“Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture”
1Timothy 4:13

My freshmen year of High School I had decided that I was going to read through the Bible. In order to accomplish this, I carried a pocket Bible with me wherever I went. When I had an opportunity to read I tried my best to take advantage of it. If I was sitting in a class and we had free time I would utilize that for Bible time. Once in my World History class, we were given time so I pulled out my little Bible and started reading. One of my fellow classmates noticed me and started to freak out! “Miss, miss, he’s reading a Bible at school!” the student exclaimed. She assured him that we were allowed to read any book silently, including the Bible. That reminded me of something that I have never forgotten. The Bible is no ordinary book. It will always get a reaction from people, sometimes good, sometimes not so good. On another occasion, an Elder and I were visiting a member who had stopped coming to church and was practicing a sinful lifestyle. When we came to see him he warned us not to bring a Bible because it would be the same to him as bringing a gun!
Now to be sure, there are ways to appropriately use and misuse the Word of God. No Christian should use it to try to harm or tear people down. My bigger concern is what happens to Christian lives when the Bible goes unused and unread. Especially, if we treat it as if God has already accomplished all he needs to accomplish in our lives. It is vital to our lives if we are going to continue to follow Jesus Christ and leave our sins. Finding ways to create space in your life to read and share with others is essential. Open the Bible and seek to let God speak, teach, and lead.
One final thought. My parents were apart of a campus Bible Chair Bible study group at the University of Houston. Those who gathered to study came from all different walks of life. It brought my parents closer to God and one another. Had they not been apart of that Bible study I probably wouldn’t be here. How different would yours and others lives be if Bible study were absent? How much better would lives be if Bible Study were present?