I know that many Christians, me included, oftentimes have problems when it comes to reading the Bible. When faced with this entire book it can feel overwhelming to try and read. I know it is not easy to read this book in its entirety. In fact, I think many Christians have not read this book from front to back. I am one of those who have not read the entire book yet. Fortunately, I have a few tips which have helped me to get as far as I have in about two months (Genesis through Deuteronomy) and will hopefully allow you to do the same thing.
1. Have a Plan.
I know that probably everyone has heard this quote: “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.” Find some kind of reading plan and try and stick to it. I am working on reading the Bible from front to back right now. After that my plan is to read it in chronological order of when it was actually written. You don’t have to do either one of these however. You just need to try and find a plan that works for you and do your best to stick with it.
2. Be Realistic.
Rome was not built in a day. The Bible was not written in a day, and you sure don’t need to try and read it in one. Don’t get down on yourself if you can only read a few chapters at a time. Set your expectations for reading at a level that is good for you. Not everyone can go through God’s Word at the same rate. You need to be realistic and read at a rate that allows you to go through God’s word and understand it effectively.
3. Set Aside a Daily Time for Uninterrupted Bible Reading.
This really goes with my first point. If you don’t set aside time to read your Bible, you will most likely forget or put it aside until the time of day when you feel too exhausted to read anyways. Set up that time and prepare yourself for it adequately. If you know that you planned to read your word at nine this evening but the season finale of American Idol is coming on at the same time, well then you need to get your Bible reading in at another time, or maybe just skip the show.
4. Don’t Limit Your Readings to Only This Time.
Just because you plan to read at 7 a.m. every day does not mean that is the only time you can pick up the Bible. God’s power has no limits, so don’t try and limit it. If God puts in on your heart to pick up your Bible at 4 in the afternoon and read then by all means do it. Don’t try and put God in a box and only allow him out at specific times. I have a feeling He wouldn’t like that.
5. Keep a Journal.
Most people are probably turned off by the thought of journaling or keeping a diary. I don’t want you to rely on your prior conception of a “journal” to follow this point. This is a journal with God. You can use it for all kinds of reasons. You may decide to write prayer requests in before you read, questions you may have about your readings, comments about what you read, or anything else you feel is important and beneficial to your Bible reading. I personally use one just to write down the date, what chapters I read and maybe a scripture or two that stood out to me. This helps me to not only to remember what I read better, but it gives me something that helps to hold me accountable in times when I may be struggling with reading my word like I should.
6. Selah. Selah. Selah.
Selah is a phrase used very often in the book of Psalms. It is a Hebrew word that has no literal English translation. The best meaning that scholars attribute to it in context with the book is probably a musical interlude in between the passages of the book of Psalms. This was a time that was meant for one to stop and listen to what the God’s Word was speaking to them. I encourage you to do the exact same thing during your readings. Stop and listen to the message that God presents. Don’t be a mindless reading robot. Understand the importance of the book you are reading and don’t take it lightly.
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I liked these – the last one especially. I wrote about some more unusual routines for reading the Bible a while back. You might try some of them as well. I know I’ve had fun with them. They’re different from the “straight through the Bible” approach, though.
-Marshall Jones Jr.
Thanks for the routines. It is always good to get a little diversity in your reading plans!