“I want to read the Bible more, but I’m not…”
Can you relate? When we ask people how often they read the Bible, oftentimes the answer is “not enough.”
If you’re ready to get serious about reading the Bible regularly or find a way to deepen your time in the Word each day – here are 10 practical tips to help you read the Bible more.
10 Tips to help you read the Bible more
1) Use reading plans.
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!” Benjamin Franklin.
A Bible reading plan takes the guesswork out of what to read each day and helps you stay on track.
Check out Bible Gateway for a great selection of Bible reading plans. If you want to read through the New Testament in a year, try the free 5/52 Bible Reading Plan from SGM Canada.
2) Use Bible reading guides.
Stop flipping your Bible open to a random passage, or using a devotional that doesn’t actually help you read the Bible (a verse a day is nice, but if you want to read the Bible, it’s time to actually open it each day! Whether it’s on your app or your printed Bible).
A Bible reading guide helps you work systematically through the Bible, and informed commentary helps you explore the wonders of the Word and apply it to life.
If you want to grow in godliness and intimacy with God, try the Scripture Union printed or online Bible reading guides for all ages.
Take our quiz to find which Bible Reading guide is right for you.
3) Join a Bible study group.
We need the help of others to better see and hear from God’s Word. Bible study with a group of like-minded believers will strengthen and enhance your Bible engagement.
Speak to your pastor today about finding a small group to join.
We need the help of others to better see and hear from God’s Word.
4) Listen to expository Bible preaching.
There are pastors, teachers and authors who you can learn from. There is a great selection now available as podcasts. We suggest you try to listen to expository preachers. These sermons help you better understand a passage of Scripture.
Here is how John Stott explains expository preaching.
“Exposition refers to the content of the sermon (biblical truth) rather than its style (a running commentary). To expound Scripture is to bring out of the text what is there and expose it to view. The expositor opens what appears to be closed, makes plain what is obscure, unravels what is knotted, and unfolds what is tightly packed” – Between Two Worlds.
5) Take notes/journal.
Writing down what you’re learning about God and yourself helps formulate your thinking, clarify the fuzzy, and aid your memory.
Here’s a journaling tip: JUST WRITE. There are times when you may not know what to write – but start.
Scripture Union Bible Reading Guides provide a prompt that you can use to inspire your journaling as you prayerfully seek God’s direction in applying the Word to your life.
6) Slow it down.
The Scriptures are best digested if we “eat them” slowly. Take your time. Listen to what God is saying. Enjoy the moment. Open your heart. Pause to pray.
Avoiding distractions will help with this – check out our post on 4 tips to help you focus during Bible time.
7) Help others.
A deeper level of Bible reading comes when we help others engage with the Bible.
Teach the Scriptures to your children, family, or friends, and you’ll find that it “forces” you to go deeper in your own study of the Scriptures.
See if your church needs Bible teachers for the children! Check out our school of KidsMin for resources and training to help you get started!
Teach the Scriptures to your children, family, or friends and you’ll find that it “forces” you to go deeper in your own study of the Scriptures.
8) Be patient.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and a transformed life doesn’t happen overnight. Changes in your attitude, outlook and behaviour happen indiscernibly over years of reading and re-reading the Bible.
You will discover that the more you read the Bible, the more you enjoy it!
9) Be realistic.
Don’t expect to master the Bible in a month, a year, or a decade. There are depths to the Scriptures you will never plum, mysteries you will never understand, and contents that will leave you puzzled (cf. 2 Peter 3:16). In fact, the more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know!
10) Listen to the Bible
Did you know that it’s only recently that the majority of Christians read the Bible rather than heard it read? Next time you pop in your Airpods, open up your Bible app, pick a book of the Bible and start listening to it (it is a free feature).
Tip: Different translations have different readers and styles – find one that you enjoy listening to and try to listen to a full book at a time.
Scripture Union Canada wants to help you read the Bible more and better! Discover meaningful Bible time with an SU Bible reading guide.
