If someone asked
you right now to see your Bible, would you have to think about where it might
be? Would quite a few of the crisp,
clean pages stick together? Or maybe
your Bible is proudly well-worn and highlighted in a rainbow of colors—but
would you have to quickly wipe the dust off of it before you let anyone see
it? Fear not! If we are honest, we have all been there (or
are there now).
I always groan,
though, when leaders tell me to read my Bible more, more isn’t always better!
If I just slog my way robotically through Genesis on my way to Revelation while
I am half asleep or my mind is really on other things, it doesn’t help me, and
it certainly doesn’t do much for God.
There are ways to make your Bible encounters the best part of your day
(honest!).
Practical Ways to
Jumpstart Your Bible Encounters
Everyone’s
experience may be different, but there are a few things that I have noticed
over the years about reading the Bible:
1. Getting
started is the hardest part—it gets easier once you get going into a routine.
2. Having a plan
helps enormously—the “flip-open-the-Bible-and-read-whatever-you-find” method
may work occasionally, but is pretty unreliable (and you are likely to give
up).
3. Using some
creative practices for enhancing your time in God’s word amplifies the
experience.
A Do-able Daily
Reading Plan
The plan that
changed my spiritual life was years ago when I bought and used the One Year
Bible. Because the daily readings are
divided into manageable chunks (much smaller than those required for a 90-day
plan), I was able to keep it up. And
because each reading includes both Old and New Testament, plus a little from
Psalms and Proverbs, there is always interesting parts to balance the difficult
parts.
Now the One Year
Bible plan is offered free online (http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/). What makes this beautiful is that you can set
whatever start date you like (how about today?!), and whatever version you
like. There are plenty of reading plans
out there, but don’t spend all your time “shopping for a plan” or you’ll never
getting to the actual reading! I do
highly recommend this one if you want to give it a try.
Memorize
Scripture!
Break out your
3x5s and make some flashcards! God
speaks most often through scripture, so the more scripture you know the more He
will be able to communicate to you!
Knowing key passages also allows you to share the gospel with others,
and to defend your faith when necessary.
And before you say, “I’m not good at memorizing,” remember that like any
exercise, the more you do it, the easier it gets. (and it’s good for the brain too!).
(Article from November 2012)
