Reading for Change

Proverbs 3:3-7

3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them
about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine
heart:
4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding
in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean
not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall
direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and
depart from evil.

Successful writers agree on a principle for how to become an accomplished writer: by reading great writing. Why does reading great writing make one a better writer? Because your mind becomes trained in the nuances of grammar, syntax, style, punctuation, and flow. You begin to think like a better writer, and as a result you become a better writer.

That principle could be applied to almost any field of endeavor—training the mind to recognize and reproduce the very best. And it is certainly true in terms of spiritual development. When we spend consistent hours reading, meditating on, and memorizing the Bible, it becomes the guiding light for our pathway. We begin to understand “what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2). The ways, means, values, and priorities of the world are replaced with those of the kingdom of God. Our lives are transformed. Don’t read your Bible as a requirement or obligation. Read it to become a different, more Christ-like you.

Proverbs 4:20-27

20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear
unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in
the midst of thine heart.
22 For they are life unto those that find them, and
health to all their flesh.
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it
are the issues of life.
24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse
lips put far from thee.
25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine
eyelids look straight before thee.
26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways
be established.
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left:
remove thy foot from evil.