4 Tips for Daily Bible Reading

Reading your Bible every day is one of the most important things you can do for the enrichment of your life as a Christian.

I know. You plan to read it when you get up, but when the alarm clock goes off at whatever unseemly hour you are expected to get up for school, all you can think about is the fact that if you skip your Bible reading you get fifteen more minutes of sleep. I have this problem too.

But reading your Bible is so important for spiritual health. It equips you for the battles that you face in the world every day and encourages you in realizing that you are not alone. It calls you to walk the walk of faith anew every day.

 

Here are some tips for reading your Bible:

1. Find a time that works. If reading it in the morning isn't working, rethink your plan. Could you read it right when you get home from school, at the beginning of your homework time? Before bed? Find a time when you won’t be tempted to skip, and commit to reading every day.
2. Don’t worry about studying the passage. If you are crunched for time, you often don’t want to get out a notebook and thoroughly dissect a verse. Simply reading can be just as good if your mind is engaged. Maybe on Sunday afternoons you could devote some time to Bible study, and just focus on immersing yourself in the Word of God the rest of the time.
3. Read what you enjoy. If you are just starting out in reading the Bible, some of it is definitely easier to understand and enjoy then others. Eventually you will want to read all of it, but at first find the things that you like. This will differ from person to person; my personal favorite for when I’m in the mood for a story is the book of Esther. Experiment and find your favorite places to go when you just want a quiet moment to read.
4. Pray that God would speak to you through the reading. Before you read, pray that God would use your reading time to teach you something about himself or his world. Be actively searching for what God wants you to learn. 

Even if the Bible seems boring now, in time we can come to love reading it just as much as our favorite novels!
 
Next Steps: Get a Bible, if you don’t have one already, in a version you will be able to understand. Find a time and plan to read it every day. Spend at least ten minutes reading.
 

h   What do you think?

•         Do you read your Bible every day already, or is this something you need to work on?
•         What Bible reading strategies have worked for you in the past?
•         Where are your favorite places in the Bible to read?