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- Only 35% of any age group regularly reads their Bible 🤯
Only 35% of any age group regularly reads their Bible 🤯
The real reason we should read the Bible
Perspective frames interpretation. When people read the Bible, they often have an idea of what they want it to say.
The issue with that posture is that we don’t get to decide what the Bible says.
Reading the Bible should more often be from a stance of not looking for what we want it to say but from making room in our hearts to hear what God wishes us to hear — being ready for whatever change He aims to create within us.
It can be tempting to pluck scripture out of context to leverage for our convenience, but that isn’t what God calls us to do when interacting with His Word.
Embracing a closer relationship with God
The point of reading the Bible is to know God. If the time you spend in God’s Word is not drawing you closer to a knowledge of who you're worshiping, then — in our perspective — you may not be accomplishing what the Bible was intended to accomplish.
When was the last time you read the Bible without the confines of a devotional? No study notes, no extra context — though there is nothing wrong with either of those things — simply sitting with the Word of God and letting it tell you what it needs to tell you.
Now, we don’t mean every time you open the Bible, you should be experiencing life-changing cosmic revelations.
However, the chance of experiencing those moments dwindles if your Bible sits covered in dust on your bedside table. On a bookshelf. Under your pillow. In a backpack.
Finding that deeper relationship with God starts with opening your heart, and then opening the Word.
What stops us from opening our Bibles?
Whether we recognize them or not, we all have filters we view the Word of God through. A rocky relationship with a father figure, the struggle to believe God is good even though a tragedy occurs in our life, etc.
These things put a lens over scripture, sometimes leading to a misinterpretation that causes more confusion than clarity, or even a complete aversion to the Bible, as a whole.
Or, sometimes we’re afraid to open the Bible. Maybe we feel unprepared to recognize the truths that may come to light once exposed. Or we’re unsure what to do once we start to dig in — people naturally shy away from change, this we know.
But it’s often the thing we’re afraid to do that must be done in order to move forward and gain a deeper relationship with God.
These reasons, and most likely many more, are part of why the percentage of regular Bible readers among Christians sits at only 35%.
It doesn’t have to be that way — there are ways to break the seal, dust off the cover, and sink into God’s Word without the worries the world imparts onto us.
Action Items:
Let the Bible say what it says
Try not to hunt for specific sentiments that support your exact thought process. Instead, try absorbing what’s actually there for exactly what it is and nothing else.
The simpler the process, the better when trying to get reacquainted with or grow closer to God through the Bible. Make it as simple as possible to get started, and it shouldn’t feel like such an undertaking.
Shake up your perspective and filters
Exploring God’s Word with others helps us look beyond our limited perspective and can support us in moving past hurts and distorted beliefs about who God is.
We’re meant to be in community with one another as followers of Christ. We can help one another unpack what is blocking us from seeking a relationship with God and shake up the filters we’ve learned to apply.
Explore other ways of diving into the Bible
If you’re looking for a more consistent routine when it comes to reading the Bible, there are more options than the classic “read the whole Bible in one year” approach.
You can start anywhere! Yes, it’s important to know how everything fits together, but when trying to build a habit, the less daunting the better. Pick a book that interests you; follow the thread.
You could even easily read the Psalms in a year — that’s only one Psalm every three days.
When we break down a desired habit, it should feel manageable, doable, and achievable. And what better habit to build than one that opens the door for a deeper relationship with — and understanding of — God?