of the birth, past, present and future of mankind. Does that sound important to you?

I would say these are the top 3 reasons why it’s critically important to read the Bible. Even if you don’t believe right now, at least read it and then decide. Many people say they don’t believe, or claim to know who and what Jesus is, but have never read the Bible! The only historical reference about Him! If you’re not sure where to start, I would recommend you start with the New Testament, any of the first 4 Chapters. If you have other opinions as to why reading the Bible is so important, please share them in the comments.

A few final points… The version or translation doesn’t really matter. You can just pick one that you like, while each version or translation has some differences, it is still God’s word and all of it has power. If you’re a beginner, I’d recommend the New International Version. It’s just the easiest to understand (if you’re a native English speaker). After you get through this one, you can research any of the other translations to get a deeper understanding of the Scripture. I have several different versions that I cross reference sometimes. The point is, there is no ‘right’ translation. Just pick one that works for you. It’s far more important that you read any Bible, and that you seek to understand God and God’s word, than it is what version you read.  

Knowing what to read can be another challenge, especially for seasoned readers. If you’ve never read it, you can literally pick any section that you haven’t read, or what’s recommended to you, or gets covered in church, or whatever you happen to be interested in at the time. As for myself, after reading the entire book once, I didn’t really know what to go back and read after that. I’m not a person that likes repetition, so I rarely read the same book twice, or watch the same movie more than once. If you’re like me, here are a few strategies you can use: Research something that intrigues, confuses, or challenges you. You can literally search “biblical principle on…” or “Scripture about…”. There are a lot of great websites that explain the meaning of different verses. So you start there, with a verse or a concept, then go to your Bible and read the entire Chapter. If you’re still confused, pray for understanding. If you don’t understand right away, don’t worry about it. Sometimes we need to read it multiple times or hear it explained in different ways until we truly understand. There have been times that I didn’t really get something for a long time, and then it just dawned on me one day. At other times, God gave me understanding as I was reading it. You can also meditate and pray about what to read and sometimes God will point you directly to a particular Book, Chapter, or verse. You can go to a Bible Study hosted by someone else. Sometimes I go on YouTube to get counsel on something and the content creator will read specific verses, and then I’ll go into my Bible and read that verse or Chapter. Or I’ll read the Chapter that was covered in church that week. Or simply just pick a random Chapter to read. Challenge yourself to read something daily, or at least weekly. Chances are God will inspire you to look at a specific Scripture that feeds your soul, right when you need it.