Few things are as spiritually rewarding as Bible reading. But, few disciplines can be as intimidating as Bible reading. Here are some tips to keep us encouraged as we strive to dive into the Word of Life.
1. Meditate on what you read (Psalm 1:2). “Meditate” in Hebrew means to mutter the words under your breath. Take a verse or a couple of verses and rehearse them to yourself throughout the day.
2. Read the Bible in small chunks (Isa. 28:10). Sip it, and dig down into the details.
3. Read the Bible in large chunks (Jer. 15:16). Gulp it. Catch the big story or major idea, and read an entire book in one sitting.
4. Read and study the Bible to be sure you’re being taught the truth in sermons and classes (Acts 17:11).
5. Engage in Bible reading every day in some form or fashion. You can’t live without it (Matt. 4:4).
6. Remember the Bible is primarily about what God has done for you not about what you’re to do for God. Jesus is the hero of scripture, not you and me (2 Cor. 5:19-21).
7. The Bible equips us for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Read the Bible to be informed of how God wants you to live your life.
8. Get a translation you can understand, but that is as true to the original as possible (Acts 8:30). There’s lots of room for judgment here, so don’t let others scare you away from helpful versions (some helpful versions are NKJV, ESV, NIV, NLT, NASB).
9. Read the Bible with others in community (worship services, Bible study, small groups, etc. Col. 4:16; 1 Thess. 5:27).
10. When you read something and have no idea what it’s about, the best thing to do is to keep reading. Sometimes the answer is in the verses right after, or maybe the verses before. The word was revealed to give us understanding not to cloud our understanding (Eph.3:3-5).
11. Don’t give up (Gal. 6:9). Some days it’ll feel pointless, but it never is. You won’t feel amazing inspiration every day, but you still need to do it daily.
12. Nobody knows everything; don’t be afraid to ask for help (Acts 8:31).
SEE ALSO: How To Improve Your Bible Study
13. Remember, just because some things are hard to understand doesn’t mean they’re impossible to understand (2 Peter 3:16). Sweat equity is necessary sometimes.
14. Don’t become so academic in your study that you lose the devotional love and joy of scripture (Ps. 119:97).
15. If you can learn Hebrew and Greek, go for it. But remember that if you don’t obey the word you’re just disobeying God in the original languages (Jas. 1:22).
16. God promises a blessing to those who do what they read and stick with it (James 1:25).
17. God doesn’t hate you because you’ve missed a day of Bible reading or love you less. The reading/study habit is not to earn His love but to enjoy it (1 John 4:8).
18. Memorize as much scripture as you can, not to show off to others but to guard against sin (Ps. 119:11).
19. There is no “shortcut” or easy way to learn the Bible. It’s just one day at a time for a lifetime (Job 23:12).
20. If you want to get more out of worship on Sundays, read the Bible more throughout the week (Acts 2:42).
21. Pray that God will open your eyes to see amazing things out of His Law (Ps. 119:18).
22. Read the Old Testament looking for Jesus. He said it points to Himself (Luke 24:44; John 5:39-40).
23. Don’t be afraid of the book of Revelation. It’s a blessing to read it and receive its message (Rev. 1:3). It also requires some knowledge of the Old Testament.
24. Something is always better than nothing when it comes to reading the Bible (1 Pet. 2:2).
25. Don’t confuse reading blogs like this with Bible study, they’re not the same thing (2 Tim. 2:15).