I know hard things aren’t bad; in fact, many times it’s the difficult, frustrating things that grow us the most. But if we had a choice, I think we would gravitate toward the easy side of things. I think this is also true of our Christian growth. We WANT to be more biblically literate, we WANT to have a close relationship with God, we WANT to have wisdom for how to live. But those take time, effort, energy. It doesn’t happen overnight or reading the Bible one morning. It takes commitment for the long haul {your lifetime}. You will read hard truths, you will come across things that take extra time and study to understand. But you will grow.
I believe Bible reading and prayer are two of the hardest disciplines we need to cultivate. In theory, they sound so easy but in practice, it takes commitment and a conscious decision to include both of these in your day.
One of the most helpful things for me to remember when I’m struggling with Bible reading is that God wants me to know him. He gave us the Bible so we could know him personally, so we would know how to live in this world and what he has promised. This isn’t an impossible task set before us by an impersonal God. It is an invitation to grow closer to the One who created all things. Yes, maybe it’s hard some days but it’s worth every effort and every moment of time.
I’ve found it the most difficult to read my Bible when it becomes a task, a checklist instead of something I’m looking forward to. So how do I look forward to it? Below are some ideas.
I always have a notebook with me when I read the Bible. I write down questions I have about the passage, verses that stick out to me, and things I hadn’t noticed before. This helps keep my mind engaged and it keeps familiar passages/stories fresh.
I look for what the section I’m reading is teaching about God. When I was younger, I was always curious why God included some things and not others. Out of all the history of the Israelites or miracles of Jesus, why were these given to the biblical writers to record as inspired? God doesn’t do anything on accident or mistake. So what we have in the Bible has been given for a purpose: to teach us about God and who he is compared to who we are. {NOTE: this is one of the things I love about The Bible Recap podcast and book. The host/author offers a “God Shot” of what in that day’s reading taught her about God. It’s so helpful!}
Some days when I know it’s going to be crazy, I choose to listen to my Bible app for that day’s reading. This engages my mind in a different way than reading and it keeps me in the Word even if I know I won’t have time to sit a read. I also like having it on for my kids to listen to.
Ask a friend to keep you accountable or have someone you can text each day with one verse or thought from that day’s reading. I love hearing what my friends are reading and learning from the Bible and I often benefit from their insights.
Imagine a world without the Bible. It truly is an amazing gift from God that we can read, listen to, and share it. But it won’t just happen. We need to make the decision to include it in our day and then to live out the principles we discover. I’d love to hear what you are reading! Comment below and let’s encourage each other on!
.Photo by Rachel Strong on Unsplash