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How Much Time Should Be Spent Reading the Bible?

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Tim Challies was recently asked a pretty common question:

I was recently part of a panel discussion when a question came up that I have heard various times and in various forms. It goes something like this: How much time should I spend reading the Bible compared to the time I spend reading other books? The question usually comes from someone who enjoys recreational reading, whether in the form of just-for-fun fiction or feed-my-soul nonfiction. He usually finds that he spends more time reading other books than he spends reading the Bible, and this leaves him grappling with guilt.

Challies chose to answer the question with another set of questions that are far more helpful. In so doing, he tries to help us view Bible reading less like “reading” and more like “hearing God’s voice.” When you perceive your time in Scripture as time with a trusted friend and master, it will reshape the way you approach that time.

Check it out!

How to Increase Your Love for God’s Word

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The Bible’s longest chapter (Psalm 119) is all about inflaming love for God’s word. Kenneth Berding recently studied that chapter with a view to synthesizing what the Bible itself says about how to foster love for the Bible. Berding came up with ten practices.

Here are the first five:

  1. Regularly praise God for giving you his Word.
  2. Pray that God will teach you as you read.
  3. Consciously engage your affections.
  4. Think about the benefits of God’s Word in your life. Consider ways God has changed you through his Word.
  5. Connect your love for God himself—including his attributes—to loving his Word.

Berding shows each of these habits from the text of Psalm 119. He then gives 5 more ways you, too, can increase your love for the scripture.

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3 Questions for Bible Reading and Reflection

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This is a guest post by Micah Colbert, who trains African pastors as an international theological educator with ABWE. He also serves as the discipleship and outreach pastor at Community of Grace Church in Buffalo, NY. Micah has written two evangelistic books designed to help Christians lead evangelistic inductive Bible studies with unbelievers. You can find him on Facebook.

If you would like to submit a guest post for consideration, please see our guidelines 

Do you ever pine for that perfect Instagram Bible study moment? You’ve seen the pics plenty of times before. Steam rises off the fresh cup of coffee. Highlighters form a perfect splash of color to augment the mauve leather cover of your prayer journal. And every inspiring devotional thought ends with exclamation points and heart emojis.

a man writing on the notebook
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.com

The reality of Bible study, however, takes a lot more time and thought. Below are a few questions to help you think deeply and reflect faithfully on the meaning and implication of God’s word to everyday life.

What does this passage reveal about God’s glory?

This may be the most neglected, yet vital question we should be asking ourselves every time we read God’s word. The Bible is not primarily an instructional manual or “how to” book, but it is God’s revelation of himself, graciously given so we would know him and the majestic depths of his character and work. 2 Corinthians 3:18 reminds us that spiritual growth happens as we behold in awe the glory of the Lord revealed in the Scriptures.

Every time we open our Bibles, we should come with a prayerful eagerness to discover, ponder, and rejoice in the glory of God. As John Piper notes, “When we seek to enjoy communion with the Lord, we read the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, God’s words and God’s deeds reveal God himself for our knowledge and our enjoyment.”

How does this passage relate to the gospel?

The gospel is the main message of the Bible. In this good news, we discover all that God has done, is doing, and will do for his people through his Son Jesus Christ. Everything in the scriptures 1) shows us our need of the gospel, 2) reveals God’s work for us in the gospel, 3) encourages us to respond to the gospel in repentance and faith, or 4) unpacks the implications of the gospel for the Christian life. We simply cannot understand the Bible if we do not read it through the lens of God’s saving work through Christ!

Jared C. Wilson states, “Everything the Bible teaches, whether theological or practical, and everywhere it teaches, whether historical or poetical or applicational or prophetic, is meant to draw us closer to Christ, seeing him with more clarity and loving him with more of our affections.” Whether we’re reading Leviticus or Luke, we should ask ourselves how the truths of the text point to our need for the person and work of Jesus Christ.

How should I respond to what I have just read?

The Bible is a book to be not only admired, but actually applied to the nitty gritty of daily life. As you read God’s word, prayerfully consider how the gospel-shaped, God-exalting truths you are discovering influence your worldview, values, priorities, activities, and responses to life’s circumstances. Think about what your life would look like today if you lived in the reality of what you’ve just read.

I have found the following categories (and corresponding questions) helpful as I consider the application of God’s word to daily living:

  • Thinking: How do the truths of this text shape the way I view God, myself, the world, and my present circumstances?
  • Feeling: How do the truths of this text inspire greater gratitude, humility, and/or joy in Christ?
  • Living: What attitudes and actions need to change because of the truths I’ve studied from this passage? Practically, what steps need to be taken to live in the light of the truths of this text?
  • Praying: How should I respond to this passage in prayer (or worship, repentance, petition, etc.)?

