Adding Scripture Back In Your Life
I spend a lot of time thinking about the world we live in.
I kind of have to. It’s very much a part of being a minister to think about society, culture, and how to navigate it. And while that’s always been true for ministers and pastors and clergy of all types, I can’t help but feel that the world is a little more difficult to figure out in 2022.
I say this because the primary lens through which I think about the world is through a lens of concern for the next generation. Raising up young folks to be good followers of Jesus and good people in general is my constant concern. And so I’m always considering the chaos around us (and the good things) and how they must hit our teens.
That’s why a study I read last week scared me a little bit.
Scared me, but didn’t surprise me. Gallup released research about a month ago on young Christians and their engagement with scripture. Essentially, how much is the bible involved in their life. Not church services, not youth group, not even prayer, but just the bible and how much they either read it, thought about it, or listened to teachings on it.
And the one group of stats that really scared me and, once again, did not surprise me, is that Gallup found that 86% of Christians under the age of 18 say they rarely read their bible on their own, and 73% said they never do. Never, as in not ever. 73% of professing Christ followers under the age of 18 read scripture 0% of the time.
46% of 18 year old Christians said they never once picked up a bible and read it outside of church between the time that they decided to become a Christian and the time they turned 18.
I’m very concerned by this. The words of God are FILLED with really, really vital truths to getting through this life. More than just what it takes to be saved, the scriptures teach us how to live the best possible life we can live. How to make the most out of our existence. How to chase after a life to the full as Jesus told us in verse 10:10 of John’s Gospel. But you can only know that if you’ve engaged with the scripture and read that for yourself. How are we going to know that the bible wants to give us that life to the full if God’s word isn’t in our life at all?? I mean this is shocking stuff, right?
Is it?
No, it isn’t. I’m not surprised by this at all as I’ve said over and over again, and if you sit there and really think about it, I bet you aren’t either. I wonder what a Gallup study would say about how often adult Christians read the word outside of church. Would it be a higher percentage than what we see with young Christians. Maybe. I bet it certainly would be with our older brothers and sisters who are wise enough to see the importance of reading scripture and loving it. But what about Christians in the middle of their life? Parents? Working adults? Married folks?
Can we truly say we love the word? Can we truly say we are engaging with the word in our life outside of Church? Y’all, I often don’t engage with the word outside of Church and I’m a minister! We all do this, so there’s no shame in it. But we need to recognize that there is a severe lack of scripture in our lives. We don’t let it occupy enough of our time, mental space, and heart, and we pay the price for that. And, more than that, we set the tone for our youth.
So, step one is recognizing the problem. Do you have enough of the words of God in your life? Are you actively engaging outside of Church? If you can be honest and say no, then start taking some steps to add God’s word into your daily or even weekly routine. If you’re the type of person who can’t read your bible every day, that’s okay! That doesn’t mean you just give up and never read your bible. Read a longer portion once a week and meditate on shorter verses and passages in between. Or, maybe you’ve tried to read in the past and it’s confusing. Try a new translation, or find a great reading guide! We’d love to help you in that journey. But whatever you do, take this seriously! Because whether or not you’re a parent, you’re in the kingdom of God, and young Christians are watching and learning from your example.
So, I highly encourage you, find new ways to add scripture back into your life, especially if you’ve gotten away from it. Do it to set an example, and frankly, do it for yourself. You need God’s word, and your spirit and your heart deserve to be refreshed by the good things you’ll find inside.
-Casey Stringer