If you’ve ever had the privilege as a kid of having to mow the lawn as one of your chores, you may be able to relate to this. My brothers and I occasionally had “mow the yard” on the to-do list our dad would write up on the back of a piece of scrap paper before leaving for work - something we had to knock out before he got home that evening.

Imagine my skinny, middle-school girl arms trying to get that gas mower to start. One giant yank on the pull cord – nothing. Another – maybe a sputter. Third try – a l m o s t. And the fourth – finally, the heart of the yard monster would roar to life, and mowing would begin. The fourth try did the trick. The full power of the engine would kick in, self-propelling the mower up and down row after row of the yard until the grass was short and tidy.

A study was done in 2009 by the Center for Bible Engagement (CBE) that also found that the fourth try does the trick. Try at what, ask you? The study was undertaken using scientific methods and standards, and what it found was that people who call themselves Christian and who read or listen to the Bible once, twice or three times a week basically experience life’s challenges and engage in risky behaviors on a level equivalent to a nonbeliever. But on day four, transformation begins.

At the time the study was conducted, nine out of ten Americans claimed to own a Bible. Most households had an average of four Bibles in their homes, but less than two out of five Americans read the Bible even once a week. While the Bible remains the bestselling book of all time, less than 25% of American Christians said they regularly read the Bible to provide direction for their lives.

The CBE study stated, “Specifically, we have discovered through our research large behavioral differences between Christians who read or listen to the Bible at least four days a week and those who engage with Scripture less often. These differences include both moral behavior as well as how prepared the individual is to serve God and impact the world.”

In 2009, 75% of young adult Christians ages 18-24 (having been Christ followers for an average of seven years) had not read the entire Bible. One might attribute that to their ages, but among those 25 years old and older (who on average had been following Jesus for 15 years), more than half had yet to read through God’s Word in its entirety.

In a random sample of almost 3,000 teens and adults living in the U.S., Scripture engagement at least four or more times a week more reliably predicted moral behavior than other activities such as church-going and prayer. It was interestingly effective as a strong protective factor for teens as well.

Knowing the power that four touches with the Word has, what were the reasons so many who call themselves Christian gave for not engaging? Highest on the list were being “too busy” or “don’t have enough time.” They – not the researchers – were quick to point out that in all honesty, they’d just not made time in the Word a priority. Their “reasons” were actually excuses.

I’ll let you go to CBE’s website to see all the numbers and brightly colored graphs to get the full details (https://www.centerforbibleengagement.org/research), but just with this bit of information I’ve presented here, there are some serious issues that come to mind.

First and foremost, we serve a God Who longs to engage with us. He’s blessed us with the always open avenue of prayer so that we can bring our needs before His throne, and that’s a wonderful gift and privilege. But a rich, deep relationship that brings true heart transformation involves reciprocation which allows Him to speak into our lives. That happens through consumption of His Word on a daily basis. Why would we rob ourselves of this incredible, life-changing, soul-changing opportunity? A steady diet of His Word sustains us. Matthew 4:4 says, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

We live in a world of relativism, a cacophony of deceptive and false opinions, and constantly changing culture. How will we recognize the cleverly disguised voice of the enemy if we have no idea what the truth looks like? Have we forgotten that the Word of God will stand forever (1 Peter 1:25a)? We mustn’t roll over in the face of lies when we hold the truth in our hands. We must instead invest time, energy, prayer, and effort to learn and appropriate God’s holy Word so that it serves as the light and life it’s intended to be. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

Maybe where it hits home the hardest is in our lack of spiritual strength, courage, and hope as we deal with our own pain and suffering. The Bible is replete with the faithful promises of God, rich descriptions of His unchanging character, examples of heroes of the faith who availed themselves of His strength and power, commands that if obeyed lead to life and flourishing, and the grand story of life that is to come with the new heaven and the new earth. There is hope, there is peace, there is healing, there is restoration, there is sure confidence in the God Who is for us – all left on the table because we refuse to prioritize access to it through knowledge of His Word.

Just as tragic as missing out on the care and provision of our God in our difficult seasons is the loss of the opportunity to model for a lost world how our good Father cares for His children. Rather than witnessing a child of God journey through suffering with full confidence and reliance on the truths in the Bible, the watching world sees a Christian limping through hard times just as they do – with no hope, no comfort, and no joy. Honestly, what is the attraction in that?

Brothers and sisters, we can do better. We must do better. And God wants us to do better for our own good and for the righteous witness of His church to the world. Four days a week in the Word is a start, and it can revolutionize not only the church, but the hearts of saints and sinners alike. I’m willing to bet that you wouldn’t settle for only eating four days out of the week. Why not daily feed your soul with the Word so that you’re completely nourished and energized for the work He has for you?

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17