The Religious Nerd

Yesterday, I wrote a post on the topic of making a commitment to read your bible daily and encouraged you all to to watch and see the fruit that will manifest itself after spending time in the word each day.  In the second part of my series “Making Your Bible Reading Effective and Fruitful” I want to focus on encouraging you to read your bible in a way where you move through it quickly in order to gain familiarity.

A friend (different than the dude mentioned in my last bible post) made a comment to me “Don’t you know it’s about quality and not quantity?”  I assured him that that isn’t always the case.  Now I am not saying that spending time working through a specific bible text isn’t important (in fact I will be writing on how to do this within the next week).  What I am saying is that while you should have designated bible study time, you should also have designated bible reading time with a goal of reading the entire bible in a given time frame.

Today’s post will provide you with some helpful tips on how you can get started on this.  Instead of referring you over to a bible reading plan like Professor Horner’s , I will instead give you some pointers from my own personal experience.

1. A good bible reading plan is a plan that moves you through the text. Do not feel like you need to search for and ponder the truth of every bible verse you read. If you do that, you will likely only get through a few verses each day and you will be discouraged that you are not making any progress. Some people set aggressive goals and end up burning out within the first week or two.  Some burn out in the first day.  I have seen it, and I have been guilty of this.  I tried my hardest to read through John MacArthurs “One Year Bible” and failed miserably.  Surprisingly though in my circumstance, it wasn’t the time required each day that killed this plan for me, it was the size 6 font in the bible that made it painful on my eyes to read.
2. Interpreting and understanding the biblical text is very important, don’t get me wrong. But that is what bible studies and Sunday morning church services are for.  While it is very important that you are able to explain what the doctrine of predestination is, it is more valuable for you to know the overwhelmingly present message of the entire bible itself – the life, death, burial, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
   
3. If you encounter a text that challenges you during your bible reading time, write the text down and seek an explanation later. Stay focused and committed to getting your reading done. Trust me, as you spend more time reading the bible and going through it, you will learn a lot, and you will be able to locate where verses are and gain the overall themes of books of the bible. You will know where stories are located in the OT. You will see how Paul’s writing reads differently than the author of Hebrews.  You will gain a better understanding and ability to interpret and apply different types of speech, proverbs, prophecy, doctrine, and theology as you work your way through the bible.
   
4. Set a reasonable goal.  As I mentioned in my last post, it was easiest for me to get up early in the morning and to do my bible reading before work.  I usually set my alarm to go off around 45 minutes earlier which gives me around 30 minutes for bible reading and about 10-15 minutes for prayer.  I have a big appetite for the word, so I usually read later than I should which usually results in me having to eat my breakfast in my car on my way to work.
5. It’s worth it.  Reading your bible daily isn’t about learning how to be more religious or better than you used to be.  The bible isn’t some self help book that is going to solve all your problems.  Reading your bible daily is about getting to know God better resulting in a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him. If you struggle with judging others, the bible will convict you.  If you struggle with sexual sin, the bible will help you overcome it.  If you are like me and you struggle with patience, the bible will remind you that “Whoever is slow to anger (patient) is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” Proverbs 16:32.+
6. The last point I want to leave you with is this, find a good place in your current living situation to designate as your official bible reading area.  If you are like most people, you find it very difficult to focus when the TV is on, the kids are loud, your husband is asking where dinner is, etc.  This is why I mentioned getting up early in the morning just for your daily bible reading.  My wife knows that when I am up at 6:00 AM on a work day and I am in our spare bedroom reading, that I am not to be disturbed.  If you switch your bible reading times up every day, it will be very difficult to avoid “life” from happening, and you will be setting yourself up to fail.

I want to be absolutely clear, when you make a commitment to read your bible, and read it cover to cover, over and over again, and couple it together with time in prayer and repentance, God will do some amazing things in your life.  I recommend that you ask God to honor you with an occasion to give witness to the new found bible knowledge that you have from your daily bible reading.  This is what I have been asking in my prayer time, and God has answered it in setting me up to serve in a food bank where all I do is pray with people and tell them about Jesus.

How has bible reading changed your life? How far have you come in your walk with God since you have made bible reading a priority?

Please tune in later this week for the next part of my series, “How to accurately interpret a bible verse”.

God bless.