Information Overload

Over the summer, I had to move my library from my former church office. It has been 18 years since I had moved my Library. It has grown significantly in that time. I am a self-avowed book guy and have loved books since childhood. However, I concluded. I may have too many books. As I went through many books on history, politics, and biographies, i thought, do I have the time to read all these? I am 52 years old, and I have a lot of books. Who knows.

I remember visiting the Library of Congress and seeing the original Jefferson Collection. It was not very big. In fact, my personal library dwarfs Jefferson’s library, which he sold to the nation as the core start of the Library of Congress.

There are many classic theological works that I have owned for decades but have not read. There are always the newest books coming out. There are so many books and so little time. This should cause us to be careful with our reading.

Many books on reading will tell you to keep a well-stocked “to-be-read” shelf. Pick up a book off that shelf and start reading, but if you do not feel into it in the first 50 pages, then put it down and grab another. Life is too short to read bad books, but there are so many good books to read.

Many theology books can’t be skimmed. They do not make good audio books because they are deep and require total concentration. Reading is important, but you must be intentional in choosing your reading. You need to drink deeply of those great men who have gone before and be challenged by the gifted men of today.

Most of all, you must read to increase your knowledge and draw you closer to Christ. You need to read to feed your mind and soul. This is why so many of us love the Puritans; they have great insights and bring you Christ.

It is easy for us to get caught up in the information overload of our day. Short videos, online articles, YouTube, and blogs can be entertaining, but you need to make sure that you are reading regularly from deep works. These cut through the noise of our world and penetrate deep into your mind and heart.

When was the last time you read a book?

When do you read something that challenged you?

Have you read something that has drawn you closer to Jesus?

Cut through the information overload. Find a good Christian book and drink deeply from it.