Apply! Apply! Apply!

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. James 1:22 NASB There is no practice so valuable in my life as daily Bible reading. However, even in this wonderful habit there is a danger of fleshly interference. Whether by inattentively passing our eyes over the words and "checking a box" on our daily to-do list, or by reading to give ourselves some sense of self-righteousness, we can do this and still miss out on the great benefits of Bible reading. The piece that may be missing is application. It has well been said: "Every Bible should come bound in shoe-leather." Every verse of Scripture tells us something about the Lord, something about ourselves, something about what God is doing. Every verse is meant to be lived out, by the life of Christ, every day.