I absolutely love to read… Wuthering Heights, Little Women, Of Mice and Men, anything written by Jesse Stuart, and my all-time favorite, To Kill a Mockingbird are just a few of my preferences; however, amid my day job, taking care of Jack and our happy home, and dedicating myself to this column each week, I sometimes don’t even find the time to glance over your favorite locally owned Voice, much less dedicate myself to a full-fledged book. Ah, therein lies my problem.

Pastor Bruce has challenged our church members to spend at least ten minutes a day in earnest Bible study. I’m sure you can understand my dilemma. If you remember, I began my quest to read God’s Word from cover to cover. Now mind you, I was going to accomplish this endeavor in a year’s time. It’s been over two years since I made my pledge and I’m still plugging along. But the good news is, I’ve made it to the book of Acts; subsequently, Revelation 22:21 is at least in sight.

So why aren’t we more committed to Bible study? Some of us simply have difficulty understanding the meaning of God’s Word. Let’s face it; our English language just can’t express the creative writings of the original Hebrew (OT) and Greek (NT) text.

Another factor that impacts our Bible reading commitment is we lack motivation. We let so many other issues and concerns stand in the way of our time dedicated to God’s Word. You know how it is; you get up in the morning and hit the ground running just trying to get out the door in a reasonable amount of time. Then you’ve spent a long day at work, and by the time you get home, see to your evening household tasks and get ready for bed, you’re plain worn out. And even if you’re a stay-at-home individual, motivating yourself for Bible study isn’t always feasible for you.

When we truly commit ourselves to Bible study and delve into the message God is sending us through His word, it motivates us to be faithful and steadfast. According to Dr. Howard Hendricks, a well-known Christian author, there are three stages of Bible study. The first stage is the ‘castor oil’ stage. In this phase, we study the Bible because we know it’s good for us, but it’s not too enjoyable. In the ‘cereal’ stage, our Bible study is dry and uninteresting, but we know it’s nourishing. And last but not least, is the ‘peaches and cream’ stage. You can probably guess this is where we’d all like to be—feasting on the Word of God.

Hopefully, I’ll rise to Bro. Bruce’s challenge and rush headlong into a heaping bowl of peaches and cream.