• My Experience With Bible Reading
• Making Bible Reading Happen
• Testing Teachings Using Scripture
• Jesus’s Example
• The Armor of God

I’ve read numerous posts recently that seemed to discourage large amounts of Bible reading or reading the Bible in a year plans. They frequently mention that reading too much leads to not taking in what we read, making Bible reading a box to be checked, or that relationship is more important than Bible reading. I’ve even seen one who said that daily Bible reading was idolatry. I don’t know how prioritizing God’s word is idolatry, but we can look at that later.

It is true that Bible knowledge does not make one a Christian. I heard one pastor speak of a man who had memorized the entire Old Testament, but was neither a Christian nor a Jewish believer. He knew God’s word better than almost everyone else, but it had not changed his heart or given him a relationship with Jesus. This can happen, but this is not the norm.

The Bible constantly describes the Word of God as critically important in our lives.

“You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth. For if you are careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and hold fast to Him.” (Deuteronomy 11:18-22) {emphasis mine}

God’s word should be central to all you think, say, and do. It is necessary for your growth and your witness. It is necessary to guide your plans and reactions in life. It is necessary for seeing the world as God sees it.

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. I have sworn and I will confirm it, That I will keep Your righteous ordinances. (Psalm 119:105-106)

You should long for God’s Word, and sometimes you have to push through when feelings aren’t leading. Usually the feelings will follow.

How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord; Teach me Your statutes. (Psalm 119:9-12)

§My Experience With Bible Reading

I grew up in a non-Christian family. My mom on rare occasions took me to church because that is what “good” people did, but none of the churches she took me to valued the Bible and most of the teaching didn’t mention a single Bible verse. In middle school, my aunt took me to her church. The church had an altar call, so she marched me down the aisle, and she and one of the church officials cornered me in a cubicle in the back and told me I was being saved and needed to read the Bible. I wasn’t actually saved at that time, but I did start reading my Bible every single day (probably more than either of them). Reading the Bible eventually led me to faith in Jesus as Savior.

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)

After my salvation, I continued reading the Bible daily. Pretty soon, I found a “read the Bible in a year” plan with four bookmarks, so I read from the Old Testament, the Psalms/Proverbs/Ecclesiastes, the Gospels, and the rest of the New Testament every day. It was great! True, there were days that my reading was less effective, but I got to know the Bible as a whole. When you read the whole Bible quickly, it helps you to see the big picture. You see how different, seemingly unrelated passages, make a whole. You see how the Old Testament is the foundation upon which the New Testament is built, and you see how the New Testament clarifies and fulfills the Old Testament. It is amazing!

At one point I did start feeling like I was just reading the same thing over and over again, so I took a break and did some in-depth study of some short books in the New Testament. I would read the same book again and again for a month (usually reading the entire book in 1-3 days, depending on the length of the book). I would dwell on it. I would ask questions about it. I would look at how it applied to my life and my relationship with Jesus. It was a time of growth that differed from when I read through the whole Bible in a year.

At another time, I found a chronological Bible setup for reading in a year. That really helped me to see how everything fit together and grew my excitement for God’s Word. It allowed me to see the order that things happened. It allowed me to see the different descriptions of the same events. I strongly recommend all people read through a chronological Bible at least once.

With most books, the more times you read them, the less interesting they become. That is not the case with the Bible. The more I read the Bible; the more I love reading the Bible, and the more I get out of reading the Bible. Who’d have guessed? Now reading the Bible is exciting as I find connections throughout the Bible and as I see prophecies coming true before my eyes.

I have changed my Bible reading plan again. I am now doing both deep and wide. I have the “Bible Study Together” app on my phone. I have it setup for twice a day Bible reading (I start my day in God’s word and end my day in God’s word). In addition to having the reading schedule, it also has links to maps, so you can see where the places are located that are mentioned in the passage, and it has thought provoking questions (admittedly I only use those sometimes). I also got myself a large print, note taking Bible. Large print makes reading less exhausting. It is more important as you age, but I actually think large print can make reading easier, so you can focus on the content instead of deciphering the words. I study this Bible every evening. I go slow. I take notes. I investigate and notate related passages. Most nights I only read one chapter. Sometimes I’ll read more if I have the time or if I get fascinated with a passage. Taking the time to investigate how the various passages relate to other passages or commands makes the word of God come alive. At this point, it is rare for a chapter to not reference at least one other passage that clarifies, parallels, or fulfills what is written.

