The “Read Your Bible” Challenge (Psalm 119:105)

We live in an era of social media “challenges.” Essentially, a challenge is an activity that creates or fosters community by having members engage in a common activity that, heretofore, they had not. There were the fun (“ice-bucket” challenge and the “water bottle challenge), the dangerous (“birdbox” challenge), and physical (“Get Out” challenge), to only name a very few. There are way too many to keep up with, to be honest. But this is part of the world that social media has created. People find ways to bolster social interaction in many different ways.

There is a new challenge I would like to propose. Are you ready? It’s a novel concept. It’s called the “Read Your Bible” challenge. Well, actually it’s not new at all. It has been around in Judeo-Christian culture probably since the beginning. But in the 500 years, plus several decades, since Gutenberg’s printing press, and the Reformation, scriptural access has become available to most in industrialized nations and, through mission work, to places that are not considered first-world.

Of course, for people of faith, this should be a no-brainer or second nature as there are many scriptures that either promote the virtue of scriptural reading/study or outright command it. A few:

- Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105)

- Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (Psalm 119:11)

- Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

But because we live in a world that deems things more intriguing, hip, or in-style, it seems, when presented as a challenge, let’s play along. So I present to you the “Read Your Bible” challenge. Find a devotional or reading plan, and began to read, study, and meditate on God’s word for a day, a week, a month, a year, a lifetime. Journal your reflections and personal application. That is a challenge (way of life) worth taking.

#readyourbible