What are you reading (beyond this blog right now)? Have you read any good books lately? According to polling data, most people don’t read. 58% of Americans have never finished reading a book. Yes, book sales are increasing every year, but 80% of the books are read by only 12% of Americans.
Someone has said that for major life goals to be pursued we need up to twenty good reasons to keep us motivated in reaching that goal. In light of this I have been compiling a list of reasons in the last few weeks for why I should daily read the Word of God and why I should be devoted to prayer. Well, another pastor over on the other side of the Atlantic has recently posted 20 reasons why we should read. Admittedly, he loves to read like I do. I found his list very helpful and motivating so I pass it!
Before I give you the list, that before any other reading you do, you should first read the Scriptures daily. I received a book one time that had on one of its first pages a plea not to spend time reading that book if you didn’t take the time first to read the Bible. I was blessed by that author’s commitment to the Word of God. The second thing I would say is that what I am an advocating is reading mainly Christian books, although I encourage wide reading of other good literature also. I love to read biography, history, and even some good fiction. But what I am trying to do here is to motivate you to first read the Word, then good (not just any) Christian books and if you have time read beyond that. So here is Colin Smith’s (not the former prof at BBC Clarks Summit) list (slightly modified) of why you should read!
1. You will grow in your knowledge of God, yourself and the world around you
2. You will gain a better understanding of the Bible, the book of books
3. You will broaden your English vocabluary, helping you to express similar truths to other Christians in fresh ways
4. You will have an improved imagination and actively engage your mind in a way that probably won’t occur when watching TV
5. You will be able to sit at the feet of some of the great Christian teachers and minds over the centuries (even if you have few ‘living’ teachers to assist you)
6. You will be forced to cease from incessant activity and think
7. You will receive a historical perspective on current problems and spot present day blindspots
8. You will have some of your questions answered and confront other questions you hadn’t even thought of
9. You will be able to practically apply Paul’s command to think upon “wholesome” things
10. You will develop a sense of how arguments are constructed and be able to weigh both strong and weak arguments
11. You will enjoy spiritual input during the week, not just on a Sunday
12. You will be able to enage with other issues beyond the Sunday sermon’s text, thus broadening your perspective.
13. You will be able to mull over a subject. You will be able to put the book down to think, chew over a sentance or re-read a paragraph. You will be able to exploring an issue at length, rather than brush over a topic too quickly
14. You will be better prepared for the task of evangelism, after reading clear presentations of the gospel by great communicators
15. You will be better prepared for the task of discipleship, having a good way to open up discussion about Christian life issues (what are you reading?)
16. You will be made aware of how Christians interpret and apply Scripture differently in various cultural contexts
17. You will gain information for your ignorance, inspiration for your weariness, and insight for complex problems
18. You will be better equipped to lead in your church, marriage and family
19. You will be stimulated, as in a good conversation, to new lines of thinking
20. You will be drawn to worship God, especially when the book centers on God not man
If you haven’t read a book in awhile or aren’t in the habit of reading, read just a page or two every day (of course, once you start this you will probably read more than a page–getting started is half the battle) and you read at least one or two good, solid Christian books every year.
Thanks for reading this blog! I hope it strengthens you in the grace of God!