Conclusion

Ultimately, the purpose of reading the Bible is to deepen our relationship with the Lord. As you read the Scriptures, look for the glory of God revealed in the text. Ponder how the passage deepens your understanding and appreciation of the gospel. Carefully consider how the eternal truths you have just read transform your thoughts, actions, and attitudes today. As you do so, you will find your time spent in the Scriptures greatly enriching and rewarding!

Originally posted on Rooted Thinking on Sept. 19, 2018.

Don’t Drift Away From the Bible

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waterfall

Rostam Torki (2014), public domain

Most people don’t set out to gain fifteen pounds. Instead, their diet changes over time. Candy and ice cream take the place of fruits and vegetables, and the numbers on the scale creep northward.

It happens over weeks, not days. And unless a person is taking measurements, visiting the doctor, or talking with friends about their habits, they might not even notice.

The same drift that happens with diet can happen with Bible intake. And both types of drift can leave us in an unhealthy place.

The Terrible Drift

Those with a commitment to God and his word don’t intend to drift away. But without an anchor, they get caught in the river’s current. They enjoy the breeze, not realizing they’re headed for the danger of a waterfall.

People that drift away from the Bible aren’t that different from you and me. They belong to churches. They have a history of practicing spiritual disciplines. But maybe they’re busy. Their priorities subtly shift. They develop other habits, even good habits like exercise or time with friends. And one day they realize they haven’t read the Bible in six months.

They don’t feel like they’ve forgotten the gospel, but the truth of the Bible is no longer at the front of their thinking. The glory of God is no longer the lens through which they see and interpret life. This leads to a person increasingly turned inward and focused on their own earthly happiness. Externally, they may be pleasant and kind, but their soul is in danger. Blatant, external sins often begin with the erosion of personal communion with God.

Guard Against Drift

While it may seem unthinkable to walk away from God, we have plenty of examples in the Bible (Hebrews 6:1–8, John 6:60–71, 2 Peter 2:17–22). Each Christian likely has a story of a friend or acquaintance who was once near to Jesus and is now in a distant land.

A drift from God often begins with a drift from his word. So, how do we guard against this drift?

  1. Make Bible intake a habit. Humans are prone to selfishness and forgetfulness. This is why we read and re-read the Bible. We need to study it, memorize it, hear it, sing it, and meditate on it. We cling to all reminders of the truth—to see ourselves, the world, and God aright. We cannot find this perspective within ourselves.
  2. Talk deeply and honestly with friends who share your values. We all need friends who care about us enough to know our temptations and triggers to sin and who will ask us regularly—even out of the blue—how we’re really doing. Friends like this will make you uncomfortable and even angry at times. And you should thank God for people like this in your life. Friends don’t let friends neglect the Bible.
  3. Give yourself to regular, corporate worship. It is difficult to hate that which your church family loves. If your church values the Bible—if God’s word is at the center of its preaching, singing, teaching, lamenting, praying, feasting, counseling, and encouraging—this can be a helpful tether. A church that consistently points back to the Bible helps its people learn to live by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).
  4. Pray. None of us, if left to ourselves, are above turning from God. Confess your weakness and your proneness to wander. Ask God to keep you and to give you an enduring love for him. He is a good father who loves to give good gifts to his children.

This was originally posted in 2018.

Five Basics for Building Bible Study Habits

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Matthew Boffey has some important things worth considering as you seek to reinforce consistent Bible study habits.

  1. Know your why
  2. Know your what
  3. Know your when and where
  4. Know your how
  5. Prepare to change things up

I especially appreciate that last point, as even the best-laid plans need constant revision. As boxer Mike Tyson famously said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” I’m grateful for Boffey’s reflections.

Check it out!

Devotion Begets Devotion: Encountering God in the Bible

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Arvid Hoidahl (2019), public domain

The force of gravity that one object exerts on another depends on a few factors: the mass of each object, a gravitational constant, and the distance between the two objects. But in the calculation, distance is in the denominator of the fraction, meaning that, all other things being equal, gravitational force and distance have an inverse relationship. The closer the two objects are, the greater the gravitational pull.

If you have trouble with formulas and forces, picture a whirlpool. A feather caught in the outside of the spinning water starts to move slowly in a circle. But the longer it stays in the whirlpool, the faster it moves, pulled steadily inward and down until it disappears.

A Book Like No Other

The Bible is a book like no other. We do not read it like a biography, a novel, or a textbook. We can return to it again and again with much profit. It is deeper and greater and more wonderful than anything else we could ever read.

Why do Christians read the Bible? If you are a Christian, why do you read the Bible?

We read the Bible to know God. About the Bible, the Westminster Confession of Faith states that “it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his Church” (my emphasis).

God reveals himself! This means that reading or studying the Bible is no ordinary endeavor. We are not reading just for information or even inspiration. We are studying the Scriptures to learn from God, to know and love him. And as we learn from him and love him, this should kindle a desire to draw even closer.

