Visit Many Good Books, But Live in the Bible

Life is a vapor. The days may be long, but the years are short, and becoming shorter still. There hardly seems time enough in the day to do those things that are required of us, let alone time for the things of leisure.

To circumnavigate the timeless issue of time itself, there are no shortage of ‘life hacks’ promulgated by Social Media Gurus and Instagram Influencers online - though, in my opinion, these individuals often constitute the real hacks. Their proposed daily regimes to capture more of your day are, at best, rigid, unrealistic, and hollow; at worst, these tactics are utterly self-centered and unbiblical.

However, I absolutely understand the appeal of having more time. If I had all the time in the world - time that was my own; time that, if taken, would not wreak havoc on those things and people that I am responsible for - I would likely spend a good deal of it reading. Books, books, books - I would devour thick and dusty novels, plumb the depths of history, consume theological volumes from Augustine to Edwards to Spurgeon, and even then my appetite would not be satisfied.

But, I do not - we do not - have all the time in the world. As J.R.R. Tolkien once wrote, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” Literature is my field, it is a great passion of mine, and so I understand better than most the temptation to live in good books - even if I don’t have the time to read as many good books as I would like.

Charles Spurgeon once said, “Visit many good books, but live in the Bible.” Read Augustine, Edwards, Sproul, and even the man behind the quote himself, but live in the words of Christ and live in the Christ of the Word. Do not be content to simply read your Bible, but live among its pages, morning by morning, evening by evening. Bombard yourself with the presence and influence of God’s Word as Deuteronomy commands:

“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).

Indeed, “Visit many good books, but live in the Bible.”

Though, I expect the issue facing many Christians today isn’t the temptation to get lost in a myriad of good books, but rather to get lost in our phones, on social media, or in any number of entertainment services. Indeed, our generation, as Paul Washer once said, is entertaining itself to death. How many countless hours, days, weeks, months, and even years have been wiped from existence itself because of our addiction to entertainment, adding nothing to our sanctification, our eternal perspective, the good of our brothers and sisters, and above all, the glory of Christ. How many good things have gone undone for the Lord Jesus because we were content to only visit the Bible, but live within our phones.

Just because time has been wasted, we need not waste more time. When the Spirit convicts me of sin, how often I feel unworthy to pursue the Lord’s mercy, forgiveness, and promise of renewed closeness with Him simply because I’ve walked waywardly for far too long in that particular area. The logic makes no sense: I have sinned, I now know that I have sinned, but because I’ve been weak in this area for so long, and so much time has already been wasted, how can I hope to move onwards with such a weight behind me? Confess, seek the Lord’s forgiveness, repent, and move onwards and upwards, trusting in God’s faithfulness - that is what obedience to Christ looks like. The time may have been squandered, but we need not squander more:

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).

As Paul writes in the book of Ephesians, "[make] the best use of the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:16). Do not simply put down your phone and hope that your habits will improve, for another distraction will just as easily take its place. Rather, strive to make a conscious effort, with the Lord’s help, to reach for the Word when that itch for temporary pleasure comes. Indeed, reach for the Word as you would your phone; reach for the Word instead of your phone. Outside of your regular study of Scripture, as prolonged a visit as this may be, allow yourself to return daily, multiple times a day, to the living waters of God’s Word, even if only for a moment. Spurgeon goes on to say,

“It was God’s Word that made us; is it any wonder that His Word should sustain us?”

  While we yet have life and breath, let us daily dig deep into His Word. Do not settle to rake leaves upon the surface, but dig deep for gold. Strive with joy to walk well-worn paths of friendship with the Lord here below. Seek Him, see Him, and savor Him - let your heart burn within as you sup with Him. For, if your heart aches and burns for Him, consider how His heart must burn for you. Let us visit many good books; but endeavor to live in the Bible, that the Bible may then live in and through us.

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Photo by Ioann-Mark Kuznietsov, Unsplash