Below is another devotion from my friend Angel Torres. I pray it blesses you!
(2 Timothy 4) is one of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible. Here we read the Apostle Paul’s final recorded words, and he mentions something that we could easily gloss over if we’re not reading closely:
“When you [Timothy] come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments” (2 Tim. 4:13 ESV).
Within the very same chapter, Paul notes that he is aware of his impending death (see verse 6). And yet, he still asks Timothy to bring him “…the books, and above all the parchments.” Even though Paul was on death row, he was still interested in reading! What was it that Paul desired to read? We don’t have any titles or summaries of his books, but Dr. Henry Morris did theorize that “Paul’s books may well have included books dealing with creation and ancient history… It is also worth noting that Paul quoted from or alluded to references in the Book of Genesis approximately 100 times in his epistles.”1 Whatever these books were, we can be sure that Paul considered reading them a good and profitable use of his time.
Amazingly, despite Paul having seen and heard wonderful things throughout his ministry for the Lord, he still desired to read! This is the same man who had heard the voice of Jesus on the road to Damascus, was caught up to the third heaven, and used by God to pull many souls out from the fires of eternal darkness. Even though he had been blessed with experiences that most people would never have, he still desired to read!
He knew that he would soon die and go to meet his Maker, therefore, he wanted to spend the precious little time he had left reading. I think this should motivate us to take inventory of how we are spending the precious time that God has given us. The average American spends about four hours on his or her smartphone. Imagine if even just 20-30 minutes of that time was put into reading the Scriptures! Furthermore, I would say that even having a small library at home (consisting of biblically-sound Christian books) could be an incredible blessing for you and your family. Some of the Puritanical writers would refer to their homes as “little churches,” and I think it can be highly beneficial to stock our “little churches” with good materials that can edify and encourage us.
Most importantly, however, we should be reading the Word of God as often as we can. The time that we spend reading the Bible is not wasted, rather, it’s time wherein our souls and minds are being convicted, comforted, and renewed! I would like to leave you with the inspired words of the Psalmist, words that Paul had no doubt been familiar with and took to heart:
“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Ps. 119:11).
1 Bring the Books | The Institute for Creation Research (icr.org)