How well do you read/know the Bible?
Maybe you find it easy enough, reading alongside a online study/book, or a daily devotional, or a commentary.
Or maybe you really struggle with it.
Maybe you just don’t know where to begin.
Or maybe like me, you’re a mix of all and everything, somedays easier than others and some days it feels like taking blood from a stone.
If you talked to me about my bible reading over August I would’ve told you how hard I was finding it, the lack of routine that comes with summer was absolutely killing me and it was affecting nearly every aspect of life. Partnered with my move to England in the middle of September, it felt like my life was all over the place, because it literally was (thank you pals who prayed and walked me through feeling very lost and useless in the last few weeks and days before I moved). I was filled with all these big ideas, “I’m so excited to have routine back in my life so I get into a good routine of bible reading again" and “I’m gonna read the Bible every morning as the first thing I do and I’m not allowed to leave the flat until I do it".
Well we are just over a month in and how am I doing with it?
Honestly, and so so thankfully, better than I’d thought I would be. And the biggest thing that has changed my pattern of bible reading has been to change my pattern of prayer.
Earnestly praying daily (and getting others to pray) that I would be genuinely excited to read the Word has impacted my reading. Before opening the Word, praying that it would drastically effect my life, changing me to become more like Christ.
It’s super hard at the start, it always is, but the more we dive in, the more we learn, the more we understand, the more we want to dive back in, creating a great and encouraging loop.
Have I studied the word at the same time everyday? Not at all.
Have I got swept up in a day and completely forgotten until bedtime (or at all)? Yes.
But I’m trying so hard, encouraging and being encouraged, and it’s working.
Being in a new environment had been so hard. The moment James left after helping me move over, I realised I knew no-one in the city. I knew I was alone but thankfully I didn’t feel lonely.
When I came home (yes I know I flaked out and came home after like 2.5 weeks, but only for the weekend) I was chatting to a friend about having so much time to myself and my genuine response was, “I’ve never been in such a good Bible reading routine in my life.” My life in Belfast was so full and so messy, I wasn’t prioritising my time with God. I’m so thankful for all the empty time I’ve had here so far because even as I know it’s gonna get busier, I know that if I continue the way I’ve been so lucky to be going then the rest will be more manageable.
Personally I love reading the Bible a big chunk at a time, give me book by book, rather than thematically with seemingly sporadic verses. I find it easier to read, following the narrative of a story and understanding it in the context of the chapter and book it’s from.
I’ve been reading Ephesians (10/10 genuinely cannot recommend enough) and it makes it so much easier to start a days study by knowing you’re following on from the day before. Being organised enough to know what book you’re going to read next will also help when you get to the end of one and panic, not knowing what to do next (I’ve done it far to many times and wasted days “looking for a study plan”.
If you’re struggling to know where to start with it. Just read, start at John, or any of the gospels and read about Jesus’ life. From there I can’t recommend commentaries enough, for me, they perfectly fills in all the gaps. I’ve had a few friends ask me for study recommendations or bible plans recently and whilst for some people they’re great, for me I feel limited, if I need to take a week on a chapter because it’s rocking my world, I don’t wanna feel guilty because I’m behind on a reading plan. The more important thing is understanding Christ and falling deeper into relationship with Him.
God gives us the time for everything else, when we first give Him our time.
Busyness is a lie we tell ourselves to ignore things we don’t want to do. Bible reading being top of our lists if we were really being honest. But you can’t go anywhere if you don’t start somewhere.
Being immersed in the Word changes everything.
When we actually read truth we see a greater change in our lives.
We become more faithful in sharing the gospel because we’re better equipped with knowledge to share.
We understand more about Jesus.
We see dots join from things we learn being pieced together.
We see the overall narrative of the Bible in a greater light.
When we read truth faithfully we become more like Jesus.
By: Caitlin Cousins
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