My dad is a reader. He loves to read and has loved to read all his life. Most of the time when he is at home, he sits in his favorite chair in the living room and reads. Since I have been a little boy, I have observed my dad reading in his chair. He has worn out many chairs, but he hasn’t tired of reading.

When he was visiting me recently, I handed him a book I had thoroughly enjoyed. It wasn’t an easy book to read and had taken me several weeks to wade through it. By 7:00 that evening, he handed the book back to me and told me how thankful he was to have read it. It’s not uncommon for him to read 2,000 pages a week. He loves to read!

Having grown up around someone like that, you might think I would have quickly grasped a love for reading. But like so many others, I was easily distracted from reading and could find many other things to do.

But when I was a young adult, I began to read. Although previously I hadn’t enjoyed reading, I observed how much I learned about myself, others, and God when I read. While I still don’t read or study as much or as well as my dad does, I’m learning that when I read I grow more effectively and rapidly than with almost any other practice I undertake.

I place great value on the practice of spiritual reading. I believe God calls me deeper into the life of the Spirit through the study of Scripture. Through disciplined reading and studying, God often instructs and transforms me. It’s as if I’m getting in the right place to receive from God what he wants to give me. Reading and studying is a practice that helps me get in the right spot in order to allow God to do what God wants to do in me.

Studying Scripture not only helps me understand what God wants (wills) in my life, but equips me to do what God wants done.

Not everyone is a reader. Still, a little studying here and a little reading there can be truly helpful. Opportunities for studying Scripture abound. If you take up this practice, you might be surprised at how God does transforming work in you. Maybe you’ll soon be wearing out chairs in your living room.

-by David Bridges. He serves as Assistant Pastor at Friendswood Friends Church in Friendswood, Texas. He enjoys music, sports, laughs, and good friends. David also realizes the benefits surrounding the discipline called spiritual or sacred reading.