Habits for effectively reading the bible

 

I read the bible a lot growing up. Church on Sunday, weekly youth group meetings, a bible passage before bed every night. I got to be a bible Jeopardy champion. By the time I was ten I could fire off a memorized verse like a Southern preacher. I could recite long passages without glancing at the page; a kind of walking bible encyclopedia. I was proud of my knowledge.

But one day in my late-teens, I realized that I wasn't really studying the bible, I was just reading it. It might not seem like a huge difference on the surface, but it was a realization that changed the direction of my walk with Christ forever.

When you start reading the bible like a fact-sheet, something to be memorized and categorized, you lose the joy of the words. Sure, you might know the important parts, but you start to miss out on the detail, the truth to the words, the human touch. It took me a long time to realize it and even longer to change my habits so I could start to absorb the word on a deeper level. I'd like to share some of the benefits of that work with you in case you're in a similar position.

Do you have a favorite book in the bible? Maybe you're a fan of the apostles and frequently read through their works again-and-again. Or maybe, like me, you like the Proverbs, delicious little bite-sized pearls of wisdom that are perfect for repeating off the cuff.

Stop reading them. Seriously. If you find yourself constantly re-reading a few favorite, familiar books or chapters, you're not getting the most of the bible. Expand your horizons, read something you haven't looked at in a long time. Over time, you might find your tastes will change and you'll appreciate other books just as much.

It's kind of like a Tom Waits album. You buy the record for the single, only to eventually like the rest of the songs on the album better.

The worst thing you can do when studying the bible is to just passively read it over, say "yup, that's good” and put it away. You don't learn anything from that. You need to ask questions. You need to try and dig deeper into the stories and lessons of the bible. Ask yourself why a person acted as they did, why certain situations unfolded the way they did. Try to put yourself in their shoes and appreciate the stories of the bible on a human level.

Asking yourself questions is a great first step, but discussing them with a fellow brother or sister in Christ is even better. Community has always been a vital part of Christian life and I firmly believe you can learn more in a decent 15 minute conversation discussing the bible with a fellow believer than you can with hours of reading alone.

Sometimes we become too focused on getting something done than doing it right. There is a temptation to finish one thing and immediately move on to the next, to be time efficient. Well, thankfully, your walk with Christ isn't being measured by a stopwatch, and the quality of it is based on your personal understanding and appreciation of God's word, not the speed at which you crank through each chapter.

Pump the breaks after reading the bible and reflect on what you've learned. Maybe write some notes, or re-read a portion you felt was particularly interesting or maybe didn't fully understand. Again, this goes into asking questions and really thinking about the lessons of the bible, not just rushing through.