2 Kings 22:8, "And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD.  And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it."

It is sad when the divinely inspired Word of God has been ignored for such a long period of time that someone comes upon it as something found.  Such was the case in today's verse.  The high priest, of all people, should have had such contact with the Word of God that he knew exactly where it was at all times. 

It shouldn't surprise us that the nation of Israel was in such an awful spiritual condition. Ignoring and neglecting the Word of God always leads to spiritual decline.  Such is true with a nation, a family, or an individual.  You have heard the maxim, "Seven days without the Bible makes one weak."  There are many reasons why we should read our Bible (study this on your own).  May we not ignore or neglect our Bible it may be more costly than you ever anticipated.

A formula for getting the most our of your Bible reading follows:

• What is the best time for you to read your Bible?  Find a time when you are alert and can minimize distractions.

• Pray before you begin your reading.  Ask the Lord to open your eyes to spiritual truth (Psalm 119:18)

• As you read ask yourself:  Is there a command to follow?  Is there a sin that I must forsake? Is there some virtue to put into practice? How is Christ revealed in the verse?

Pray for a revival of daily Bible reading in the lives of our church family and have a great day.

Your Friend and HIS,
Pastor Abbott

QUESTIONS TO PONDER
1.  Do you have a set time for reading your Bible?  When do you read your Bible?

2.  Do you pray and ask God to give you spiritual insight before reading your Bible?

3.  How do you respond while reading your Bible?  Do you stop and meditate when some truth jumps off the page at you?

4.  God wants you to hear from Him today?  What has He said to you through His Word?