Every Christian who wants to grow in the Lord will need to read his Bible daily. Thus, establishing a strong Bible-reading habit will be a very important thing to do.
Reading the Bible is a very crucial element to our growth in the Lord. Through it, we come to know the Lord Jesus Christ and are enabled to grow in Him. 2 Peter 3:18 admonishes us,
"...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
In this article we'll talk about a few ways to develop a strong discipline of Bible reading. Like every new discipline, we will need to give it time and effort, knowing that as we keep going we will soon reap the fruit of our labor.
Here are some tips for developing Bible-reading habits.
1) Establish a fixed time or part of the day to read
Just like exercise, a Bible-reading discipline is best established by consistent and progressive repetition. When we do it repeatedly, we train ourselves to make it our new normal.
The best way to do that would be to set a fixed time to read it, and sticking to it. For example, if you wake up every morning at 6:00 a.m., commit to read the Bible right after waking up every day, at 6:10 a.m.
If you don't have a fixed wake-up time, you can commit to reading your Bible another time of the day. For example, you can read it every night at 9:00 p.m. before sleeping at 10:00.
If fixed time schedules won't work for you, you can commit to reading it at specific parts of the day, not exact time schedules. For example, you can commit to read every lunchtime, or as soon as you wake up -- no matter what time it is.
2) Read continuously
Some Christians have this wrong habit of "reading wherever I open my Bible." Seriously, that's wrong. We can develop the wrong beliefs because of this. Don't do this, friend.
Instead, choose to read continuously. Wherever you end today becomes the starting point for tomorrow's reading. Doing this helps you stay on track. Do keep in mind that the Bible wasn't arranged that way for nothing.
3) Apply what you read and learned
James 1:22 tells us,
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
Paul also said in Philippians 4:9,
"The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."
Obey what the word of God says. Don't treat it like a pocketbook or an inspirational storybook filled with amazing stories. It's the word of God, and it's meant for more than just that:
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
