Practical Tips for Daily Bible Reading

Hi, friends. Have you ever felt your toes being stepped on when the preacher talked about people reading their Bibles? Been there. We have our excuses, though. “I don’t have time.” “I don’t need to because I know what it says.” “We read the Bible at church.”

It may be tough to hear, but Christians should read and study scripture, point blank. We must engrave the Word upon our hearts. When I read the Bible, God’s presence feels close, and I am uplifted and empowered.

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4, NIV) [Jesus is referencing Deuteronomy 8:3]

In the last few months, I read the whole New Testament up to Revelation. I wrote a draft of this post soon after I started, and I’m returning to it now to evaluate how helpful these goals were and share this post with y’all.

Set Goals

I realized a big reason I procrastinated in the past was because I had no plan. Set a daily goal for your Bible reading, either in chapters or minutes.

I recommend reading the New Testament then the Old Testament, though I’d still sprinkle NT readings in with the OT readings.  Psalms and Proverbs can be read out of order. [If you read the NT before the OT, you’d read about Jesus first, then you’d see how Christianity spread and evolved, then you’d go back and see how the covenants of the OT led to the NT, observing everything before Jesus with the benefit of hindsight.]

Looking back, setting goals has been a great way to hold myself accountable. 

Find a Take-Away

This tip pertains to the idea of “mindfulness” that’s pretty trendy now. Finding a take-away from your daily Bible reading means making the most of the time you spend in the Word (i.e. not reading robotically). Every time you read the Bible, find an interesting thought or idea you can mull over between readings.

Looking back, this seems like a great idea, but I have struggled with it because I am reading a lot every day. When I read the NT again, I should go slower and “smell the roses.” I recommend marking verses and passages that strike you along the way so you easily look back on them. A lot of people keep Bible journals to reflect on said verses and passages.

Force Yourself

Ah, yes, good ol’ fashioned spiritual discipline. As the Nike motto says…just do it! At the end of the day, almost anything rewarding requires some effort…and what could be more rewarding to a child of God than growing in our knowledge of and connection with Him?

Looking back, I see how spiritual discipline develops as you nurture it. The more I read, the more I want to read. When I got in the habit of reading scripture, I truly began to understand its power.

It’s like a glass of ice cold water on a sweltering day; it’s like the warmth from a bonfire on an autumn night. The Word refreshes my soul.

Thanks for reading! Even when we mess up and miss days or weeks or months, don’t give up–God is good!

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14, NIV)

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