At Fusion (translation: the Bible study I've been going to this year) last week, we discussed the spiritual discipline of studying scripture. A couple verses stick out to me related to, well, reading the Bible, although there are many more:
Hebrews 4:12--For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Psalm 119:11--I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
A few things stuck out to me about our discussion. First, it was refreshing to hear that there is no right or wrong method to reading the Bible. Just like we have different learning styles and ways to study for tests, we can get more out of the Bible depending on what works for us. For instance, some people try to read through the Bible in one year. While for some this may be challenging and effective, others (myself included) inevitably fall behind on the reading schedule and then feel like we have to catch up. Then, the focus becomes just getting through the readings for the day instead of trying to understand, learn, and apply the scripture. Or maybe we just miss a few days and give up. The same goes for reading one chapter a day or memorizing a passage--when the feeling of accomplishment takes priority over the actual time spent with God, our priorities need some adjusting! So, if one method hasn't been working, try a different way of reading scripture!
I recently finished a daily devotional and am in the process of exploring new ways of reading scripture. The daily devotional was helpful and had a wealth of great thoughts, but I admit that a lot of times I read it because I "had" to that day. While long-term goals that take a lot of daily motivation are good to keep us accountable, I think it's very important to set short-term goals, aka "baby steps," like in the movie What About Bob? Also, it makes sense to set smaller goals in order to be able to see the progress you make if you are able to stick to less-sizable goals. Just like I tell my jogging classes, it's important to make sure the goals you set are both realistic and measurable! :)
So far all this is to say that as Christians, we should be reading scripture on a regular basis. Not only do we need it, we should want to spend time learning and growing through the handbook God gave us! One of the last things I remember from our Bible study last week was that with anything...If you really care about it, you find time to do it. Think about it. Even if I have a super busy schedule, I still ALWAYS find the time to eat, check email, go on Facebook, run, go to class, or do a number of other things that I value as important. If reading the Bible means something to you, you should be able to find the time to read it! This was very convicting for me.
The above link is just something I came across on biblegateway.com. It shows the top 10 most searched-for Bible verses. Enjoy!I recently finished a daily devotional and am in the process of exploring new ways of reading scripture. The daily devotional was helpful and had a wealth of great thoughts, but I admit that a lot of times I read it because I "had" to that day. While long-term goals that take a lot of daily motivation are good to keep us accountable, I think it's very important to set short-term goals, aka "baby steps," like in the movie What About Bob? Also, it makes sense to set smaller goals in order to be able to see the progress you make if you are able to stick to less-sizable goals. Just like I tell my jogging classes, it's important to make sure the goals you set are both realistic and measurable! :)
So far all this is to say that as Christians, we should be reading scripture on a regular basis. Not only do we need it, we should want to spend time learning and growing through the handbook God gave us! One of the last things I remember from our Bible study last week was that with anything...If you really care about it, you find time to do it. Think about it. Even if I have a super busy schedule, I still ALWAYS find the time to eat, check email, go on Facebook, run, go to class, or do a number of other things that I value as important. If reading the Bible means something to you, you should be able to find the time to read it! This was very convicting for me.
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