Reading the Bible only

When I had my radical encounter in 1995 I was given a new heart and an appetite to read the word of God. For I heard the phrase "read the instructions".

Then I began to read the bible voraciously. I knew the keys to the kingdom were in there somewhere. After a while, I felt my progress was too slow so I began to read books by people with Ph.D.'s after their name and famous authors. I even read the Left Behind series. In hindsight, I can see this was a big mistake.

I made the error of placing a theological lens on my reading of the bible. When I would run across a bible passage that contradicted the well-respected theologian, I would mutter to myself that I simply didn't understand, and the Ph.D. guy has it right.

Then my grandmother said something about angels having children with women. I had read the bible several times by that point and simply glazed over that passage in Genesis chapter 6.  It was then I realized what was happening. Instead of reading the instructions as the Lord instructed me, I was reading man's opinion of His instructions.

 This was a similar mistake that Paul the Apostle made by submitting his theology to the approval of Gamaliel and other top theologians of his day. Then Paul met the Author of his faith in Acts chapter 9. He then conferred not with flesh and blood (see Galatians) but sought a personal relationship with the Spirit of God.  All the while memorizing and knowing the scriptures.

Later I read about Smith Wigglesworth and George Muller.
Smith Wigglesworth had amazing miracles in his life and he only read the bible. He wouldn't even allow a newspaper to come into his home. This should be a model for us.
George Muller had a roller coaster life and finally submitted to God fully. He had read the bible many times over. For every page that he had to read that was not the bible, he would read 10 bible pages.
Wigglesworth and Mueller spent much time in prayer as well. They emphasized knowing the scriptures and the Author of those scriptures.

Today, I still read books other than the bible. But I am striving to make it a point to get the bible in me more than any other media. Maybe I can even adopt the discipline of Wigglesworth eventually!