Will Reading the Bible Improve Your Life?
“THE last place that most people go when they need advice is to the pages of the Bible,” stated a man who himself prized what he had learned from it. “I can’t understand,” he continued, “why people who have tried nearly everything else will often refuse to listen, if they know beforehand that the advice offered is from the Bible.”
This man’s words have been echoed by many sincere Bible students. But, thankfully, rejection of the Bible’s advice is not always the case, as is illustrated by the experience of a business executive who in his later years learned to appreciate God’s Word. He said: “I was college trained and literally surrounded with a house full of books offering a wealth of advice on daily living. I found out almost too late that all of them together did not amount to a tenth part in value compared to the Bible’s practical guidelines for life.” He further stated: “The improvement in my life is beyond assessment.”
A change for the better also occurred in the life of a young woman whose hopes for a happy marriage had dwindled completely. She related: “Conditions were so bad within my home that I just wanted to die.” But a short time after her neighbor, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, assisted her, the young woman stated: “A study of the Bible saved my marriage, and I am thoroughly convinced that nothing else could have even helped. Our home is now a happy one.”
Does Everyone Benefit?
The Bible contains a wealth of advice helpful in daily living. It contains counsel on marriage, rearing children, love, hate, anger, self-control, quarreling, eating, drinking, borrowing, lending, sexual matters, delinquency, taxes, keeping one’s word, fraud, bribery and honor, and gives insight into many other matters. But the question arises: Can someone have a copy of God’s Word and regularly read it, yet not benefit from it?
Jesus Christ spoke to avid readers of the Bible in the first century, saying: “You are searching the Scriptures, because you think that by means of them you will have everlasting life; and these are the very ones that bear witness about me. And yet you do not want to come to me that you may have life.” (John 5:39, 40) Their reading of Scripture did not result in their discerning that Jesus was the Son of God.
Many today claim acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior, but their claim to living a Christian life in harmony with Bible requirements proves false. Within its pages God’s Word states that fornicators, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, greedy persons, drunkards, extortioners, murderers, liars and those practicing spiritism do not please God. Yet many individuals, while claiming to be Christian, continue in these practices. The Bible says that such ones will not “inherit God’s kingdom.”—1 Cor. 6:9, 10; Rev. 21:8.
For others, their “belief” in God’s Word lacks accurate knowledge of it as a foundation. Their claimed acceptance of the Bible can quickly turn to rejection when put to the test. Note the experience of one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, a full-time minister, who encountered the following:
One sunny afternoon I called on a middle-aged man who claimed to be not only a Christian but also a supporter of Bible teaching. In the midst of our friendly and pleasant conversation, I presented a Scriptural viewpoint that he chose to disagree with.
“I offered to read a Bible passage as proof for my statement, and as I was turning the pages I asked him: ‘Do you believe that the Bible is the inspired written Word of God?’ ‘I do,’ he quickly and proudly responded. I then read the scripture to him and he immediately retorted: ‘I don’t believe that!’”
Although claiming to treasure its sayings, this man, like many today, was unwilling to accept what the Bible actually said. Of persons similar to this, the apostle Paul said: “For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God; but not according to accurate knowledge; for, because of not knowing the righteousness of God but seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.”—Rom. 10:2, 3.
Also, how many professed Christians are able to turn to the pages of the Bible for help, knowing just where to find it?
An Open Mind and Honest Heart
Would you welcome sound advice concerning the problems of life? Would a secure future interest you? Are you sincerely desirous of improving your life? Then you will find that applying the Bible’s sure guidelines for life will have a real and beneficial impact.
Perhaps you are like many other persons of open mind and honest heart who have worshiped according to their upbringing. They have been sincere in their desire to worship in an approved way. They have pondered the perplexing questions encountered in daily living and have wondered just what was right and pleasing to God. Is it God’s desire for such individuals to learn the answers to these questions in harmony with his will and purposes? Of course it is! And when they do, their lives are affected for good. Consider the following true-life experience:
“I was described as a sincere Catholic and my Irish Catholic husband claimed to be one, although he did not accompany me to church regularly. Our marriage and life were happy. My husband had encouraged me in the Catholic faith and disapproved when I began a study of the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses.
“I had formerly asked the priest for help, hoping that he could answer the perplexing questions I had about life. Also, I had recently given birth to a baby boy and wondered what kind of world he would have to grow up in. The Witness had the answers and could show a scripture to support everything—even from my Catholic Bible. I was delighted to learn of God’s purpose to end this present wicked world and replace it with a new and righteous one, without crime and fear.
“I was also delighted to share these Scriptural truths with my husband. He opposed at first and wouldn’t accept anything unless it came from the Catholic Bible. But now, after some years have passed, he not only has accepted it but serves as an elder in the local congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. We now share with great joy the truths of God’s Word as a husband-and-wife team in our community.
“We only thought our lives were happy before. My fears have been removed and my children are a pleasure. We hope our experience will encourage others to examine God’s Word carefully, as we have.”
Around the globe, thousands of persons from all walks of life have made similar expressions. How about you? Would you like to experience the benefits that a Bible discussion can bring? Or have you been hesitant?
Why Some Hesitate
Likely you are personally aware of the fact that some openly reject the Bible’s advice. They may claim that it is outdated, or point to the fact that many who have the Bible live unhappy lives. But ask yourself: Is it because of following Bible suggestions that they are unhappy? Or is it a case of not following God’s Word? The facts argue for the latter.
Merely possessing one of the millions of copies of the Bible distributed throughout the earth does not in itself prove that the possessor follows its advice. Nor is it true that those who religiously attest to its divine authorship are themselves careful followers of it. The foregoing true-life experiences of those who have found satisfying answers to the perplexing problems of life show that when the Bible’s advice is really followed, it is the best guide to happy living on earth.
But could a person read through the Bible without experiencing full benefits from it? Yes, that is possible, the reason being that something else is needed.
God Provides Needed Assistance
In the first century, Jesus Christ sent out his faithful followers who were careful students of God’s Word, taught by him. (Matt. 28:19, 20) They, in turn, were able to assist persons of honest heart truly to benefit from God’s Word. The Bible reports that God, by means of an angel, sent Philip to give needed assistance to an Ethiopian, who, although reading the Scriptures, had not been able to understand them.—Acts 8:26-35.
This God-directed work of spreading the “good news” became a beneficial and most necessary facet of Christian living. If kneeling before an image, or before a television set or a radio during a religious program, were the only thing necessary to accept Christ and to gain favor with God, why, in this time of the end, would Jesus send out his disciples with instructions to preach in the entire earth from house to house and from door to door?
Ask yourself this: What more could God do for the people of the earth than have a qualified representative personally contact them, arrange for a convenient time, and then in the privacy of their own dwelling tutor them, free of charge, in the Word of God? This not only allows for individuals to ask questions and to learn at their own pace but also brings interested ones into association with others of like faith where the blessing and protection of God can be found.
The Bible shows that those doing this lifesaving work would be relatively few in number. (Matt. 7:13, 14; Luke 10:2) Yet they would be willing to take on the colossal task of preaching in the entire inhabited earth because they have God as their backer. (Matt. 24:14) We unhesitatingly state that those doing this work today are in association with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Why not allow them to assist you on the way to a happier life now, and to a gloriously happy future life—one that will be everlasting! They will be delighted to do so.—John 17:3.