Reading

From: Young Christian: Volume 8, 1918

From: Young Christian: Volume 26, 1936

• 2 min. read • grade level: 7

“Blessed are they that hear the Word of God, and keep it.” (Luke 11:28²⁸But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. (Luke 11:28)).

“Blessed is he that readeth.” (Rev. 1:3³Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. (Revelation 1:3)). “Give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.”

“Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them.” (1 Tim. 4:13, 15¹³Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. (1 Timothy 4:13)
¹⁵Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. (1 Timothy 4:15)).

“Continue in the things which thou hast learned.” (2 Tim. 3:14¹⁴But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; (2 Timothy 3:14)).

Dear young Christian, I beg of you to consider, whenever you take up anything to read, as to what is the character of your book or paper.

What are you going to feed your soul upon—the Word of God, which will cause you to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? or the poison of trashy literature?

You will never get an end to the Word of God. Also the Lord has given His servants who have unfolded to us the deep and precious truths contained in it through their writings. There are many valuable books which will be of help to us in our study of the Bible.

Let us store our minds with His Word, and learn more of our blessed Lord during the little while that He leaves us here. Surely His coming is very near.

The following is an extract from a letter by James Hudson Taylor to his younger sister, Louisa, whose spiritual welfare was much on his heart.

“There is one thing I would specially warn you against... one of the greatest causes I believe of the present day—the practice of novel reading. If you value your mind and soul, avoid it as you would a dangerous serpent. I can not tell you what I would give to be able to forget certain novels I have read, and to efface their influence from my memory. And I firmly believe, though some would deny it... that no Christian ever did or ever will read them without injury, very serious injury too, if the habit is indulged in. It is like opium-smoking, and begets a craving for more, that must be supplied.
Better books are neglected, and no one can estimate the mischief that results.
None, I believe, could honestly ask God’s blessing upon the reading of a novel, and few would venture to assert that they read them to the glory of God.
The only safety lies in avoiding them as one of Satan’s most subtle snares.”

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