How to read the Bible and enjoy it.
Reading the Bible is for many of a chore we do because we know it is good for us, what we should do. Much like when people eat their spinach, iron tablets or go for a morning jog, not for the sheer job of it, but because they understand the benefits that come with doing it. This in itself is not a bad thing. There are many good things we don’t necessarily enjoy but from with we obtain benefits that certainly outweigh the pains and inconvenience of doing something you don’t find especially fun.
With many activities there is not much you can do but bite the bullet and get done what has to done. For instance no matter how hard we try most of us won’t ever find hidden sources of joy in cleaning toilets, but alas, we can’t stop cleaning them just because of that. The Bible is different though. You can enjoy reading the Bible and reap the benefits of doing so. It can’t be like eating vitamins flavored like candy, fun and healthy.
This is not likely to happen if you simply start ranting out words from a random portion of the Bible. If you are an avid student of the Bible you can get joy out of all sections of the Bible, whether it is a list of kings, laws or the life of Jesus. However most of us aren’t natural students and need a more subtle approach in order to enjoy reading the Bible.
1) To start with, make it easy on yourself. Find a passage you enjoy or think you will enjoy. I personally started my Bible reading routine with Acts. It is an action packed book that gives great insight in the early century Christians before the apostasy that followed the death of the apostles.
2) Take it easy, enjoy your reading. You cannot enjoy your Bible reading if it is simply a process of turning pages to earn bragging rights or simply for the sense of purpose of reading the entire Bible. Savour it like you would savor a 184 year old bottle of Champagne. This occurred last month when an elite group of wine tasters uncorked a 184 year old bottle of Perrier-Jouet that was bottled just 10 years after the battle at Waterloo. Those in attendance talk about a reverential silence, and you can bet your last dollar nobody just wolfed the whole glass down, they tasted, savored it, enjoyed it. The Bible is better than a 184 year old type of Wine, it is better than a 3,500 year old wine, it deserves our time and appreciation.
3) Don’t only read it, study it. When you read, ask yourself what it means to you individually, what you can learn from it. Check any words you don’t understand, read it with an understanding of the historical and social context of the time in mind. Check references, Bible Studies and commentaries. Become a Bible student that enjoys not endures what he / she studies.