A story is told (perhaps apocryphal) that if you place a frog in boiling water, it will quickly jump out. Yet if you place a frog in a kettle of tap water and slowly increase the temperature, the frog will remain until it boils to death.
America was founded on the principles of the Bible. Early leaders and citizens read, believed, loved, and reverenced God’s Word. Today, less than half of Americans read the Bible once a week. Of those who do, less than ten minutes a day is spent in study. Is it any wonder that Bible knowledge is lacking?
Our environment (culture) affects us. We are in a lukewarm kettle that may boil us to death. Too little time is occupied with Matthew, Mark, Peter, and Paul and too often occupied with TV, cartoons, Oprah, and ball. How can we keep from becoming like the frog?
We must recognize the value of a good working knowledge of the Bible. The Bible is the only book which can tell our past, present, and future. We were created in the image of a loving God (Genesis 1:27); our purpose is to praise Him (1 Peter 2:9); and our future can be heaven with Him (John 14:1–3). The only way to become a child of God is to learn the Bible’s teachings (John 6:44–45). No other book contains the way of salvation (John 14:6), hope in death (1 Peter 1:3), or the road to heaven (Matthew 7:13–14).
Studying is the only way to become what God wants us to be. Christians become strong by study (Acts 20:32) and, conversely, weak without it (Romans 10:17). Those with weak faith make easy prey for the devil (Ephesians 6:16).
We must not be satisfied with the status quo (2 Timothy 2:15). We might say, “I know as much as the average person.” Paul wrote of those who compare themselves among themselves. His conclusion: They “are not wise” (2 Corinthians 10:12). Let’s be like the sponge that is always thirsty, and unlike the camel that goes for days without a drink.
We must count the cost and be willing to pay the price. One remarked of his desire to know the Bible like a certain preacher: “I would give half my life to know the Bible like he does.” To which was replied, “That is the price he paid.”
We must do more than wish; we must work. We must do more than desire; we must dig. We must do more than read; we must remember. The Bereans were commended because they searched the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11), and David delighted in the Word day and night (Psalm 1:2).
If one expects to grow, he must feed on the “pure milk of the word” (1 Peter 2:2). Just as a man with no appetite is physically unhealthy, so the man with no hunger for sacred knowledge is spiritually sick (Matthew 5:6). We become concerned if a loved one loses his appetite; we should exercise greater care if the spirit never hungers.
Why not resolve to make reading God’s Word a daily part of your life? Don’t be like the frog!
—Allen Webster, Jacksonville, Alabama
