The Bible is the best-selling book in the world and yet the majority of Christians read the Bible only once a week (if that!).
Do you find yourself part of that majority? Do you wish you had a more consistent habit when it comes to cracking open your Bible? These simple tips can help you discover how to study the Bible and stick with it!
5 tips for how to study the Bible
Whether you’re building the habit for the first time or want to revamp your routine, these tips will help you study the Bible with more consistency.
1. Pick a time and place
The first step to making reading the Bible a habit is to figure out where you're going to do it. Pick a time of day when you can consistently get into the Bible. Lots of people choose to start or finish their day with it, reading the Bible first thing in the morning or right before bed. But the best time of day to read the Bible is whichever time works for you!
You’ll also want to find a good place to read it. Make sure it’s a spot where you’ll be able to focus. Keep in mind, there will be seasons of life where focus looks different. Try to eliminate as many potential distractions as possible but give yourself (and others in your household) grace!
2. Start small
While it’s an admirable goal to read the Bible in a year, you may be biting off more than you can chew in this season of life! To study the Bible, it’s about quality, not quantity. There’s nothing wrong with starting small.
Focusing in on shorter chunks of the Bible allows you more time to process what you’ve read. Try setting a timer for 10 minutes and see how far you can read. When 10 minutes is up, go back to the verses that jumped out to you most.
3. Follow a Bible Reading Plan
One of the coolest things about the Bible is that you don’t have to start at the beginning. That’s because the Bible isn’t one book, but a collection of letters, poems, historical logs, and more!
However, figuring out where to start reading the Bible can lead to analysis paralysis! Luckily there are all kinds of Bible Reading Plans that can help you study the Bible based on a specific topic, person, or book. These plans guide you as you read a section every day, and they give you insights and prayers to help you make the most of what you’ve read.
There’s a podcast for that!
If you’re an avid podcast listener, you can use that to your advantage as you study the Bible. There are an assortment of podcasts, like The Bible Recap, that can accompany your personal reading habit and give you a deeper layer of insight.
4. Try listening to the Bible
Are you more of a listener than you are a reader? Try listening to the Bible instead of reading it! On the free YouVersion Bible App, you can listen to an expressive, human recording of the Bible, as well as your go-to Bible Reading Plans!
This is especially great if you spend a lot of time commuting. Why not take advantage of all that time sitting still?
5. Reflect on what you read
When you think about how to study the Bible, consider how you would approach studying for a class or an upcoming exam. You could just read through your textbook or your notes and call it a day – but to really internalize what you read, it helps to write things down, take a practice test, or commit it to memory.
Studying the Bible is the same. You can just open and close your Bible, but the real growth comes when we take time to process what it contains. Highlight the verses that jump out to you and memorize one or two. Write your questions and observations in a journal. Pray and talk to God about what you read. These things can help you get a lot more out of reading the Bible.
Why does it matter if I read the Bible consistently?
The Bible is a tool God gave us to live well and get to know his heart. It opens a dialogue where we can listen to God and respond to him in the way we process what we’ve read and change the way we live. When we work out how to study the Bible and stick to the habit, it helps us get closer to God!
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We’ve made it easier than ever to study the Bible – check out our growing collection of Bible Reading Plans for all kinds of topics and books!
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