The last few weeks I’ve noticed much talk on various blogs and Internet news sources discussing the impact of the Internet on our brains. They say that people can no longer read a book – concentrate through it completely – because the Internet has reshaped the way we learn. While humankind (since books became common) use to read for enjoyment and information, now all we’re concerned about is information and knowledge. Thus the advent of speed reading and Internet search boxes. You don’t have to have read the Iliad to know who King Agamemnon and Achilles are, you just need an Internet connection and Wikipedia. Anyone can tell you who lead the NHL in penalty minutes in 1988 simply by Google-ing. (And if you don’t know what the NHL is, or penalty minutes, you can Google that too).

Chances are, for most of us, we use our bibles the same way that we use the Internet – gathering information. Now, let’s be fair, we surely want the information that is going to cause us to have a more intimate relationship with God, the wisdom that affords us to encourage a church or family member, and the ability to recall scripture when we’re doing evangelism or ministry. But as we saw on Sunday, God’s Word is so much more valuable than the Google/Wiki/Knowledge base that we some times treat it as.

Looking at Psalm 119 we concluded that the Psalmists’ desire was that God would “teach me your statutes (permanent/inscribed) … give me understanding … that I may know your testimonies (witness of God’s dependability/warning of obedience). Teach us the Word, God, that we might have understanding. We looked at two (and didn’t have time for a third) reasons why. First, that we might worship God rightly – knowing Him as He really is according to His Word. And, second, that we might walk the Christian path well (2 Timothy 3.16).

But there is a third reason, that we didn’t get to on Sunday. In Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer” in John 17 Jesus prays, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” Sanctification is the process of becoming more Christlike to be used for God’s purposes. It’s the progression from sinning less – following our own purposes, and becoming more obedient, following God’s purposes – being “set apart.” Jesus prays that this would happen, and in His prayer, shows us that it happens by the word. So, sanctification happens as we are continually convinced of the story of Jesus working in our actual life, as we read (not just gather information) from God’s word.

Have you ever cooked something that made such a lasting effect on your cookware that simply rinsing it off didn’t clean it. Something that on the first run of the dishwasher didn’t even make progress. Something that you have to let… s o a k ? Just cleaning the outside doesn’t get the job done (Matthew 23.25-26) – your dish is still a mess on the inside. Like dirty dishes our hearts are a mess. We’ve been cooking meals in the same dirty pot – never cleaning it. The lasting effects of sin needs to be soaked out – greed and pride and lust and anger and emotions and envy need to be soaked in the Gospel soap (or rather the blood of Jesus!) until love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control manifest themselves in our lives and continue to grow and develop until “everyone is mature in Christ” (Colossians 1.28).

This soaking is done by soaking in the Word.

How are you reading God’s word? Are you throwing it open praying that whatever verse your finger lands on is God’s “special message” for you to do that day? (information). Or, are you taking time to sit down, slowly read and discover – to meditate – to see what God’s word speaks about Himself, what it speaks about you, and what it speaks about the Gospel working in you? (delight)!

I started a book Sunday afternoon titled Why Johnny Can’t Preach: How Media Has Shaped the Messenger. The authors point is that preachers can’t preach well because preachers don’t read and write well. And we don’t read and write well because we’re too busy, too shaped by the media age of the twenty-first century. His advice, slow down. Citing another author he says, “the harder it is for you to slow down, the more you need to be rescued from the twentieth century; the more you need poetry.” It’s true. The harder it is to slow down the more we need beautiful things to draw our attention into. I think this is why children and sunsets and brides astonish us.

But more than these beautiful things we have God’s word. Manifest in paper and ink – and incarnate in flesh and blood. And both the Bible and Jesus are lovely to long for and look into.

Bible intake; hearing the word, reading the word, memorizing the word, meditating on the word, will have a direct impact on your life in sanctification – Christlikeness and godliness. It will also have an amazing impact on our church as the more the word stretches us the greater we will worship, the better we will love and comfort each other, and the more we’ll see the story of Jesus impact and transform the people of our city.

Let us be people of the Book – people of God’s word.