The House of Failure

15 December, 2025

Today’s post has an interactive element.

1. If you have an iPhone, go to Settings > Screen Time. If you use an Android, it is Settings > Digital Wellbeing. Take a quick look at the time you’re on your phone, taking note of the apps you use.

2. How is your Bible reading?

If you answered “great” to #2, that doesn’t mean that you’re off the hook for whatever you found in #1. We’ll get to that at some point in the future.

But if you answered “not so great” to the second question? Statistics show that we spend an inordinate amount of time on our phones. Anecdotally, many Christians report that they don’t read their Bibles for this reason: “not enough time.” I completely understand the dilemma. Instagram, Facebook, and ESPN are entertaining. And because so many of us endeavor to read our Bibles on our phones, we’re essentially living the trope of the kid who puts a comic inside their textbook in class. Distraction is only a swipe away.

It is about time I put in a disclaimer: This isn’t meant to be a guilt trip. This is meant to be conviction. We can all do better. I’m writing this to myself as much as anyone.

The fact of the matter is that if we are Christians, we should be in the Bible consistently and substantially. Because if we believe the Bible, we know…

• The law of Yahweh is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of Yahweh is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of Yahweh are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of Yahweh is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of Yahweh is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of Yahweh are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, even more than much fine gold… (Psalm 19:7-10)

• The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments is everlasting. (Psalm 119:160)

• Your word is truth. (John 17:17)

• For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through the perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4)

• All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be equipped, having been thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

That list could be ten times as long, but I think you get the point. Prioritizing God’s word is essential. In the texts above, it is crystal clear that the Bible is the God-given key to rejoicing, enlightenment, truth, hope, and what you need for every good work. TikTok can’t promise that.

But you may concede that you have time. Your issue is that you have given reading a shot; it just doesn’t click. And with that, we get to the second most cited reason for not reading the Bible: “I’m not a reader.”

There is a lot to say about this. Culturally, I don’t think anyone could argue against the fact that we’ve slipped. Many college graduates read below what would have been expected of a high school sophomore only a few generations ago. Arguments that don’t fit into a Tweet (I’m still calling it Twitter) are disregarded as TL:DR. We can binge watch comedies from the early 2000’s, grind through true crime podcasts like it’s our job, and carve out multiple four-hour sessions a week for staring down football. But fifteen minutes of focused reading is too hard? That isn’t selling yourself short. That is selling yourself incapacitated.

At the end of the day, we have to come to terms with the fact that the sovereign God of the universe ordained that His revelation would be in a written word. That wasn’t my idea, the reformers’ idea, or even the apostles’ idea. God did it. And people were okay with it up until the end of the 20th century. Then “not being a reader” became an acceptable out.

Once more, I’m not trying to insult or injure. I don’t really even see myself as some sort of world-class physical specimen pointing out that you need to get some exercise. I’m more like a fellow athlete encouraging teammates. We all need to run drills over and over again. We all need to get our conditioning in. Why? We’ve been told to. And also, we’re going to be tested by our opponent tomorrow. Practice, practice, practice; all of us.

Remember to not be discouraged. There is hope. You can overcome the excuses of not having time, not being a reader, whatever other not you might come up with. Here is how you do it:

Read Genesis 1. You know the story. But read it. Meditate on how God created everything out of nothing. See the intentional ordering of days one, two, and three and then the filling in days four, five, and six. You know the story but think about the implications. This is how the world came into being and you’re reading about it. Let that sink in. You can make time to read about that because the Sovereign of the universe inspired it, preserved it, and providentially placed it in your hands. This is the kind of thing that can make a reader out of a non-reader!

Then read Matthew 1. It starts off with everyone’s favorite whipping-boy genre: the genealogy. But you know these people. They’re the greatest hits of the Old Testament. Take a moment to think about their highs and lows and the fact that they’re blood relatives of our Lord. If a name is unfamiliar don’t just let it pass by. Use those cross-references. Actually study the Bible. Learn something that blows any and every Ted Talk out of the water. The second half of that chapter is about the conception and birth of Jesus. If you don’t want to read about that? Well… read it. Pray. This is a capital-T Truth that exists in a category that transcends air and water.

Think about both of those chapters throughout the day. Ask God questions. Ask God to show you where you need to change in light of those passages. Talk to someone about something you found interesting. Buy a paper Bible if that helps you focus. Keep a journal. Send your pastor an email about an obscure figure (What’s the deal with Shamgar?).

Do it all again tomorrow.

A good friend of mine once said, “excuses are the bricks that build the house of failure.” I don’t think it is a stretch to say that avoiding the divine revelation of God’s holy scripture is a great way to construct an edifice that is unsure, lopsided, and prone to collapse.

“But we are convinced about you, beloved, of things that are better and that belong to salvation” (Hebrews 6:9). “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24).

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“Search the scriptures daily, as mines of gold wherein the heart of Christ is laid.”
-Thomas Wilcox, Choice Drop of Honey