Have or Have Not?

“I delight in your decrees;

    I will not neglect your word.”

Psalm 119:16

 

 

Barna Research reports these staggering statistics –

8 out of 10 people in America have a Bible in their home.

In other words, 80% of the nations’ population has easy access to the Word of God.

But, only 5% of the American people will actually read through the entire Bible in their lifetime.

I didn’t say ‘read through in it in a year’ I said the statistics are that only 5% would read through the entire Bible in their lifetime.

It’s not like they don’t have the time!

If we took the average lifespan at 76 years that is one book of the Bible per year with an extra ten years left over for good measure!

Those are staggering statistics.

Sadly, many believers will not read through the entire Bible in their lifetime.

There is a disconnect there that is very troubling.

Many believers would readily agree to the authority of the Word, even to its’ inerrancy.

Still, this clearly is a case where their actions speak so much louder than their words.

We cannot simultaneously esteem Gods’ Word and ignore it.

Unless…we esteem it with our lips and ignore it with our hearts.

What a dangerous place to live.  

God gave us something He loved dearly.

He gave us His Word – which became flesh and walked among us.

If I say I have a strong relationship with Jesus Christ and do not value the Word of God I am speaking out of both sides of my mouth.

You simply cannot have an effective and vital relationship with God without understanding and honoring His Word.

The ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ can take on new meaning for us.

The ‘haves’ become those who ‘have’ the Word – not just in their home but also in their heart and lives.

It is not on a shelf collecting dust it is written on their hearts and lived out in their lives.

Will you be a ‘have’ or a ‘have not’?