Tips & Tools to Help Bring the Bible Back to Life
Tarah Avery
I used to struggle big time when reading the Bible. Most of the time I was bored out of my mind! And half the time I didn’t really understand what I was reading. I tried all the things – read through the Bible in a year plan, Bible studies (which I actually DO love), reading a chapter a day to create good habits, etc.
Honestly, I haven’t even read through the whole Bible – ever! There are still books that I stumble upon and am surprised to see in that big holy book.
But when I first met Jesus and developed a new relationship with him, I was ALL about the Bible. I soaked in every word I read like a sponge in water, even if I didn’t know what everything meant.
That’s normal though, right? The infatuation of a new relationship? OH, new love.
But what about love that has been around for a while? It’s no longer in the infatuation, “honeymoon” stage.
If you’re anything like me, you may have found yourself reading all the good “Spiritual” books out there while your Bible is just sitting on the shelf collecting dust.
The Bible can be a hard book to pick up and read, particularly if I don’t know how to read it.It can seem unrelatable and some of the ways God acts and the things Jesus says can make me feel pretty uncomfortable. How about you?
It wasn’t until last year that this changed for me. Here are a few tips and tools that have helped the Bible really come back to life:
Find Consistency
It wasn’t until my husband introduced me to the concept of “consistency” that my personal relationship with Jesus began to take a shift. He introduced me to the idea that instead of spending an hour with God once a week (which is what I would usually do), it was better to spend 5 minutes every day completely focused on him.
If you don’t work from home or get to make your own schedule like we do, I would suggest taking 5 minutes a day during your lunch hour to open your Bible, listen to a podcast (Some of my favorites – “My Crazy Bible” by Tim Mackey, “Home Church” by Judah Smith, “Mosaic” by Erwin McManus), read a book on faith (Like “My Utmost,” “Captivating,” ”Loveology,” “Garden City,” “Gods at War,” “The Circle Maker,” “For the Love,” “Crazy Love,” “God Has a Name”), or go for a walk and just talk to God. Tell him about your day, what you’re struggling with, what exciting things have happened. Lay down your burdens or take in the scenery around you and thank him for creating such beautiful works of art.
If lunchtime doesn’t work for you, take a look at your schedule and decide when you will devote just 5 minutes a day. You can increase it from there if you think you can keep it steady. Remember, it’s all about consistency. God isn’t counting the minutes; he just wants to be with you, whether for 5 minutes or 5 hours.
Watch the Bible Project Videos as you read your Bible.
I recently started watching Bible Project videos before I would start a new book in the Bible. What makes this tool so great is that it will teach you the culture of the time and the context of why the book was written. This tool alone makes what you’re reading so much easier and loads more exciting.
Get a Bible that inspires you.
A couple of things that made me lose focus and desire to read Scripture was because I was going through a plan to help me read the whole Bible in 90 days. This wasn’t good for me, because every day became about checking off the box rather than soaking in what I was reading.
And secondly, my Bible was really ugly. This may sound shallow, but I am a person who loves, appreciates, and needs beautiful aesthetics. I wasn’t even excited to open the book because it was just not pretty.
Since then I donated that 90-day Bible and bought a new series called the Immerse Bible. It’s the Bible broken into a set of 6 books. Here are a couple of reasons I am I love with this Bible:
- It’s aesthetically pleasing! To the eye and to the touch.
- Since it’s broken into 6 books, it actually makes me feel like I read more, especially when I finish a whole book!
- The chapter & verse numbers are removed. This takes away the distraction of reading chapter to chapter since chapters can end or begin in the middle of a thought. You may not know this, but almost all chapters in the Bible are around the same length. When the Bible was divided into chapters it was done by length rather than the finishing of a though, point, or story.
All of these things combined have brought back that joy, excitement, and love of reading God’s Word! It’s been so refreshing to actually be excited to pick up my Bible and read every day.
And it only took a little change of aesthetics to get me thirsty again. Feeling stuck like I was? Maybe you just need a little change. You can get your set of Immerse Bibles here.
Know where to start.
Where you start in your Bible matters a ton; it will most likely determine if you’ll decide to move forward or just call it quits.
Did you ever think you could connect with the Bible through your personality?
If you take a look at some of the writers of the new testament, you’ll notice that they each embody a certain personality. And we can discover what that is by their writing style. Take a look:
- Luke (the gospel of Luke) & Paul (the writer of the majority of the New Testament) are head motivated.
- John (the gospel of John & 1st, 2nd, and 3rdJohn) is heart motivated.
- Peter (the gospel of Mark) is action motivated.
Using these examples, my husband put together a customized Bible reading plan just for me! And it was based on MY personality type and how I view the world!
And no, I don’t start in Genesis and end in Revelation. It’s not a cover to cover type Bible reading plan or one that you get through in a year or 90 days – I just go at my own pace!
Want to see a Bible reading plan that fits your personality? You can get your own custom plan here.
Well, that’s it!
I hope those few tools & tips will help you fall in love all over again with your first love.
Comment below and tell me, what has been your struggle when reading the Bible?
All my Love,
