“The reason to read the Bible is not to fulfill a spiritual duty or to gain more knowledge. It is to jump into the river.”- John Ortberg
“Blessed is the one . . . whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.”- Psalm 1:1-2
In Chapter 9 (“Feed Your Mind with Excellence”) of The Me I Want to Be, John Ortberg observes that whatever you feed your mind shapes it. Most importantly, Satan attempts to infiltrate your mind when you’re not looking. Furthermore, the Evil One tries to distract you from noticing what you’re putting into your mind.
Therefore, Scripture represents one of the greatest gifts God’s given the human race. Yet, we often turn this gift into a burden. For example, we question how much we should read the Bible each day. According to Pastor Ortberg, there’s a much better question: What can you feed your mind with so that it can flourish?
Next, John looks at the phrase “meditates on his law day and night” from Psalm 1:2. On the surface, those words might sound intimidating, unrealistic, or undesirable. However, Pastor Ortberg tells us, an old saying states that if you can worry, you can meditate. In addition, John defines meditating as “simply turning a thought over and over in your mind.” Thus, you can’t help thinking about what you delight in.
In conclusion, Pastor Ortberg explains what it’s like to delight in the law of the Lord:
“It certainly is something deeper than being thrilled about a bunch of rules in the Bible. It starts with a vision of being loved by God. God is way out of my league . . . in the perfection league. This wonderful God, this mysterious, all-powerful, all-holy God — he loves me!”
Therefore, John believes, the psalmist describes ways to carry thoughts of God’s love and protection into his inner flow. This makes his whole life richer.
Today’s question: How would you describe your main reason to read the Bible? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: the new Short Meditation, “We’ll never walk alone down the Red Sea road”
