IS IT NORMAL FOR ME TO BE TOO BUSY FOR DAILY BIBLE READING?

by Shawn Brasseaux

“I am a grace Christian. I really do want to read the Bible but I always feel like I don’t have time or I’m too busy. Is that normal? I certainly make time for other things in my life.”

Christian friend, it is “normal” in the sense of being widespread but not “normal” in the sense of being desirable. Most people are simply too busy to read the Bible every day—let alone study it. Sadly, it is true even of a majority of professing Christians. Indeed, they spare time to watch a daily news program or television show, they have time to read their favorite book or magazine, they make time for gossiping or texting on the phone, they have time to browse social media websites, but they do not seem to have even five minutes to spare for God to speak to them in His Word. Honestly, this is why their Christian lives are not functioning properly—if at all. No wonder they make innumerable poor decisions! No surprise they are weak in the faith! No wonder they are easily deceived, hopping from group to group and idea to idea!

Friends, a simple illustration will profit us much here. Imagine a soldier about to enter the battlefield. He simply does not have time to put on his armor. It is too laborious gathering and donning all that gear. In haste, he arrives on the battleground. He did not even bother to waste time taking a sword either. In fact, his only defense is bare hands and everyday clothing! This is most ludicrous, right? And yet, we thus enter the spiritual battlefield every day—and most of us scarcely have a shirt and a pair of pants! There are no helmet, no sword, no breastplate, no shield, no shoes, and no belt. We are sure to be injured spiritually, invisibly (our wounds will not be immediately evident). Satan’s evil world system will indeed taint us that day. We do not know what the God of the Bible, the Creator, said about life’s particular situations. Therefore, when we face those situations, we lean on our own understanding. There will undeniably be trouble, whether near-term or long-term, there will be misfortune!

Let us try another basic illustration. Are you too busy to eat? (It sounds silly, but just follow the logic.) Why do you take time to eat, friend? There are so many other things to do every day! Skip eating entirely. Again, what nonsense! Just as the outward part of us wastes away without physical nourishment, the inward part of us wastes without spiritual nourishment. God’s Word feeds our soul and spirit, lest they starve.

Quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, Jesus Christ rightly observed in Matthew 4:4: “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Without the inspired Word of God influencing our mind every day, the evil world system will corrupt it! Millions of Christians in history can testify to that—trapped in denominations, spiritual darkness, impotency. Billions of lost people alive right now are proof of that. Their souls are severely malnourished; their lives are either ruined or nearly so. There are misery, heartbreak, and headache. Oh, dear friend, if you could be spared this, this author would make the decision for you! Alas, you have free will, and you will have to make the choice yourself. It is your spiritual health and safety on the line—not his.

Hebrews 5:11-14 says: “[11] Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. [12] For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. [13] For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. [14] But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Israel is so pathetically ignorant of God’s truth here. She was to be God’s teacher of the nations, but she herself has never submitted to being taught herself. Her ignorance, in reality, led to her rejecting and crucifying God’s Son on Calvary’s cruel cross. She was too busy learning error, false religion, and it had devastating effects still affecting her (and the world) today. See Romans chapters 9-11.

We could take it a step further though. Read Genesis chapter 3. A failure to know and understand sound Bible doctrine led Adam and Eve to produce the deplorable world we see today. Do you see the children with horrific birth defects? The elderly stooping for age? Do you notice the carnivorous animals attacking the injured and helpless? The homeless people living on the streets? Broken homes? Divorces? Abuses? Miseries? Tragedies? That was Adam’s deliberate choice to introduce sin—and we are still suffering the effects of his lack of sound Bible doctrine. He was too busy following his wife than following the LORD God! Please, oh please, see the danger you are in by claiming you are “too busy” for daily Bible reading and study. Difficulties are sure to come, deception is sure to come, and debilitation is sure to come! Spare yourself, friend, spare yourself while you still have a chance.

Daily Bible reading and daily Bible study are essential for proper spiritual growth. Take Psalm 1, for instance: “[1] Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. [2] But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. [3] And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. [4] The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. [5] Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. [6] For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

Notice the simile in verse 3. The idea is nourishment. As a tree requires fertilizer, water, and sunlight to develop, so the spiritual aspect of the man will flourish when he knows and understands God’s Word. There is spiritual life, not spiritual death. There is functional life, not functional death. He is the exact opposite of the dismal spiritual condition found in Hebrews 5:11-14. Not weak, he is strong. He is bearing fruit—good works. Dozens of pages could be written here, but these will suffice.

CONCLUSION

It is the challenge we all face at one point—to have some time for daily Bible reading and study. Yes, it is a problem now more than ever because of all the new technology, activities to distract us, and so on. Life is about choices, and what is most important is we make right choices now—because good and bad alike, they will affect us in the short-term and long-term. Whatever we believe underlies our choices. That goes for everyone. However, if we know not the truth, we cannot believe it, so that means we are making decisions based on erroneous information. Let us give special attention to Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon. Be quite familiar with Romans overall.

Remember, friend, daily Bible reading and study do not involve three or four hours every day. That is preference and accommodation to one’s unique schedule (and it varies from person to person). We have jobs, families, and so on that are important. These priorities should not be neglected. However, we must make time—10, 20, or 30 minutes, for instance—for the Bible every day if we are to survive and overcome Satan’s evil world system. The pastor and Bible teacher should absolutely be making more time for God’s Word than others, for he is to be leading. He cannot lead anyone in the Bible if he himself is not first following the Bible!

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

Also see:
» Is it not enough that I “believe in God?”
» “O ye of little faith?”
» “But what if they read the Bible at my church?!”