Four Tips that Will Help You Read Through the Bible This Year

Happy January 1, 2024! It’s easy to get enthused about new things like an exercise regimen or weight loss…or reading through the Bible, and then LIFE happens.

Yikes.

You can’t walk because you have a dentist appointment. You are invited to a friend’s birthday event, and the only food offered is pizza and chocolate cake. You missed your Bible reading because you overslept and had to dash to the dentist! What do you do?

I won’t address the exercise and weight loss, but let’s talk about getting back on track with your Bible reading. What do you do when you start to feel overwhelmed or that you’re getting behind?

1. Pray about it.
   God wants you to be in His Word, so ask for His help to structure your day. When is the best time to read?
   Ask for wisdom about how you can best read through the Bible this year and do so in a way that is meaningful. Should you listen and follow along in your Bible? Should you just read? Should you listen while you’re getting ready in the morning?
   God will show you the answers to these questions if you seek His face.
2. Keep it a priority.
   Don’t give up. I recently saw a video where a woman asked, “What would it be like if we spent as much time reading our Bibles as we did looking at our phones?” Could we have our Bible open on the counter while peeling potatoes? What about reviewing memory verses as we folded laundry? Could we read our Bible before going to bed? What would it be like if we literally replaced Bible reading for whenever we would have been having “Screen time.” It would take making it a priority! How important is it to us?
3. Don’t fall into the guilt trap. Any time you spend in God’s Word is profitable. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Keep this truth in your heart. If you missed a day, remember that that Scripture is profitable to you! It fed your soul spiritually. It’s not about a race to the finish.
4. Write down at least one thing that you learned about your God from your reading. I heard Chuck Swindoll say, Thoughts disentangle themselves over the lips and through the fingertips.” This is SO TRUE! As you’re contemplating a passage, write down the thought the Spirit of God brought to your mind. As you write, it will “disentangle itself” on your paper! Try it and see!

If you haven’t done so yet, today is a good day to join our group as we read through the Bible in 20204, using The Bible Recap. There’s no better way to reduce anxiety, give hope for the future, and make you stronger spiritually than reading God’s Word!

Happy New Year! Happy Bible Reading!