Saturday, March 9, 2013

Bible Reading Strategies

I had really been having trouble getting myself to read the Bible for a while there, but I've come up with something that helps.  Maybe sharing it will inspire somebody else to try something new to make Bible reading more exciting, who knows?

Part of my problem was that I would sit down to read and not really know where in the Bible I should start.  So I would spend my whole time flipping around looking to see if anything would catch my eye, and I'd end up reading casually and quickly because I had run out of time to actually digest the word.  And that's the point, isn't it?  To be able to understand the Word of God and to know him and his son through it?  Even better, to be able to use that information about our God and Savior to make ourselves more like them and more pleasing to them.

So it occurred to me that I should try picking something ahead of time and focusing on it for a certain period of time.  For example, recently, for about a month, I spent my lunch hour reading about Kind David.  When I finished the chosen chunk, I started over.  I got a lot more out of that section than I ever have before because I was focused on it and re-read it a couple of times.

I've also been enjoying reading different versions of whatever section I choose because it catches my attention to see words that are different than what I'm accustomed to.  My favorite (when I have a little extra time, especially) has become the Companion Bible, because the side notes answer some of my questions or catch my eye and lead me to look into something I wasn't expecting to find in that specific passage.

Another thing that has made my Bible reading more enjoyable recently is trying to read it in the morning and when I get in bed at night.  It seems to give longer sections of Bible more continuity for me, or sometimes it is a chance to read a psalm or proverb before bed instead of "interrupting" or "taking away from" my morning routine of sticking to that one selected section to do so.

I'm so thankful we all have the Word - it is a light that cuts through the darkness.  It gives me so much to look forward to and so much to learn right now.

1 comment:

  1. I wrote this a month or two ago and just posted it now, and truth be told, I am back in a rut about my Bible reading. Sometimes it just seems chore-like and overwhelming.

    Anybody have any strategies of your own that you could share with me?

    ReplyDelete