The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?

transform me with the truth. There are five ways to do this: You

can receive it, read it, research it, remember it, and reflect on it.

First, you receiveGod’s Word when you listen and accept it

with an open, receptive attitude. The parable of the sower

illustrates how our receptiveness determines whether or not God’s

Word takes root in our lives and bears fruit. Jesus identified three

unreceptive attitudes—a closed mind (hard soil), a superficial

mind (shallow soil), and a distracted mind (soil with weeds)—and

then he said, “Consider carefully how you listen.”^13

Anytime you feel you are not learning anything from a sermon

or a Bible teacher, you should check your attitude, especially for

pride, because God can speak through even the most boring

teacher when you are humble and receptive. James advises, “In a

humble (gentle, modest) spirit, receive and welcome the Word which

implanted and rooted in your hearts contains the power to save your

souls.”^14

Second, for most of the 2,000-year history of the church, only

priests got to personally readthe Bible, but now billions of us

have access to it. In spite of this, many believers are more faithful

to reading their daily newspaper than their Bibles. It’s no wonder

we don’t grow. We can’t watch television for three hours, then

read the Bible for three minutes and expect to grow.

Many who claim to believe the

Bible “from cover to cover” have

never read it from cover to cover.

But if you will read the Bible just

fifteen minutes a day, you will read

completely through it once a year.

If you cut out one thirty-minute

television program a day and read

your Bible instead, you will read through the entire Bible twice a

year.

Daily Bible reading will keep you in range of God’s voice. This

is why God instructed the kings of Israel to always keep a copy of

The Purpose-Driven Life 188

Many who claim to believe the

Bible “from cover to cover” have

never read it from cover to cover.