Resources for Your Bible Reading Resolution

Around this time of year, Americans make resolutions, take goal-setting courses and look forward to the possibilities of a new year.

Along with eating healthier, exercising more, and spending less, many of us commit to “read the Bible more.” But sometime in mid-to-late January, that resolution falls off.

Our inability to carry through on this resolution isn’t because we don’t own a copy.

Nearly 90% of Americans own a Bible and the average household has three copies of the Bible. Yet only 20% of Americans have read the entire Bible, while 53% have read little to none of it. Bibles are everywhere, but Bible engagement is far from pervasive.
 

Is the problem busyness or something deeper?

As leaders in the Church, we want to have a thriving relationship with God’s word and we want those we lead to experience the same. Pastors like myself haven’t helped this situation in how we describe the Bible.

I’ve heard pastors call the Bible “humanity’s owner’s manual.” Who wants to read an owner’s manual?! I heard one pastor repeatedly refer to the Bible as “the textbook for life.” I doubt any of us had textbooks on our Christmas list this past year!

 

The Bible Doesn’t Have to Be Boring

If you’re someone who loves reading the Bible and isn’t put off by the textbook or owner’s manual analogies, then this post probably isn’t for you. You’re going to read the Bible most days in the coming year without any prompting.

I’ve compiled a list of four ways we can engage the Bible which remind us of it’s beauty, accessibility, relevance, and communal nature.
 

Make it portable.

Since its inception, YouVersion’s The Bible App has hung out in the top 100 apps of the App Store on all devices, with nearly 300 million downloads. Along with being portable, the app allows users to explore Bible reading plans, create memes with your favorite verses, and compare translations of the verse you’re studying.
 

Grab some friends and take a challenge.

Have you heard of B90X? Originally launched out of Elevation Church in 2009, B90X involves reading through the entire Bible in 90 days. I took this challenge with a few friends several years ago and it felt more like CrossFit than Bible reading! As we debriefed our experience, we saw things we’d never seen before like the recurring struggles of leaders, humanity’s struggle with intimacy, and overlooked qualities of God.
 

Ditch the verse and chapter markings.

Chapters and verses break up the Biblical text, markings which weren’t included by the original authors. As a result, we rarely read or listen to a book of the Bible in one sitting. In recent years, there’s been an increase in Bible translations without verse markings, including The Message, The Books of the Bible, and the ESV Reader’s Bible.

 

Get to know books individually.

Manuscripts - a fall 2017 Kickstarter campaign - is launching The Bible as Individual Volumes. Their goal includes helping people understand each book as a unique book authored by an actual person, inspired by God, with a unique style and form.
 

This Isn’t a Guilt Trip!

In reflecting on how churches and pastors can help more people turn their desire to read the Bible, Barna’s Roxanne Stone suggests an approach which is also free of these toxic motivators.

“When people go from feeling they should read the Bible more to needing to read the Bible, they find the time. For pastors and spiritual leaders, this means avoiding the ‘guilt trip’ approach—which rarely motivates for long...The key is helping people see Bible reading as essential and not merely aspirational.”

Reading the Bible this year is essential…and far from boring!