Can I be really honest right up front? Is this a safe space?
Nervously looks over both shoulders.
I’m not very good at reading the Bible.
Now, let me be clear: I actually read the Bible quite a bit. I work at a church, and considering biblical ideas is something I do nearly every hour. We talk about the Bible all the time. I read books about the Bible. I listen to podcasts from other church leaders. I talk about Bible stories with my kids. I’m actually quite surrounded by the Bible, but the practice of setting aside personal devotional time—meditating on Scripture and allowing God to speak to me through it—is something I routinely struggle to make part of my life.
While I’m ashamed to admit this, I also suspect I’m not the only one. For those of us who work in ministry and have been followers of Jesus for most of our lives, I think our familiarity with Scripture is one of the biggest hindrances to our personal devotions.
The struggle is real
Many of us have read through the Bible many times. We know the stories. We have some of the verses memorized. We know the applications (three of them, stacked in an alliterated bulleted list). We may even be able to recall interesting insights into the Greek and Hebrew and exegetical background. Maybe you’ve had this experience where you start reading a Bible passage, and you fight your brain’s natural instinct to say, “Oh yeah, I remember what happens here.”
Now I fully believe the Bible is “living and active” (Heb. 4:12, but you probably already knew that). When I’m disciplined enough to dive in, read the words with fresh eyes and allow the Spirit to speak to me, I almost always walk away with encouragement and insight, strengthened for the day ahead.
Even with that proven track record, I struggle to make this a priority. Other priorities feel far less forgiving. Meetings. School deadlines. Kids’ activities. Dishes. Laundry. Trying to squeeze in a workout. Sleep? Email. Email. Email.
You know what I’m talking about. Our world is so loud, and taking time to quietly read a book I’ve already read feels nearly impossible.
…Are you still with me? Are you coming to take away my “Christian card”?
Reading the Bible is called a “spiritual discipline” for a reason.
It takes discipline to maintain this important habit. I’ve learned that time in Scripture does not happen by accident. While I have to admit this is still a struggle for me, I have tried a few things in recent years that have helped my journey, so allow me to share a few tips in case you ever find yourself in a similar season.
Refresh your perspective.
Did you know there are around 120 different English translations of the Bible today? There are 85 different options available on the YouVersion Bible app. If the passages are starting to feel a little stale, try reading from a translation that isn’t your primary choice.
If your default translation is English Standard Version or New International Version, flip over to New Living or Contemporary English Version for a bit. Try the Amplified. Or maybe you decide to go really wild and crack open The Message (gasp!). You may not like or agree with how every single verse is translated, but that’s OK. Allow a different perspective to speak to you. You might be surprised how much a different word here or there forces you to consider a familiar passage in a fresh way.
Aside from different translations, I also encourage you to change what kind of Bible you read. If you default to reading YouVersion on your phone, go back to the bookshelf, and grab your physical copy—or vice versa. Sometimes a physical page or a digital screen can also open our minds. You may rediscover old notes or highlights from previous readings that will remind and encourage your spirit as you read.
One more thing I’ve enjoyed: If you haven’t already, I encourage you to try a “reader’s Bible.” These versions take out all of the chapter and verse numbers and many of the headings, so the Bible reads more like a novel. The Bible is, after all, a collection of stories, and sometimes those pesky numbers and chapter breaks (that weren’t in the original copies) can also get in our way.
Our brains slip into autopilot pretty quickly. If your current Bible feels too familiar, try one of these changes to jolt your mind back into paying attention.
Follow a plan.
For the last several years, my church has used Bible reading plans through the YouVersion app to encourage our church family to read the Bible together. If this is a new idea to you, here’s how this works.
The YouVersion app offers thousands of structured Bible reading plans. Some of them take you through the entire Bible in a year, while others focus on topics like love or forgiveness. You can find plans for Easter, Mother’s Day or Thanksgiving, and there are plans designed for athletes, artists and academics.
There are plans for everybody and everything.
