One thing I’ve found quite odd in the Christian community is the mindset that reading the Bible is a chore.
Think about it. When was the last time most of us thought about reading the Bible – maybe the first thing that pops into our heads is Old Testament law – and thought, “Wow, this is such a great thing to read!”?
As hard as it is to admit it, I often have thought that way.
It took me until I was twelve or thirteen to really grasp the significance of the Bible, and practically only this year have I found such comfort, peace, and joy in studying it.
But we Christians so often treat God’s Holy Word like it’s a burden to read.
Because I’m an avid reader, I often have a book on hand that I’m into and want to read. Many times, I’ll read the Bible on my Kindle, where I have a lot of other books. While knowing full-well that I am here to read the Bible, to spend time with God and study His word, I get distracted and start thinking about what happened in the last chapter of that new novel, or how it’s going to end, or how the characters are going to make it out alive. It’s sad for me to admit it, but so many times, I’m so engaged in a fictional world that I forget how life-changing the Bible truly is.
I think our attitudes towards the Bible come from the misconceptions we harbor toward the Word of God. The misconception that the Bible is just life’s rulebook, one we must obey or else face the wrath of our iron-fisted God. The misconception that the Bible is just another classic book – dusty, hard to read, and irrelevant.
They’re not true.
And here, I would like to share with you three truths about the Bible to help us avoid the “duty” mindset.
-
The Bible is Powerful.
The Bible is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It’s not just a book written by people who lived thousands of years ago and thought they were important. It was written by God, through humans just like us, whom God decided to use. Not because they were special, but because they were willing.
This means that the principles in the Bible are timeless. The Gospel does not change. Jesus, the Savior of Paul, is the same Savior that we place our faith in today. We pray to the same God that Martin Luther prayed to, and Moses prayed to, and George Washington prayed to, and Mother Theresa prayed to. We see all these people as amazing; and yet they were just vessels that were used by God through their relationship with Him.
-
The Bible Encourages Us.
When I’m depressed and discouraged, I can find no distraction big enough to fix me. I can find no motivational quote inspiring enough to get me through. But the Scripture can. Scriptures that remind me that I can have peace, no matter what. Scriptures that remind me that I am never forgotten or forsaken. Scriptures that remind me that I am lavished in love, and it has nothing to do with me.
Now listen, I’m not trying to say that simply reading the Bible is the end-all-be-all of depression, anxiety, or any other struggles. Simply reading does nothing, for truly knowing God is the key.
By reading the Bible, we get to know God. We get to understand the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We get to know that the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives inside us (Romans 8:11). We get to be acquainted with the fact that no matter how we perform, no matter what happens to us in this life, no matter the depths of despair, we can have hope.
The rest of the world cannot have this hope because it is supernatural. Only in the Bible can we truly know the hope of Christ – His love, His grace, and His joy regardless of our circumstances (Romans 5:2-5).
-
The Bible Leads Us To Maturity.
Let me be straight-up here – there is no greater book pertaining to our faith than the Bible. No other book that is the standard of absolute truth. There is no other book with concepts that stand out in different ways to us every time we read them. To forsake the Bible as absolute truth is to reject maturity.
What do I mean by that?
I simply mean that if we want to grow in our faith, we must move past the elementary doctrine of Christ (Hebrews 6:1) and get over the emotions. Faith is more than a feeling; it is a choice and it is assurance of our hope (Hebrews 11:1).
When we read the Bible, our faith is strengthened. The Holy Spirit works in our hearts and reveals things to us that we haven’t seen before.
As for growing, we grow in grace (2 Peter 3:18). By studying the Bible, we can begin to comprehend what grace looks like and why it is incredible. We see that in our darkness when we did not deserve forgiveness whatsoever, our sins were paid for.
The more we read, the more we understand. The more we understand, the more we want to get to know God better. And the more we will.
Let’s stop looking at the Bible like it’s a burden, a chore, or a hassle.
Instead, let us see it for the blessing that it is – the offering of hope in the midst of our crazy lives.
*aj
See Also:
How to Read the Bible {effectively spending time with our Heavenly Father}
Scattered Journal Pages 
Wow Amanda! Great post, I sometimes think of Bible reading as a chore as well, but when I asked God to help me and give me a thirst for His Word, he gave it to me! One day I was downstairs doing nothing and my head was screaming at me: “Go read your bible!”
A real blessing! Keep up the good work Xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s such an amazing story, Amber! Thanks for sharing! I think that every one of us has felt the “I don’t want to read it” feeling, but like you said, when we ask Him to give us the desire, He gives it to us! xx Thanks for commenting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amanda,
You’ve hit so many home runs writing this blog, but this one was in dead center field at the 500′ mark.
I loved the line, “When I’m depressed and discouraged, I can find no distraction big enough to fix me.”
Great job….loved it.
Granka Bill
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, thank you so much. 🙂 Even though the world tells us all we need is more [whatever thing] to help us, I’ve found that only God’s Word can. ❤ Thanks for your comment!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Inspired!
LikeLike
Thank you, and thanks for reading! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amen, my friend!! This was so terrific, and deep!
So many facts there, that we all forget!! One of my regrets of life, has been that with my love of reading, I’ve never read the whole Bible.
