In the past two weeks, we’ve explored the importance of personal Bible reading and some practical tips and suggestions for how to pursue personal Bible reading with intentionality and effectiveness. This concluding article will finish out our series with some additional tips and suggestions.
When Feasible, Read Whole Books in One Sitting
Obviously, this isn’t always going to be practicable—the huge books of the Bible need to be read like one would eat an elephant: one bite at a time. But what about those shorter units of Scripture, like many of the epistles (some of which clock in at only four or five chapters, and some at just one) and most of the minor prophets? In those cases, there is much benefit to be gleaned by reading an entire book in one sitting, because that’s how it was originally designed to be read. This method of reading a biblical book can yield an increased familiarity with its overall thrust or argument, helping you avoid “missing the forest for the trees.”
There is much benefit to be gleaned by reading an entire book in one sitting, because that’s how it was originally designed to be read.
Relatedly, when you arrive at a postcard-length part of the Bible (like 2 John or Jude), consider limiting yourself to just that one portion of Scripture for the day. Doing this will aid in application, meditation, and retention. Imagine, by contrast, that your normal practice is to read five chapters of the Bible per day, and you suddenly arrive at 2 John. So, for that day, you decide to barrel straight through 2 John, 3 John, Jude, and the first two chapters of Revelation. If that’s your approach, what might happen to all the details of those three short epistles you’ve just read? Most likely, they will get lost in a fog or amalgamated together into an undifferentiated mental blob. Wouldn’t it be better to spend the first day reading just 2 John (maybe several times through) and meditating on it throughout the day? Then you could read 3 John the next day, Jude the day after that, and so on.
Consider Cycling Through Several Translations
No translation of the Bible is perfect. Nearly all of the major, mainstream English Bible translations published today are good and reliable, but each one has its relative strengths and weaknesses. Some of them do a better job than others at capturing a particular nuance of this or that text. So, it may be worthwhile to alternate between several trusted translations each time you read through the Bible. This not only keeps the reading experience feeling fresh, but it also opens up the possibility of receiving insights from the meaning of the original Hebrew and Greek texts that you might have otherwise missed if you restricted yourself to just one translation all the time.
Combine Bible Reading and Prayer Time
If you’ve ever struggled to find something to pray about, combining your Bible reading and prayer time can be a big help. No matter what part of Scripture you read that day, it will surely contain something important about who God is and what He has done. Spending a few moments thanking or praising Him for that specific truth you’ve just read about can be a very powerful way of jump-starting your prayers.
If you’ve ever struggled to find something to pray about, combining your Bible reading and prayer time can be a big help.
The psalms frequently model this approach, as they reflect on previous revelation and then transition immediately into praise and thanksgiving. Notice, for example, how Psalm 8 moves from contemplating creation truth previously revealed in Genesis (“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained,” v. 3) to a conclusion of prayerful and God-glorifying worship (“O Lᴏʀᴅ, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!” v. 9).
Watch Out for Common Hurdles and Plan Accordingly
Certain parts of the Bible seem to be common “stumbling blocks” in many Christians’ Bible reading plans—particular books or sections that people tend to struggle with or give up on. One of these areas is parallel material—books that substantially repeat material from elsewhere in the Bible. The main books in this category are 1 and 2 Chronicles (which largely repeats material from 1 and 2 Kings) and the three Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke (which share and repeat a great deal of material). When reading through the Bible in canonical order, these books can feel repetitive to the point of redundancy. “Didn’t I just read this?” one thinks, as he plunges once again into a record of one of the kings of Judah (which he feels like he has already finished up just a few weeks ago). Jesus’ miracle of calming the storm is an impressive and profound account to be sure, but when reading it (in Luke) for the third time in a row, some begin to find it monotonous.
If this trips you up, why not read the biblical books in a slightly different and more varied order? The particular sequence and structure of the Bible isn’t inspired, after all, so we have the freedom to rearrange our reading order. When I read through the Old Testament, I like to move 1 and 2 Chronicles to the very end (mirroring its placement in the Jewish canon). That way, it is significantly removed from 1 and 2 Kings in the reading sequence and feels much fresher.
When I read the New Testament, I like to divide the 27 books up into four cycles, each containing one Gospel followed by several other books:
• Matthew and the general epistles (Hebrews–Jude)
• Luke, Acts, and the Pauline epistles (Romans–Philemon)
• Mark and the Petrine epistles (1–2 Peter)
• John, the Johannine epistles (1–3 John), and Revelation.
This way, the parallel material in the Gospels feels fresher because they’re not read back to back.
The book of Psalms is another common stumbling area because some feel that it, too, seems redundant and monotonous when read straight through, several chapters at a time, from beginning to end. But keep in mind that the book wasn’t really intended to be read that way: It’s not a continuous account or a single literary unit but a collection of 150 different poems. Most likely, the book of Psalms functioned somewhat like the hymnbook of ancient Israel (and most people would never dream of reading straight through a hymnbook from cover to cover). So, when I’m reading the psalms, I like to read just one per day, alongside whatever other part of Scripture I am reading through at the time.
You may personally struggle with other parts of Scripture when reading through the Bible. I certainly don’t advise you to ignore those parts of the Bible; but are there creative ways that you can restructure your reading to make them feel fresher or more palatable? Maybe you have a hard time getting through the Bible’s genealogical material, or its legal codes, or its descriptions of building projects (like the Tabernacle or the Temple). If that’s the case, instead of getting frustrated with them and giving up on your Bible reading, why not just skim those portions of Scripture and then move on? This suggestion may strike some people as irreverent, but if it enables you to maintain forward momentum and keep up a long-term Bible-reading practice, then it’s probably acceptable to skim a few genealogies now and then.
God’s Word is living and powerful (Hebrews 4:12). It is fully inspired, able to transform anyone who seeks to know Him better. I hope these tips and suggestions will help you enjoy and benefit more from your personal study of Scripture.
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Comments 3
I like your suggestion of moving them around to spread out the repeated sections. It does keep it fresher. It is more important that we spend time in His word hearing what He has to say to us which then waits for us to speak back to Him. Thank you.
These are helpful suggestions in ways of keeping Bible reading fresh and avoiding what could become redundant. I’m interested in applying this approach, at least to an increasing degree. A simple and more logical approach. Thanks for the insight.
This is a really well-written article. I appreciate the effort you put into this. Thank you for sharing your insights!