365 Devotionals

How Do You Read?: chapter 23

How Do You Read?

It is not how much you hear, but how well you understand; it is not how much you scan, but how carefully do you study? How much is lost by thoughtless reading! To test your ability to observe, pay close attention to the following; You are the engineer of a train running from New York to Chicago. On the way you pass through three cities ending with “burg”, two cities ending with “ton”, and one city ending with “land”. The name of the fireman is Peterson. What is the name of the engineer? Read again the first four words of this riddle. How was your power of observation? Not so good? Well, we are all prone to make similar mistakes when we read the Bible. We read too fast, or carelessly, and sometimes miss the simple message.

Often we proceed with preconceived ideas. We listen only for that which we want to hear, and just pass over that which does not fit our own biased position. Many people go to the Word of God to prove their own theories, instead of subjecting their views to the test of Bible revelation. The apostle Peter speaks of unlearned and unstable people wrestling the Scriptures unto their own destruction.

Are you working on the surface

Of the mine - God’s Holy Word - 

Satisfied with the scraps of knowledge

Gathered through a vision blurred,

With the dust of worldly interests

And the mist of anxious care?

We must sink the shaft still deeper

And we’ll find the jewels there.

We should fear to skim the surface

Only those who seek shall find;

Daily food is ever needed

For the body and the mind.

Daily concentrated effort

Careful thought and earnest prayer

All are needed in obtaining

Priceless jewels, rich and rare.

           - Anonymous