When I was a new Christian, a retired missionary named Bernice took me under her wing and taught me the basics of being a Christian. Bernice told me that I needed to sing to the Lord and pray on a regular basis, but she said the most important thing for me to do was to read my Bible everyday. Bernice had lived her entire life as a missionary in Africa. I considered her to be a very godly woman, so I did what she said and never asked the question, What is the point of reading my Bible?

The phrase “quicken me” appears nine times throughout psalm 119. The Hebrew word translated quicken, châyâh (khaw – yaw´) means to live, but it also means “to bring to life” or “to cause to live” (2421). The kind of life chayah refers to is more than physical existence. It is spiritual life that comes from to word of God. The author of the book of Hebrews states, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

If I had asked Bernice the question, What is the point of reading my Bible? I think she would have said, It keeps your spirit alive. In the same way that I need to eat food everyday to keep my body functioning, I need to read God’s word everyday to keep my spirit functioning. Over the years, I have discovered many benefits to reading my Bible daily. Even though I haven’t always understood what I was reading, I think I have developed some of the godly characteristics that I admired in my friend Bernice.