Have you ever opened a document on your computer and tried to edit it, only to have your attempts blocked, because that document was a "read-only" file? It can be a frustrating experience, but  the makers of the software intentionally provide that feature so that authors can safeguard the integrity of their work.

In that sense, God's writing, the Bible, is a "read-only" document. God wants us to read and learn from Scripture, but He doesn't want us taking His thoughts out and putting our thoughts in. If we do that, we inevitably distort his message and might destroy the important truths that He intended to communicate.

Jesus said this very thing to a group of Sadducces (Jewish aristocracy) regarding the doctrine of resurrection from the dead:

You are in error, because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.

Matthew 22:29

See, the Scriptures are truth in everything they address. They are not ours to change and add to. When we read them as they are, their message comes to us loud and clear. They give us everything God ever wanted us to have.

But in a different sense, we are to do much more than "only read" God's Word. If reading is all that we did, we would be like a person who looks at themselves in a mirror in the morning and doesn't do anything about the "bed head" staring back at him. We would be foolish (see James 1). 

When we read the Scriptures we are to believe them and live according to them too. The Bible guides us and drives our lives. It is the gas pedal and navigation system given by God. So, we don't just read them - we live them.

Spend a little time in the "read-only" documents from heaven today and let them drive your life.