I’ve never really believed in resolutions. I always figured if there was a habit I want to form, I can start the moment I think of it. Though, I do know resolutions can be helpful for people, and even offer them hope after a difficult year. I know it is a few months into 2021, but whether you’re the resolution type or more like me, I want to encourage you to add reading the Bible daily to your habits.

I’m not here to badger or shame you. I really want to encourage you because I know how difficult it is to get into this habit. I was in Bible college for three years and it wasn’t until after I had finished that I began to really consistently read it. In fact, it took me realizing I was deceived with false teaching to understand I needed to prepare myself with God’s word and resolved to finish reading the whole Bible for the first time in my 20 years as a believer.

Part of Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (English Standard Version) If you haven’t already, I encourage you to read all of Hosea 4.

I was being destroyed for lack of knowledge. I believed things about God that weren’t true because I had no knowledge of God…because I was not reading His word.

The most important thing we can do in our life is read the Bible: “But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42, New King James Version) Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear His word. How do we hear the words of our Lord now? Through the Bible.

When I started Bible College, I had no idea why the Bible was valuable. I hope I can help you understand this now if you don’t already. Here are some things I learned that caused me to greatly revere the Bible and desire to read it:

The Old Testament contains types and shadows revealing our Lord Jesus Christ starting in Genesis 3:15, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (ESV)
The Bible contains 66 books, which were written by 35 authors over a span of an estimated 4,000 years. The most incredible thing about this is the whole Bible is coherent and consistent in theme and message throughout scripture.
The Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit. This is supported by the consistent message throughout the whole Bible, despite authors being far apart in time and culture.
All of the books pertain to the birth and life of Jesus Christ. You can trace the line of Jesus’ heritage through the books, all of which contain meaningful and historical knowledge about His ancestry.

Moreover, when you start reading the Bible, your desire to read it will keep growing. I know that despite understanding some important reasons to read the Bible, it can be really difficult to put into practice. Something I want you to remember is that context is super important. This is why you want to read every part of the Bible.

Here are some tips I hope will help if you have trouble reading or setting habits:

Set an exact number of chapters you will commit to reading each day
1. When I was having trouble reading my Bible, I would set my number to three. Sometimes, I would be so engaged by then that I would read more; other times, I would spend an hour struggling to get through it. When you have an end goal in sight, it is easier to commit.
Read whole sections divided by their stories
1. For example, the story of Joseph can be read as a whole or split up into him receiving the coat, being sold into slavery, his time in captivity, and his time as ruler under Pharaoh.
Listen to the audio version
1. There are lots of apps with audio versions of many translations available. Try listening to larger portions if you have trouble staying focused while reading.
Try a reading plan
1. There are lots of plans available online. There may even be a plan included in the back of your Bible. If you’re having trouble deciding how you want to set this habit, this may be helpful because you will simply read what is recommended each day.

Make sure to consider how much time you have. If you don’t have a lot of time in your day, it might be good to consider what is absolutely necessary in this season of life and decide what you can exchange for Bible time, the greatest necessity of all.

If you are struggling to read your Bible daily, please don’t be disheartened. The most important thing you can do is try: “for the righteous falls seven times and rises again.” (Proverbs 24:16, ESV) Keep struggling and trying — I am right there alongside you as I’m sure are many brothers and sisters in Christ.

One Thing Is Needed