Because I intentionally prioritized God’s Word, it has become something I crave. It has become something that excites me. It has become something that I know. When I read a passage, God will bring to mind other passages that help me understand it better. When someone asks me a spiritual question, I can remember a passage or more that answers or clarifies their concern. The Bible has become the foundation of my life. It has grown my faith in God. It has helped me to follow Him better. It has given me joy in hardship.

Bible reading may have started as a box to check, but over time, it became a habit and then became a passion. If I hadn’t pushed through the initial time, I wouldn’t have reached the point of passion for the word of God.

§Making Bible Reading Happen

Can Bible reading become just a chore to check off? Of course, but pushing through that lack of excitement can help you be in the Word, so it can become exciting.

Have you ever known you need to get some exercise? Sometimes it is so hard to motivate yourself to get up and move. Whether your exercise is going to the gym, going for a walk, or doing some jumping jacks, push-ups, and sit-ups at home, have you ever regretted the time you spent? I haven’t. The same is true with reading the Bible. Sometimes you’re tired and don’t feel like reading. Sometimes you’re distracted and have trouble focusing. If you actually push yourself to spend time with God, especially if you pray God would show you His Word and draw you close, you will not regret your time in God’s word.

For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

The Bible is not just a book. It is the Word of God spoken by God to man, so we can know Him and His commandments. People sacrificed and died so we can have the Bible in our own language and so we can know His words. Why do people value it so little?

Paul admonished Timothy to do public Scripture reading.

Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. (1 Timothy 4:13)

Most of the people of that day couldn’t read the Scriptures themselves, both because they couldn’t afford hand-copied books and because many/most could not read. The Scriptures were so important that they did regular public reading of the Scriptures, so everyone could know God’s word. Almost every Old Testament “revival” in Israel was accompanied by Bible reading by the leadership and to the people.

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. (John 14:23-24)

How can we keep God’s word if we don’t know God’s word?

§Testing Teachings Using Scripture

There are some outstanding Bible teachers out there who can really help us understand God’s word and know it, but there are also many false teachers and teachers that mean well, but don’t know God’s word well, who teach falsehoods. If you don’t know the Bible, then you don’t know if you are being taught truth or lies. We need to be like the Bereans:

Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11) {emphasis mine}

Even the best Bible teachers can make mistakes. There are also many false teachers around, probably many more than the good teachers. We need to test every principle taught by man by using the Scriptures to see whether these things are so.

§Jesus’s Example

The two things Jesus seemed to prioritize most in His life on earth were prayer and Scripture. We also need to value these two things and make them a part of our everyday. If the only way we can make it work is to schedule time for prayer and Bible reading, then that is what we must do. Another option is to add prayer and Bible reading to things we already do. Pray at meals; read the Bible before bed; etc.

§The Armor of God

In Ephesians 6, we are told to “take up the full armor of God.”

Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:13-17) {emphasis mine}

We are commanded to put on the armor of God. It isn’t something we can do if we feel like it. It is a command from God. It is also arguable that every piece of the armor of God is connected to reading or knowing the Bible.

• Gird your loins with truth – Where does truth come from? It is found in the Word of God—the Bible.

• Put on the breastplate of righteousness – The Bible defines what is righteous and what is evil so we can choose to live righteously.

• Shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace – In the Gospels, we are shown exactly how Jesus proclaimed the gospel peacefully, and how it leads us to peace with God.

• Take up the shield of faith – Reading in the Bible teaches us how God fulfilled all of His promises and protected His followers in inconceivable hardship, which grows our faith in Him because we know His power, His love, and His faithfulness.

• Take the helmet of salvation – The Bible teaches us what is right and what is sinful. It shows us that all have sinned. It shows us our need for a Savior. It introduces us to the Savior. This leads to salvation through faith in Jesus.

• Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God – This piece of armor is specifically the word of God. When Jesus was tempted by Satan and when he was attacked by the Pharisees, He almost always started His reply with “Have you not heard …” or “It is written …” or some similar reference to Scripture. In all situations, we need to know the word of God, so we can use the word of God when tempted, when attacked, or when we experience hardship.

The Bible is useful for everything in our lives, and Christians today need to prioritize Bible reading, Bible study, and Bible memorization, so we can faithfully follow and serve Jesus all the days of our lives.

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

May God give you a hunger for His Word. May He give you understanding when you read His Word. May He help you bring to remembrance what you have read, so you can use it to guide your steps, defend the Gospel, and share God’s truth with others.

Trust Jesus

FYI, I found this great verse after writing this post. It didn’t really fit in the flow, but was too good to pass up.

Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. (1 Peter 2:1-3) {emphasis mine}

All verses are NASB unless otherwise noted.