These plans follow a checklist calendar format, and each day you have assigned readings to complete. Many plans also include devotionals, videos or discussion questions to consider. These plans offer structure and a detailed plan so you don’t have to start from scratch. And who doesn’t love completing a checklist?
Of course you can go through these plans on your own, but YouVersion also offers a feature where you can “read with friends.” This provides an extra layer of accountability, and it also allows you to share questions or comments on each day’s reading. If you’re interested in trying this, scan the QR code below to watch a video with basic instructions to get started.
Following a plan and opening yourself up to accountability can be crucial in maintaining a Bible reading habit, so give these a try if you haven’t before.
Use new tools (wisely).
This one might surprise you. Hear me out.
A few years ago, once I had started to use ChatGPT on a fairly regular basis, I decided to try to take advantage of it to bring some new life into my devotional reading. When following my church’s reading plan, I would put that day’s assigned reading into ChatGPT and give it this prompt:
“Please give me historical, cultural and linguistic insight into this passage.”
I was amazed at what it came up with! I found this practice to be so helpful to dig into the exegetical background of the text that I had never heard before.
Now, you must take these results with a grain of salt. AI is still not 100% reliable, and I would encourage you to exercise caution. Don’t allow an AI prompt to change your theology, and read with a careful, skeptical eye. If you uncover an idea or fact that seems suspicious, go a step further and dive into a trusted commentary or talk it through with your pastor.
This practice can definitely go too far, but if you use it to simply offer fresh perspective and important historical context, I think this can help make the text come alive in fresh and surprising ways.
Use caution, but give it a try. You might be amazed how much insight you gain.
Remember grace.
As I mentioned earlier, reading the Bible is a crucial spiritual discipline, and spiritual disciplines are tricky. We are “supposed” to do them. The Bible repeatedly invites us to meditate on God’s Word, and we all know we benefit from spending time in Scripture. We know this, just like we know we should eat some asparagus and do a few push-ups every once in a while.
But knowing is different from doing, and actually doing these things is hard in the real world we all live in.
Another thing to keep in mind: God isn’t keeping score. There’s no massive cosmic checklist of all the days I did and did not complete my daily Bible reading. Sometimes an unhealthy focus on spiritual disciplines can lead to a theology of works, where we must earn our right-standing with God.
Our God is a God of love and grace, and that is true regardless of how many verses in the Bible you happen to read on any given day.
And remember: Our spiritual forefathers and mothers had a very different spiritual experience than we have today. For much of the first 1,500 years of Christianity, physical copies of the Bible were incredibly rare and expensive, and a large percentage of churchgoers were illiterate. The idea of every Christian reading the Bible by themselves on a daily basis is a relatively new idea in the scale of human history.
I say that not to give you an easy out or excuse. We need to meditate on Scripture and follow Jesus’ example of solitude and prayer. I bring that up only to remind you that you don’t need to carry regret and shame if you miss a day or two of Bible study. Your salvation is not at risk. We don’t read the Bible to save us, but we should stay committed because it is good for us. Staying connected to Scripture helps us hear from the Holy Spirit and stay committed to spiritual growth, so it is worthy of our effort and our attention.
So to that end, I encourage you to try some of these methods that may or may not be new to you to stay engaged and encouraged, and I also invite you to find rest and peace.
You are loved and treasured, even if you didn’t keep your YouVersion streak active today.
Watch this short video by Matt Ehresman on how to set up a reading plan for your church or small group using the YouVersion Bible app.
Matt Ehresman is the communications and online engagement director at Ridgepoint Church, Wichita, Kansas. He’s been serving at Ridgepoint since 2013. He graduated from Sterling College with a degree in graphic communications and went on to get his master’s in digital media from Regent University. Before coming to Ridgepoint, he worked on a television show for Focus on the Family and in the marketing office at Sterling College. He lives with his wife, Tillie, their two daughters, Heidi and Sadie, and a mischievous dog named Jarvis.
