Approaching the Bible – the most dangerous book in history – requires preparing our hearts and minds. This is no small or flippant undertaking. Here are 10 attitudes I find necessary for enjoying my time reading broadly in the scriptures.
1. Prayer. I start each reading session asking the Holy Spirit to show me wonderful things from God’s law (Psalm 119:18).
2. Curiosity. What will I find? What might God show me? I open the book with the attitude of a discoverer.
3. Anticipation. I trust the Holy Spirit to work in my life, in some form or fashion, through the words of scripture, and I ask the Holy Spirit specifically to do so.
4. Hope. If the scriptures are God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17), then shouldn’t you and I hope for good results as we invest time in them?
5. Realism. Change and insight come slowly, often imperceptibly. On rare occasions God shouts, sporadically God whispers, but generally God keeps his thoughts to himself. All the time – every minute of the day – the world, my own flesh and the devil screech and howl, attempting to drown God’s voice. I try to enter my reading times with open eyes to this raging battle, ears cocked for a silent voice.
6. Perseverance. Reading the Bible in a year involves work. Remember, when you’re in the minutiae of instructions for constructing a tabernacle, the payoff of David slaying a giant is around the corner.
7. Trust. I believe the Lord holds good things in store for me as I open His book.
8. Open-minded. Withholding judgement, I fight against shutting down just because I disagree with something I read. The Bible remains potent after several thousand years of scrutiny. I’m not the first to struggle in its pages. I ask the Lord “why?” and “what does this mean for me?” constantly as I read the Bible.
9. Unhurried. Don’t rush. Fight the urge to skim. The words of the Bible are too important, too valuable, too solid, to take at a harried pace. This is my biggest temptation when reading – I’m always forcing myself to slow down.
10. Grateful. People have read the Bible for centuries, raised families in it, and created societies based on its wisdom. Believers enthralled by the scriptures died torturous deaths for translating them, handing me the privilege of reading the scriptures in my heart language. And such a privilege! It’s the most printed, translated, distributed and purchased book in history. I approach my learning with the understanding that saints gave their lives and fortunes so I can sit in my comfortable chair, coffee in hand, and enjoy this book.
I encourage you to join me and make the investment to read the Bible cover to cover in 2021. You can do it. If you spend 30 minutes a day on social media, you can read the Bible through in a year. Start the journey – your soul will thank you.
Ready?
Photo by Luis Quintero on Unsplash
This post originally published December 31, 2020
