Why We Should Read the Bible

Let some people say what they may but the fact remains: life is hard. We all go through challenges such as theft, injuries, accidents, sicknesses, technological problems and loss of loved ones. We feel insecure about who we are. We suffer from guilt over what we did in the past. We hate those who have wronged us in some way. We worry what could happen in the future. We fear what others think of us. We go through temptations to overeat, oversleep and engage in pre-marital or extramarital sex - sins that complicate our lives.

In our efforts to make ends meet, we find ourselves dealing with difficult bosses, getting conned out of our money, being taken advantage of in the workplace or arguing with negative workmates who seem to get a kick out of putting us down. And when we run out of money to meet our needs, we are forced to cheat, steal or cut corners - some other sins that complicate our lives.

And as if all those challenges were not enough, we find ourselves feeling jealous and envious of what others are achieving. When we strive to also be successful, we are rejected from jobs we apply for. We go through issues when dating. And once we get married, marital problems arise that threaten to tear our marriages apart. If we get lucky to have children, we eventually grapple with rebellious teenagers who are on drugs or in bad company.

Indeed, life is hard. And life is hard for everyone, whether you live in a leafy suburb in Switzerland or in a remote village in Bangladesh. No one is immune to experiencing the challenges of life, regardless of their looks or wealth of their families. Every soul goes through its moments of trial and tribulation.

Fortunately for us, God gave us a book with instructions to help us rise above the difficulties of life like an eagle soaring above the clouds in stormy weather. And that book is the Bible which was written by men who understood the nature of life.

The Bible is full of insights and gems of wisdom that can prepare us to deal effectively with any challenge or temptation that can arise in our day-to-day living. And it is full of stories that can make us wiser people.

Having read the whole Bible from preface to index, I have been amazed by how it delves into all the issues we go through during our sojourn on this planet. It offers advice on how to relate with other people, how to conduct our business affairs, how to get along with our spouses and children, how to have hope in the midst of tribulation, how to deal with anger and irritations, and so on and so forth. It also talks about sex, love, money, romance and alcohol.

Although the Bible can sometimes be hard to understand, the hardest part is believing in what it says. I have to confess that I, too, have struggled with unbelief. There have been times I have questioned the accuracy of the Bible and whether all the supernatural miracles it narrates actually happened. But after all I have been through, I have finally decided to believe in it.

Of all the six English versions of the Bible I have in my room, the one I have read thoroughly is the New International Version (NIV) Bible. I find the NIV Bible beautifully written; that's why I feel at home reading it. Whichever people compiled the NIV Bible must have been great storytellers.

Ten years after I bought my NIV Bible, it's now getting dog-eared and torn apart due to too much referencing. But the positive thing is that it has made me a wiser young man. It is like what the great author Charles Spurgeon said, "A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't."

In my efforts to become the cheerful young man of integrity I am aspiring to be, I am planning to read other English versions of the Bible as the years roll by. I am especially desiring to read the books of Psalms, Proverbs and Matthew in a variety of versions because I find those three books to be treasure troves of wisdom and insight on how to live nobly.

My dear reader, I beseech you to also get into the habit of reading the Bible if you want to rise above the difficulties of life and lead a victorious life. As I recently heard my friend Peter Daniel say on Facebook, the Bible is more up to date than tomorrow's newspaper. So read it, believe in it, and perhaps most importantly, practise what it says. That's all I am saying.

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed this story on why you should read the Bible, you might also enjoy another one I wrote more than two years ago on "Part 2: Lessons From the Bible". Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.