Many of us want to read the Bible but struggle with actually making it happen for one reason or another. It’s so easy to give into guilt, overwhelm or simply feeling like you don’t know where to start.
For today’s post in the Shining Like Stars Series, I’ve invited my dear friend Aminata Coote to share her thoughts on this very topic. I pray that after reading Aminata’s words, you will be inspired to get in the Word.
Let’s join Aminata as she asks…
Will You Read the Bible?
By Aminata Coote
Reading the Bible is something every Christian struggles with, at least initially. Something about ploughing through hundreds—alright thousands—of pages is intimidating. Especially with the added pressure of completing all those pages within a year.
So, we cross it off our to-do lists. And pretend to be content with the familiar passages of sermons, daily verses or cute printables. Many of us treat our unread Bibles like a secret sin.
If that’s you and you’ve struggled to read your Bible in a year, I have a few words for you: relax. The Bible isn’t a course work that needs to be completed in 365 days or you risk failing.
God is not standing behind you with his mark book in his hand. He’s a loving Father and he wants you to read the words he has written.
4 Reasons to Read the Bible
1. As women, one of our greatest desires is to be loved
We want to be pursued passionately by our prince. After he confesses his love for us, we’ll live happily ever after. Yet, as much as we crave affection, we seldom read the greatest love letter ever written to humanity.
The Bible is not a bunch of words written in a vacuum.
It’s a tale of the great love that God has for mankind and the great sacrifice made on our behalf. It’s a record of people pursued in love despite all the wrong things they had done. It’s a story about a God who loves us and wants to reunite us with himself.
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:
Jeremiah 31:3
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”
And yes, if we allow ourselves to be claimed by him, he’ll confess his great love for us and we’ll live happily ever after.
2. The Bible is the instruction manual for Christians
As a mom, I sometimes wish my son came with an instruction manual—one that updates with each new age and phase. Then, when necessary, I could turn to page so-and-so and find the perfect answer. A lot of Christians walk away from their faith because they don’t know how to be a Christian.
The world teaches us to look to each other for inspiration and examples of how to behave. Now, that may work for some things, but it won’t work when trying to learn how to be a Christian.
The problem with that method is we’re humans and prone to sin (Romans 3:23). If we’re looking to each other for examples on how to be perfect, we’re going to fail.
If our mentor does something wrong, it will shake our faith. And if they stumble in their faith, it increases the possibility that we will too. Because, we think, if it can happen to her, it can happen to me.
The Bible has lots of tales about people just like us. Some of them walked with God and some of them didn’t. We can learn what to do by looking at the stalwarts of faith—people like David, Abraham, and Mary.
But even better, we have the example of Jesus who was human like us but lived a perfect life. He gives us the power to live as he did.
Tweet ThisThe Bible is a comprehensive textbook that details the path to salvation. It documents the way to live a life that honors God and how to walk with him. And, it tells us the reward for doing so. Isn’t that great inspiration to motivate us to read the Bible?
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
3. The Bible is our weapon against the enemy
The one thing every person on earth can agree with is that they have problems. It doesn’t matter who we are; we’re going to face challenges. Those trials seem to multiply the minute we become Christians.
But, too often we approach our problems from a physical aspect. We forget we’re involved in a spiritual battle. The Bible is our weapon. It gives us access to our armor which protects us from the enemy. It allows us to defend ourselves against him (Ephesians 6:10-18).
Why continue to fight our enemy who has years of battle experience with puny, ineffective weapons? We have a weapon designed to destroy him. When you read the Bible you are empowered as you learn from the One who already won the victory.
4. It’s the best-kept beauty secret of all times
Beauty comes from within and the Bible has a way of changing people and making them beautiful. You see, it’s not the external that makes a person truly beautiful. Yes, there are the beauty queens of our world. But if God’s Word is not an integral part of a person, their beauty is only skin-deep.
Don’t you want to sparkle?
Then get into your Bible, girl. Hide God’s Word in your heart and watch it transform your life.
The Bible is the only book capable of transforming an individual (Romans 12:1-2, Psalm 119:11). We don’t need to read it all in one year. If we commit to reading one chapter a day, it will take approximately three years and 3 months to complete. Isn’t that a worthy endeavour?
Instead of tuning in to what the world has to say or waiting for our pastors to preach on a particular passage, will you take up the challenge?
Will you read the Bible? I promise you, it will be one of the best decisions you ever make.
How about you?
What inspires or motivates you to read the Bible? What gets in your way? Tell us below in the comments and let’s continue the conversation.
Meet Aminata
Aminata Coote is a Christian author and blogger. She is passionate about teaching others how to study the Bible. She encourages women to spend time with God and root their identities in Christ so they’ll be able to focus on running the race God has set before them.
She is the author of multiple books including How to Find Your Gratitude Attitude and Through God’s Eyes: Marriage Lessons for Women.
You can visit Aminata at her website Hebrews 12 Endurance, as well as on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
This post is part of the Shining Like Stars series. Read all of them here.
Good news!
This post has been featured on Grace & Truth. Congrats, Aminata! And thanks, Aimee.
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These are awesome points, Aminata! I have chosen your post as my feature on Grace & Truth. Head on over to my site tomorrow to get the “I Was Featured” button. Thanks for sharing, Marva!
That’s awesome, Aimee! I bet Aminata will be very encouraged.
Blessings to you.
Love this article! It’s so true. I was pleasantly surprised by the last reason, or at least it’s presentation: the best beauty treatment. Love that.
I loved that one too, Ashley. We don’t often think of the Bible in that way, but it is so true.
Thanks for stopping by and joining the conversation!
Blessings to you,