Jesus said we’re to be the salt of the earth and bring light to the world (Matthew 5:13-16).  So are you being light?  Are you salty?  The renowned author and theologian J.I.Packer once made a statement that “Any Christian worth his salt ought to _____________________.”  What do you think he said?   How would you fill in the blank?

He actually said:  “Any Christian worth his salt ought to read the Bible from cover to cover every year.”   This is a very convicting statement for me; not just as a Pastor, but as a follower of Christ.  I’ve read the Bible through from cover to cover a number of times (including this past year), but I’ve not done it every year.   However, because reading the Bible through last year was so incredible, I had already decided to do it again (in a different translation this year) before I came across this quote by Packer.

Whether you agree with J.I. Packer or not, I hope you’ll consider reading the Bible through this year.  For most of us – we can accomplish this if we’d read about 20 minutes a day.    Get a One Year Bible and just get started; if you get behind, take a little more time on the weekend and catch up.  It’s not that we don’t have time – we don’t use it for this.   We watch TV – read other books – play video games – go to movies – etc etc.

Psalm 119:160 says the totality / the sum / all of God’s Word is TRUTH and everything He says – everything He has ordained and declared in His Word will last forever.   That means as you read you’re filling your soul with FOREVER TRUTH !  That’s good stuff.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says:  The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right.     WOW – the whole Bible is good for us — it shows us the wise/right path to take — it shows us when we get off the wise/right path — it shows us how to get back on the wise/right path — and then show us how to stay on the wise/right path.  AMAZING.   Need help with parenting — finances — relationships — worry — etc?    Get some wisdom that comes from the inspired Word of God!

Don’t like to read – then get the Bible on CD and listen —- but find a way to get the Word of God into your heart, soul and mind.  It’s not so much that you need to read the Bible, you need to let it read you!  Every circumstance & experience should be filtered through God’s Word  (not the other way around).

You’ll never grow spiritually without a consistent diet of Scripture, and by the way – only infants need someone to feed them — you ought to be learning how to feed yourself from the rich nutrients sown throughout God’s Word.  So dig in —– it’s awesome!

To be more salty – read, meditate and obey God’s Word  (all of it – not just the parts you like)!  Which may be another reason for reading the whole Bible – cover to cover.