Reading the Bible is a duty for every Christian, it should be a habit and one of the greatest joys for the Christian. However, God’s word can be a gift that gathers dust on a shelf and rarely thought of, let alone touched. This is heartbreaking considering how privileged we are in Britain to have the freedom to worship in church and own Bibles. Many Christians around the world face heavy penalties for gathering to worship and could be punished by death for owning a Bible – they long to simply have a copy of God’s word in their hands.
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. (Romans 10:17 NIV)
Despite busy lives, it is vital to find time to read God’s word and when we breakdown how our time is used in an average week this shouldn’t be difficult – it simply requires making some sacrifices. Reading Scripture is an integral part of maintaining a relationship with God, so prioritising this over watching television or being on social media should not be seen as a hardship. Furthermore, we live at a time where the Bible is often distorted, even in churches, so it’s every Christian’s duty to know it well, much like the approach of the Berean’s:
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. (Acts 17:11 NIV)
This infographic from Crossway demonstrates that the reading through the Bible need not be as time-consuming as we may think – You Have More Time for Bible Reading than You Think.
For example, see the table below which outlines the length of time required to read each book of the Bible:
And another one for each section:
We recommend reading the complete infographic on Crossway, but even from these two charts it shows reading the Bible is certainly not an impossible task – it is more a question of priorities. Also, with the way the Bible is often distorted in these end times, there really is a great incentive to be immersed in scripture. Rich blessings await those who spend quality time in God’s word and in many ways, this is the primary way God speaks to us.
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 NIV)
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV)
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