So, I’ve jumped into it the past year, in hopes to finish it before my next birthday! A long way to go, (700 chapters,) but this post will stay in my mind, and bring that needed inspiration to pick it up, and find the true source of joy!! Hehe ;D
Great post *handclaps*
LikeLike
Thanks so much, M.K.!
I feel you! It’s definitely easier sad than done – but it’s so worth it, and I’m proud of you for going for it! 😀
Thanks for commenting! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Most welcome 😀
Right, so very true! Aw, thanks so much for the encouragement!!
Aw, always!! If a post is so good, I just can’t help myself from chiming in, hehe!! ;D
LikeLike
Good post! I sometimes don’t feel like reading my Bible too. I mean, it can get pretty boring to read the dimensions of literally everything in the Temple, for example. But the Bible is so important. I think a lot of my trouble is that it’s sometimes hard to understand. And when it’s hard to understand, my mind starts to wander. But that’s no excuse to stop reading, it should be motivation to try harder. That’s something I need to work on: focusing even when I don’t get it.
LikeLike
Absolutely. I find that having a New Testament focus is so important, because since we aren’t Jewish, the Old Testament doesn’t make sense without seeing the fulfillment of that in Jesus.
I agree that it can be hard to read at times. Do you ever compare with other translations? I occasionally use NLT to help my brain simplify some verses. 😉
Thanks for commenting!
LikeLike
I actually really love Genesis. You’re absolutely right that the Old Testament doesn’t make sense without the New, but just the same, the New doesn’t make sense without the Old. You have to see the reason we need Jesus before you can see how awesome it is that He came. I’ve always found something incredibly intriguing about Genesis, but I also really like James.
When I’m having trouble with the 1599 Geneva, I go to the ESV, if my kindle’s charged. I love the history of the 1599 Geneva, being the first full English translation, and the first Bible that was small enough it didn’t have to be chained to the pulpit, and the Bible the Pilgrims brought to America, and all, but even my old fashioned brain can’t process it sometimes.
LikeLike
So right. And even then, the gospels can’t make complete sense to us without the Church teaching (Paul’s letters) because they were written to us Gentiles, instructing us in our new faith, whereas the gospels introduce salvation and then they stop. We are saved by Jesus, absolutely, but we grow in grace teaching (rather than works-teaching, like the Old Testament law teaches). The law was given to show us our sin, and Jesus came to fulfill it and pay for our sin, but now we live in the church age, grafted in to the family of God, but Gentile teaching is still distinct from the Jews and Jewish teaching because the Jews rejected Him. We just have to view the Bible correctly and see to whom each part was written (and remember that we aren’t Jewish!). 😉
(Okay, sermon over. xD)
Basically…the entire Bible fits together perfectly. Which is very good to remember.
I go between ESV (on my kindle) and NIV84 (my paper Bible) and occasionally NLT, because I have a small NLT Bible. I find them the easiest to understand, since they’re written in modern English.
Heh, yeah, 1599 was a while ago, so I can totally understand how it can be difficult to read. 😉 But good for you for reading it!
LikeLike
My point exactly. We have to read the whole Bible and view it as a complete whole in the proper light. You can’t have one part without another, or none of it makes sense.
The 1599 Geneva is really cool and I love it, but yeah, ESV is a lot easier.
LikeLike
Nice post, I’ve often struggled with the same thing- not seeing the Bible as a burden but seeing it as the most important thing we can read! I often find myself opting for my current fiction read over the Bible. And I agree- to grow in falth we really must read the Bible, otherwise how can that faith grow?
Nice post on camp too- as someone who went to camp for several years I agree it’s such an amazing experience and our faith grows there. It can be a challenge to carry that forward into everyday life, and your post really struck a chord. Thanks!
LikeLike
Thank you, Greg!
I totally agree. Fiction can so often seem more attractive than the Bible. But when we think of significance of the Bible – and like you said, growing in our faith – it’s so amazing that we even HAVE it to read at all.
Oh, thank you! I’m glad it resonated with you.
God bless, and thanks for checking out my blog!
LikeLike
Thank you so much for this post. It is a really interesting thing to think about, that the same God we pray to is the same God George Washington, or any of the other people you listed, prayed to. That’s amazing. And even more amazing that that God is so awesome, and so not constrained by our human times.
LikeLike
Thank YOU, Jeneca!
I love to think about that fact, even though it’s difficult to fathom. So true! God isn’t held back by any of our human measures, and His power is endless. Incredible, isn’t it?
Thank you for commenting! I appreciate it. 😉
LikeLike
This is so beautiful how much the Bible fills you! And very mature. XD I always struggle with all the metaphors…gah, I just wish it said things black and white, sometimes. 🙈 BUT ANYWAY. This post is really beautiful and encouraging, Amanda! Go you!
LikeLike
Thank you so much! You’re the encouraging one! 😀
I totally get it – metaphors are really confusing. It’s mostly just reading a little bit every day, for me, and finding a version that makes sense. XD (Oh, and it does help that I’m a pastor’s kid, too. My dad is a walking commentary, and the rest of us just follow suit in my house. 😂)
Thanks again, Cait, you’re so sweet.
LikeLike