Disconnected with the Word of God?
I have regularly dropped out of self-imposed routines designed to get me reading the Bible more regularly. A consistent daily quiet-time has consistently eluded me. And I've experienced the shame and awkward silence of not knowing answers in Biblical Pursuit. (Do you know who the left-handed judge is? Because apparently it's worth big points).
I suspect I am not alone in my lack of discipline when it comes to reading the Bible. But it's my task as a Christ-follower not to give up in discouragement—again—but to re-engage with God's word. Again.
If you are as prone to the undisciplined devotional life as many of us are—or if you have just temporarily lost your passion for Bible reading—these tips from Ted Seres, national director of the Toronto-based Canadian Bible Society (CBS), and Ryan Rempel, executive director of Winnipeg-based Canadian LifeLight Ministries, might be just what you need to kick-start your re-engagement with Scripture. It's worth it (and not just for those uncomfortable moments around a Christian board game).
Get a new Bible. There are hundreds of versions out there, and maybe you need an update. Rempel (whose mandate is to "...get an easy-to- read Bible into the hands of every Canadian who doesn't have one") suggests asking a friend or someone in a Christian bookstore for a recommendation. "You could say, 'I'm having trouble getting excited about reading, what kind of Bible would you point me towards to get me back in to the Word?'" he says.
Don't forget to donate your older Bible to a ministry that distributes Bibles to those who don't have one at all. (Both the Canadian Bible Society
and LifeLight Ministries offer many versions of Bibles for sale.)
Read with others. Joining a Bible study, with its built-in accountability for Bible reading, can re-ignite a love for God's Word as you study together with other believers. In an international survey on reading the Bible that CBS helped conduct, Canadian focus groups confirmed that young people especially like reading the Bible in a community.
"That was one of the biggest things," says Seres. Teaming up with a new believer who is excited about the insights scripture offers can re-energize anyone's love for the Bible, says Rempel. "It's amazing what's happened to me connecting with new believers. They are on fire for the Word. They read it every day, the Bible is like gold to them."
Change how you read the Bible. If your habit has been to gallop through a familiar passage, confident you know what it's all about (here are those loaves and fishes again), consider changing up how you interact with scripture. Seres suggests trying the contemplative method of Lectio Divinia, a traditional Catholic approach to reading the Bible that involves careful listening to a short passage, prayer and contemplation.
"It's where you let God speak through the scripture, and no one else," explains Seres. If you're not familiar with this approach, Google it for some definitions or find a friend familiar with it. Going back to the basics of inductive Bible study methods (again, a quick Google can introduce and refresh you to this technique) can also breathe new life into your old reading habits.
Re-format your Bible reading. You don't actually have to read the Bible, you can listen to it. "I can't believe how scripture I've learned from a child comes alive just by listening," says Seres. "Remember, the scriptures were written to be read [out loud], people were illiterate when the Bible was written. When we hear [scripture], it's how people in the early Church heard the scripture."
If a CD feels old-school to you, download a Bible reading app (CBS offers one that includes video for some passages) or sign up for daily Bible readings by e-mail, which many ministries offer. "I got myself an iPhone finally," says Rempel, "and it's actually pretty neat; it's a very easy way for me to read my Bible without having to have one with me."
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