How To Read The Bible More
It’s a goal of mine to read the Bible every day. Most of the time, I do, but that only came after I created a reading habit and understood why I was reading it. Today I want to share some tips that may help you create a Bible-reading habit and read the Bible more consistently.
Decide On Your Why
Some people read the Bible because they feel they should but don’t understand why. I was guilty of this for a long time, making reading the Bible a chore. I still benefited from reading the Bible this way, but I wanted to understand it and why I read it.
One day I decided I wasn’t going to read the Bible because I was supposed to, but instead, I would read it because I wanted to learn more about the person I follow as a Christian, Jesus.
I started with Matthew; the more I read the New Testament books, the more I wanted to learn about Jesus and how to follow him better. Decide and understand why you read the Bible; this could be the first step in reading it more consistently.
Slow Down and Meditate On What You Read
Sometimes when people decide they want to read the Bible more consistently, they may be overly ambitious and plan to read it in 365 days, starting with the book of Genesis through to Revelation.
There’s nothing wrong with this strategy; however, it’s been my experience when trying this strategy that by the time I got to the book of Numbers, I’d already given up because I didn’t understand what I was reading or why I was reading it.
That’s when I decided to start reading one book at a time and go from there, allowing the Spirit to lead me on what to read next. Reading this way has helped me soak in everything I read in one book before trying to rush to the next. I bought a scripture journal with only the New Testament books that let me read each book individually and journal about what I’ve read.
Try to savor your reading time and ask God what He’s trying to tell you through each book.
Follow A Bible Reading Plan
Something else that has helped me to read the Bible more consistently is following the reading plans in the YouVersion Bible App. I know it can be easy to lose motivation to read the Bible when you don’t feel like what you’re reading is relevant today.
The Bible App offers plans with encouragement and scripture to help you through all seasons of life. They also have programs that you book-by-book through the Bible with commentary from Bible scholars to help you understand what you’ve read.
Read Whenever You Can
I used to think I had to have this perfect quiet time routine for my Bible reading to “count.” But as I’ve matured in my faith, I now know that isn’t true. I still enjoy days when I sit down with my Bible, coffee, and highlighters and read. But on other days, all I read is the verse of the day on the Bible app, and that’s ok too.
In closing, please don’t think your Bible reading must be perfect before you do it. God can use one verse just as much as He can use an entire chapter to speak to you, but you must let Him.
