Those of you who read a lot of them will know about the problem of kindle books. They are also the strengths of kindle books. They are often cheap, so cheap that when someone suggests one in a compelling way you buy it immediately and think no more of it. Then one day you turn to read a book, you aren’t sure what to read and you tell yourself not to buy anything, you have plenty of books, many unread, so just read one of those.
You open a book. Read 10 pages. And have NO idea what is going on or why you are reading the book.
You can’t check the back of the book.
You don’t know the author.
If you’re like me, you keep reading and trust your past self.
I was, of course, thinking about this as I read a book (Manalive by G.K. Chesterton, if you must know) 
and it got me thinking about how many Christians approach the bible.
Do we remember why we are reading God’s word?
What if it had no headings, would we recognize which part of the bible we were reading?
If it felt stale, if we happened to open it to a “boring part” would we keep reading it?
Calvin argued that one of the great mistakes we make is to think that the bible is authoritative because the church says so. No! Says Calvin, the bible is authoritative because the Holy Spirit says so and our hearts are moved.
When we approach the bible, then, it is helpful to do so with a different heart and mind than any other book. We first pray that the Holy Spirit would guide our hearts and eyes as we read.
If we read with the Spirit then the bible is more than entertaining, more than educational, more than something we memorize, it is God’s very word.
If you are struggling in your annual reading plan (or whatever plan you are using to read Scripture), or if you have opened a bible and thrown it away in disgust, or if you have rejected the church (and conveniently defined both the church and God in ways easy to reject), I would implore you to try again.
And to pray first.
It just might change your life.
PS: Matthew Brough’s book “Let God be God” is now available and the kindle version is only $.99
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