How to Read the Bible and LOVE IT (Are you bored or unmotived to read your Bible?)

Sometimes, despite our best intentions, we find ourselves bored with scripture.  Sometimes it’s hard to motivate ourselves to actually study the Bible.  And yet, it’s God’s love letter to us!  So how do we read the Bible and LOVE IT?

Lizzy was really honest when she shared that sometimes she finds herself bored with a passage of scripture, or unmotivated to read at all.  Let’s be honest: sometimes Bible study is hard.

In this episode, we’ll explore some ways to read the Bible and really love it.  As we fall in love with God through scripture, we’ll find ourselves WANTING to read more, too!

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Here are some ways to read the Bible and LOVE IT.

Read to know and love God.

Pray and ask Him to help you crave, understand, and love the Word.  1 John 5:14 says, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”  The whole chapter of Deuteronomy 11 is full of instruction to God’s people about knowing His commandments – about knowing His word.  In verse 22 we find the phrase, “For if you are careful to keep all of this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and cling to Him…”  We can see that obeying the Bible is directly connected to loving God!  And when we know and obey His word, the Lord promises all kinds of protection and blessing to His people.

When we know Him, we have great hope, because our hope is in Him! In Ephesians 1:17-18(NIV), Paul asks God to help his readers understand, so they may KNOW HIM, as he says, “In order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people.”  Psalm 34 reminds taste and see that the Lord is good!  God invites us, through scripture, to come and listen to Him using all of our senses.  And inJohn 17:8, Jesus – THE WORD – gave us the “words that the Father gave Him.” The Bible matters because it is literally the words breathed out by God the Father, spoken by Jesus the Son, taught to us by God the Holy Spirit. 

John Piper says this in his fantastic video “Do You Enjoy Reading the Bible?”:  “…what comes out of Jesus’ mouth and by extension, out of the scriptures, is designed to cause us to share in the very joy of the Trinity.” WOW!! 

Read to understand.

We’ll find more joy (and we’ll CRAVE IT MORE!) when we read the Bible to really understand it.

Try reading (and writing in) a real Bible and a journal. There’s nothing like having a tangible record of what you’re learning to look back on as you grow through the years.  And you can’t replace the tactile sensation of holding it, smelling it and even listening to the pages turn.  There are lots less distractions, too, when we’re not reading on a device.  We won’t have to ignore notifications or the temptation to click away when we read our actual paper Bible.

Try reading different translations (I love ESV and NASB).  In one Bible study, it became the habit for ladies to share the version we’re reading in studies. 

A note: be mindful of how to choose a solid translation.

It’s important to choose a reliable translation when studying the Bible (see the resources below for help with this!).

Jeremiah 33:3 says “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”  God wants us to understand Him through scripture, and we only have to ask Him for help to do it.  Try using study guides like a concordance, Bible dictionary, or lining up favorite versions side-by-side.  I can’t get enough of my Hebrew-Greek Bible to help me understand the nuances of certain words and how they’re used throughout scripture.

Try listening to the Bible out loud!  Using other ways of taking it in can add to our ability to focus, and play on our individual learning styles.  Moving while you listen can also help you focus, and it can help you find the time you might not otherwise think you have for studying the Bible.  Also, try taking notes.  Many studies have shown that writing what we learn adds to our ability to absorb, understand and remember what we read.

And if you really want to love to study the Bible, don’t rush! Try meditating on a small passage of scripture at a time, over and over, till you really understand it (See John Piper’s “Look at the Book” series and “How to Meditate on a Verse” in the resources below).

Joshua 1:8 tells us to “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do (NLT).”  What better reminder of the importance of meditating to love God through the Bible! 

One more way to read to understand the Bible: learn about the literature of the Bible itself.  Learn about things like descriptive versus prescriptive writings. Study genres, authors, the history of certain passages.  Try looking for themes throughout scripture.  I love choosing a word or theme and looking up all the places it’s mentioned in the Bible – it’ll give you such an in-depth understanding of what God has to say about a subject!  

Read to Be Changed!

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).” 

God intends for us to actually be transformed as we meet with Him in the Word.  One way to do that? MEMORIZE scripture! 

Psalm 119:9-16 NASB says: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. I have treasured Your word in my heart, So that I may not sin against You. Blessed are You, Lord; Teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have told of all the ordinances of Your mouth.  I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways. I shall delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.”  When we store up scripture in our hearts and minds, it begins to change how we think and how we live.

Deuteronomy 11:18-23 was mentioned above; in it, God called the Israelites fix His words on their hearts and minds, to bind it to their doorframes… the Jews took this literally and wore scripture on their foreheads and posted it to doorframes.  What if we took Him seriously and really focused on the Bible at every moment of our days?  How might it change us?

Read often.

The more often you read, the more familiar the order, themes, stories and names will become.  It might be that you need to spend more time in the Word in order for the connections come together.  That’s exciting!

Familiarity breeds affection, fosters craving! (nourishing coaching – recognizing “real food”) It might be that you’re eating lots of spiritual junk food – tastes good but isn’t filling 

Use a tool like a sermon, study, podcast or even movie to JUMP START REAL STUDY.  It has its problems, but The Chosen series – an international favorite tv series – has become popular I think, because in it the people in the Bible become familiar.  Because of the way the writers and producers approach the real-life characters of scripture, they take on a personal quality as we watch the show.  Using entertainment as a jumping-off point can be a tool we use to spur real Bible study.

IMPORTANT: – don’t just rely on a series like this or even a Bible study or one person’s teaching – read the actual book.  My daughter gave me a brilliant idea: she watched the series and then went digging in the Bible to find the stories as God actually wrote them.  This is a good idea because even the best creators are human, and often take artistic liberties as they attempt to present the Bible creatively.

A few more tips to help you make a habit of reading the Bible regularly: Set a time – the same time each day – and put it on your calendar.  Set an alarm!  It’s also helpful if you read often in the same place.  For me, having a Bible study basket makes it easier to have what I want on-hand, with less distraction when I get up to go find my favorite highlighter or post-it-note.  You can also use scent and/or sound to enrich your Bible study.  I love to use an instrumental playlist and scents like rosemary, eucalyptus, peppermint or lavender to incorporate all the senses when I study.

Check out a current favorite resource of mine on managing my time to prioritize God’s word: Redeeming Productivity by Reagan Rose (affiliate link).

Coming to the Bible with the intention to know God and love Him through it, to be changed by what we find there, and with the intention to really commit our hearts, minds, and our time and attention, can change our relationship with God, and with others, in ways we couldn’t have imagined!

Resources:

• How to Read the Bible and Understand It (episode 11 with Jennifer Booth)
• Redeeming Productivity by Reagan Rose (affiliate link)
• My favorite leather wrapped journaling Bible (or this more budget-friendly journaling Bible!) (affiliate links)
• Which is the Most Accurate Translation of the Bible from Got Questions
• Why Are There So Many Bible Translations, and Which is the Best? from Got Questions
• YouVersion reading Plan: How to Love Reading the Bible
• John Piper: How to Meditate on a Verse
• Hebrew Greek Keyword Study Bible (affiliate link)
• Interlinear Bible (affiliate link)
• Do You Enjoy Reading the Bible? From John Piper

Other Posts to Read:

• Reading the Bible as Literature
• My Favorite Devotional Resources
• How to Let Go of Your Fears and Host a Bible Study
• Bible Study Resources for Women
• The Best Tool for Scripture Memory and Tips for Memorizing the Bible
• How to Build a Daily Bible Reading Habit