I have had people come up to me and say, “We never read fiction, only the Bible.” I’ve thought about that. Now I know that everyone has their own opinion about what they should read and what they shouldn’t read.
And I am all about reading in the Bible.
If I am going to grow in my walk with the Lord, I have to be in His word daily!!! And if I am too busy to be reading in the Bible, should I be reading a fiction instead?
I don’t think so, although I have fallen into this trap many times.
But should I make the decision that I should only read the Bible and never any fiction or stories at all?
Let’s examine the Bible and how God teaches throughout the Bible.
40 % of the Old Testament is
narrative. They are true stories that
are told in a narrative format. Some of
these books are:
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Joshua
- Judges
- Ruth
- Esther
- 1 and 2 Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles
- Nehemiah
- Ezra
- Jeremiah
And then look at the New Testament narrative:
- Matthew
- Mark
- Luke
- John
- Acts
If we delve even further into the gospels, we would see how Jesus uses parables and stories to teach great truths.
Wow! That’s a lot of stories and fiction. What is it about fiction and stories that makes them so important in the Bible?
Do you remember in the 90’s, and maybe even before, when MacDonalds use to have those commercials that would almost make you cry? Well, they may not have made you cry, but I always teared up. Something affected my heart from watching the commercial. I connected in some way to it.
How about with music? Have you ever heard a song that just caused you to stop and even sniffle a little? Sometimes the messages of songs are so powerful that I stop whatever I’m doing and just listen to it.
I think that a story can do the same thing. It can capture our interest and our hearts. I think this is one reason why God uses stories and fiction so much in the Bible.
In my next post, “Why God Uses Stories? Part Two” we will see another reason.
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