You do not need to be told to read your Bible anymore than you need to be told to exercise, get your sleep, eat more vegetables, or brush your teeth. When I have nothing new to tell you, when solid resources abound both free and in many languages, why add one more post to a staggering number of better-written challenges for Bible reading? Because there is nothing in my life that has been more formative and more life-defining, because there is nothing more worthy of confident endorsement.

Here are a few staggering claims about the Bible:

  • The Bible is more essential than food (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4).
  • Through the Bible, we know God; knowing Him is the essence of all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
  • As we know the promises in the Bible, we become like God, growing from faith into virtuous, disciplined living (2 Peter 1:4-8).
  • The Bible is our lamp and light, our guard against sin (Psalm 119:9-11, 105).

Though I know this, my own efforts have vacillated, my attention flagged, and my interest diminished. Whenever that is true, I am not believing those claims and not valuing those gifts. The problem is always the heart, never the Word; the solution is always repentance and more of the Word (Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23). These realities confronted me in my own times of struggle:

You can and must read the Bible in every season.

Some seasons of life, sicknesses, and transitions annihilate all that had been. A person can be left with only chaos, little time to spare, sparse quiet, and almost no mental energy to read the Bible. At the risk of sounding heartless, I think we are giving up too easily; I think the cost of not studying our Bibles is ignored. As we could not sustain skipping meals, so we cannot neglect of the Bible. (Sound overstated? Read Job 23:12). While we would like to think we can hide our neglect, those closest to us know better. Certainly there are times when sleep and nutrition and Bible reading take a hit due to circumstances–demanding seasons require adaptation and adjustment on every front. But without a bone-level conviction on the non-negotiable priority of studying Scripture, we are one small crisis away from neglect, missing the lifeline we most need. When the crisis highlights our need, the wisest response is to answer it with the Word.

You can meditate on the Bible at any time of day, for any length of time.

Our interaction with God’s Word cannot be frozen to a particular time of day and routine. The Bible talks much of perpetual delight in God’s Word, not in abstract religious vibes but in actual pronounceable words (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2; 119:97). That could look like memorization and review of Scripture while brewing your tea, praying biblical truths while walking, considering God’s perfections while driving, or singing solidly Scriptural songs. Not only is isolation not required, community is often commanded (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 3:13). We need God’s Word; we need each other; and these are not mutually exclusive. Your form of meditation may look different depending on the circumstance, but a heart that delights in the Word of God will keep returning, knowing it to be the true source of life. If you’re doing it right, your delight will be contagious.

You can read the Bible in any medium, just like any other book.

I understand the benefits of a print Bible, and I will be sharing some favourite resources later. But as I don’t think most people are uncertain there, I want to urge you to also listen to your Bible. It isn’t the only way; but as it was for most of human history, it will not do to claim that listening is ineffective. The primary culprit to guard against would be distraction. Listening allows for multitasking; what we value cannot be only multitasked. But why not listen to the Bible read by an incredible actor while your family eats dinner? Why not use a Bible memory app on your phone while in a pickup line? Why not listen to Scripture or biblical songs on the way to work? You could read the entire Bible in a year by listening to just three chapters daily while driving or walking. It doesn’t leave much excuse for slogging through the Bible, does it? We have an astonishing richness easily and freely available to us. There is no spiritual benefit to pretending you’re still living several centuries ago. Walk in wisdom.

You can read the Bible fast. You can read it slow. You should do both.

You must read the entire Bible. Start in the New Testament if you’re new to the Bible, but read all of it. Read it quickly, following a challenge like this one, getting an award Bible and pen and just getting through all of it in a few months. This is the aerial view of the Bible that will transform your understanding. Read it slowly, using a Bible study workbook, reading along with some study helps, or copying out a book by hand. This is the field guide and microscope on a hike to learn the specifics of where you are. Neither is dispensable; both are necessary; both should be regularly done. You can run both simultaneously, doing your bulk reading on weekdays and your study on weekends. Or finish your bulk reading of the Bible with a study of a book of the Bible that you really want to understand more fully. You could also hand-copy a book of the Bible while working through an audio version while walking. Options are endless; systematically working through the Bible, broadly and deeply, is not.

“Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!” (Psalm 119:36)
God delights to answer this prayer. Make it yours.

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