More Than Ink on Paper

I went to my office yesterday and I was blown away! One of my favorite Bible teachers was sitting in my office! We spent most of that afternoon together. He talked. I listened.
Today, I was studying and I came across a difficult passage. I really wanted to know the opinions of some of my seminary professors. I got four or five of them on a conference call and they answered all my questions.
I hate name droppers, but the fact is, I’ve got connections. Any time I want, I can meet with Chuck Swindoll, Max Lucado or Josh McDowell.
Wait. It gets even more impressive. This morning, I had a conversation with the Apostle John! Yesterday? King Solomon!
No, I’m not a mental case. Have you figured out where I’m headed with this? Books! My favorite Bible teacher wasn’t actually sitting in my office, but one of his books was. I didn’t actually get my seminary professors on a conference call, but I did get their opinions through books they’ve written. I’m not important enough to meet with Chuck, Max and Josh, but I own their books. I feel like I know them because I’ve read so many of the pages they’ve written. John and Solomon—we go way back even though they’ve been dead a long time.
Have you ever thought about this: God could have communicated with us in any number of ways. He could have assigned each one of us our own personal Teacher Angel to meet with us twice a day and fill us in on essential doctrine. He could have included a theology stem in our brains to constantly dump new information about Him into our minds. He could have, but He didn’t. He gave us a book.
Of course, God has spoken “many times and various ways” (Hebrews 1:1) in the past, but right now—today—we have a book. Of course, the Holy Spirit is “guiding us into all truth” (John 16:13) but He does so through the book of books—the Bible.
Why? Why a book? I don’t claim to know all the reasons, but one thing comes to mind. To read a book requires a choice. In other words, I have to choose to read a book. A Teacher Angel or theology stem would have taken out the choice. They would force truth upon us.
But a book just sits there. It doesn’t remind us if we ignore it for days or weeks or months. It doesn’t announce the greatness of what lies beneath the cover. If I am going to meet with the writer or writers, I must open it up. If I am going to benefit from the contents, I must scan my eyes across the letters, think about the sentence structure and devote brain cells to processing the paragraphs.
I’ve come to this conclusion: Christians must read. Not to be saved. Not to get to heaven. Christians must read in order to grow. At the very least, we must read the Bible. But it is also helpful to read other books—books about the Bible. Books that help us understand the Bible. Books written by people who have studied the Bible longer than we have. We have to be careful which books we read, but we have to read.
I didn’t always like to read, but the key for me came the day I realized books are more than just ink and paper. More than just a chore. More than just hard work. A book—any book—is a collection of visible thoughts. It is a window to the mind of the author. It is an opportunity to visit with a great teacher—living or dead. It is a door to a place or time I’ve never visited. It is an invitation to an adventure I’ve never known. This is true of any book. It is a googolplex times truer of the Bible.
I hope you like to read. Even if you don’t, I hope you will.