This past week I celebrated my birthday. Over the years, I have become an avid reader. Growing up, my Dad emphasized the importance of reading to my brother and I. As a kid, I viewed reading as a chore. As I got older, I looked at the reading not necessarily for fun or as a hobby, but as a necessity. I find myself reading more because I have a desire to learn. Each year I strive to learn more. While reading, I gain knowledge, gain confidence in my understanding as well as my ability to elaborate ideas and concepts to others. An area of focus for myself in recent years in my reading endeavors has been reading the Bible. I have always understood certain things from the Bible, but recently I am interested in learning more. For me, I want to have as much knowledge about my beliefs as possible.

As Christians, are we continuously looking to learn more from the Bible? God’s Word should be studied as much as possible. It is the foundation we should look to for answers. Jesus focused on this in Matthew 7. He compared hearing His Word to a man who builds his house on the rock. In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus says, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

It takes time to learn God’s Word. This action should be a priority. It is something I am learning as the years go on, especially after each birthday.