Brothers and sisters, this video truly convicted me of a major problem in my life and, I’m guessing, in the lives of many other American believers. Although we have multiple Bibles for each person in our houses (I, for one, have an “upstairs Bible,” a “downstairs Bible,” an electronic Bible, and several more), we seem to have to wrestle with our schedules and busy lives to eek out even just a few minutes each day to read our Bibles. God’s Word, his love letter to us, is sitting all over our houses and waiting to be read, yet we neglect it to attend to the things of our lives that [we think] truly matter.

These Chinese believers, however, understand what the Bible truly is. Just look at the sheer joy, reverence, and peace on their faces as they eagerly snatch up what is to them not just a fat, heavy book, but the divinely inspired instruction manual that our Creator gave us to show us how to live our lives. To them, it is the living and active Word of God (Hebrews 4:12), not just that dusty book you have to search for as you prepare for church every Sunday morning because you can’t remember where you put it after church the previous week.

To them, spending time in God’s Word is not a chore, but a privilege and a source of unending joy. They understand that reading it helps them to understand the character and nature of God, and in time, to get to know Him, not just know about Him. To them, it can be a great danger to be found reading the Bible, but they do it anyway because they know the treasure is worth the risk.

The point is: don’t take the Bible for granted. It’s not just any old book, but rather, the divinely inspired Word of God that covers every aspect of our lives and equips us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Don’t make time in your day to read the Bible; make time in your Bible reading to do everything else. Don’t just read it, either; live it, breathe it, memorize it, and hide it in your heart so that you will keep your way pure and not fall short of the glory of God (Psalm 119:11). Meditate on it day and night (Psalm 1:2, Joshua 1:8) as you would a love letter from your betrothed, because that’s what it is.

We have the greatest treasure imaginable in our homes, yet we willingly decide to keep it hidden. But let us choose this day to unblind ourselves and seek out that hidden treasure that is worth more than everything else we value and hold dear. Let us choose to cherish it and immerse ourselves in it, and through it, to understand Him, the Author and Perfecter (Hebrews 12:2).

Read your Bible, pray every day, and you’ll grow, grow, grow.