God Entices Us

When we read the Bible, God teaches us about himself. He also shines light into our hearts and convicts us of sin. God shows us his Son and removes the blindness from our eyes. And like many in first-century Galilee, we are eager to follow the Rabbi-King, Jesus.

By his Spirit, God works on our hearts as we read the Bible. He meets with us and entices us to return and meet with him again.

Reading the Bible creates a longing within us for what is to come. When the world seems to be crumbling around us, we have a sure promise that all will be put right (Rev 21:4). And we will enjoy fellowship with God face to face (Rev 21:3).

Additionally, as we read, we see more of what we will become. In all the ways we offend God and our neighbors, we can cultivate hope that these stubborn sins will not last forever. God’s commands are for our good, and one day we will embrace and obey them fully.

Further Down and Further In

If you’ve talked to any older saint recently, you’ve probably noticed they are still eager for the Scriptures. Even after a lifetime of reading and hearing and studying, they are not tired of those familiar words.

The Bible may be bound like other books. It may sit on our tables, support coffee mugs, and sport dog-eared pages and pencil scribbles like other volumes. But what the Bible offers we can find nowhere else.

God reveals himself to us in the pages of this holy book. To the novice and the expert, to the young and the old, God offers himself to those who would take up and read. And as we taste and see how good the Lord is, we’ll joyfully take another lap around the whirlpool, drawing closer and closer to the God who made and redeemed us.

5 Ways to Disciple Your Children with God’s Word

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Though family discipleship is hard work, Todd Hains has some great suggestions.

In family discipleship, we regularly sow God’s Word into our children’s hearts and into our own. It doesn’t take long to drop a seed in the soil, nor does it take long to read, pray, and sing God’s Word. In his grace, God takes our planting and watering and produces a harvest full of the fruits of his word—a harvest of faith and forgiveness and life everlasting.

His five suggestions are:

  1. Read God’s Word with your children
  2. Sing God’s Word with your children
  3. Recite God’s Word with your children
  4. Pray God’s Word with your children
  5. Set a routine of God’s Word with your children

He offers many practical tools and resources to help you in this crucial task.

Check it out!

Advice for Discouraged Bible Readers

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Cindy Matson has some great advice “To the New and Nervous Scripture Reader.” She wants you to:

  • Expect obstacles
  • Don’t get discouraged
  • Play the long game
  • Don’t let resources replace your own direct reading

Here is a taste of her great advice:

Hi Friend,

I heard you set a goal for the new year to read Scripture more faithfully. That’s great! But I was also told that now you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed. You want to be in the Word, but you’re just not quite sure how that’s going to work. I get it; and if I could, I’d like to offer you a couple of pieces of advice. I’m sure I won’t answer every question, and I’m not even going to try to tell you what or how much to read. Instead, let me try to anticipate some problems, assuage some worries, and add a word of caution.

Check it out!

You Better Believe It

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Do you ever wonder if it’s worth it to keep going?

Let’s say you’re driving at twilight, to a place you’ve never been. You’ve gotten most of the way there without a GPS, but you’re not so sure about the road you now travel. Is it worth it to keep going, or should you stop to get better directions?

Photo by why kei on Unsplash

Your college experience hasn’t resulted in the grades or the friendships you expected. And the exorbitant costs only increase. Is it worth it to keep going?

Your career—or perhaps your marriage—has plateaued, and you find yourself doing more of the same, day in and day out. Is it worth it to keep going?

When it comes to the Christian life: This question is a crucial one.

Following Jesus comes with not only great blessing but also quite a high cost. Life is hard, and you have to give up a lot of time and stuff. Is it worth it to keep going?

Over the next few weeks, I plan to do a deep dive into Hebrews 10:19-39. And the main idea of this passage is that ‌you better believe it’s worth it to keep going.

In order to keep going as a Christian, there are three things in particular that you’d better believe, because without these beliefs, you just might end up throwing everything away. You better believe you have a confident entrance (Heb 10:19-25). You better believe there will be certain vengeance (Heb 10:26-31). And you better believe you’ll need constant reliance (Heb 10:32-39).

Why don’t you take a look at the text for yourself in the coming week? See how much you can observe about the commands, the conclusions, and the train of thought. Write down any questions you have, and we’ll see what answers we can get from the text over the next few weeks.

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Build Good Habits for the New Year

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Matthew Boffey has 5 important suggestions for those who wish to set new habits in their Bible reading and devotional times.

  1. Know your why.
  2. Know your what.
  3. Know your when and where.
  4. Know your how.
  5. Prepare to change things up.

Along the way, he offers specific tips for busy church leaders. Perhaps you’ve decided to join our annual 90-day Bible reading challenge. Perhaps you’d simply like to improve your overall time in the Word. These simple suggestions will make a big difference to help you reinforce good habits.

Check it out!