Bible reading is about breadth, getting familiar with the whole story and themes through consistent, often faster-paced intake, while Bible study is about depth, slowing down to analyze context, language, and meaning through deeper questions, research, and application. Reading provides exposure and familiarity, building discipline, but study provides clarity, deeper understanding, and transformation by examining what it means, not just what it says. Both are crucial and complement each other for spiritual growth.
Bible Reading (Breadth)
Goal: Exposure, familiarity, seeing the big picture.
Method: Following a plan, covering significant ground quickly, engaging with the narrative.
Focus: What the text says, the general story, recurring themes.
Benefit: Builds discipline and awareness of God's story over time.
Bible Study (Depth)
Goal: Understanding, meaning, application, transformation.
Method: Slowing down, asking questions, examining context (history, culture, original language).
Focus: What the text means, layers of meaning, personal application.
Benefit: Uncovers deeper truths, refines understanding, leads to genuine growth.
Analogy
Reading is like driving through a country to see the landscape.
Studying is like getting out, walking around, and exploring a specific town in detail.
Conclusion
She Shall Be Called says, "Reading gives you the breadth of God's Word, while studying provides the depth". You need both to be well-nourished; you can't effectively study without reading, but reading alone may not yield deep understanding

Why You Need Both Bible Reading and Bible Study in Your Life

As a believer, one of the most transformative habits you can develop is immersing yourself in God’s Word. But here’s the thing: there’s a difference between reading the Bible and studying the Bible. Both are vital, but they serve different purposes and meet different needs in our spiritual growth. Let me explain.

Bible Reading vs. Bible Study
Bible reading is about exposure—it’s how you take in the whole story of Scripture, understanding how God has worked throughout history and what His Word actually says. It’s not about pausing to analyze every verse; it’s about letting the narrative flow so you see the big picture.

Bible study, on the other hand, is about depth. It’s where you park in one place, dig into context, history, and meaning, and reflect on how to apply God’s truth to your life. Where Bible reading helps you know what Scripture says, Bible study teaches you what it means and how to live it out. Both are crucial, but they require different approaches.

How I Approach Bible Reading
At the start of each year, I like to kick things off with a locked-in, no-nonsense Bible reading plan. For me, those “Bible-in-a-year” plans don’t quite fit. I don’t want to breeze through the text just to check a box. Instead, I usually commit to a focused 30, 60, or 90-day reading plan, where I read through the entire Bible in a shorter time frame.

The goal here isn’t in-depth study but to grasp the whole story—the overarching narrative of God’s redemptive plan from Genesis to Revelation. This big-picture reading helps me better understand how all the pieces of Scripture fit together. During my time of general reading, I like to use a translation like the NLT (New Living Translation) because it’s easier to process and allows me to focus on the flow of the text without getting bogged down in details.

My Approach to Bible Study
Once I’ve completed my reading plan, I shift gears and spend the rest of the year diving deep into specific books of the Bible. This is where I get out my study tools: commentaries, lexicons, cross-references, and a journal. I might spend months camped out in one book, dissecting it line by line.

For example, studying Galatians for weeks has shown me the richness of Paul’s teaching on grace and freedom in Christ. It’s during these times of study that I wrestle with tough passages, ask questions, and seek to understand the deeper meaning of the text.

Why Both Are Essential
Bible reading and Bible study aren’t interchangeable—they complement one another. Reading gives you the breadth of God’s Word, while studying provides the depth. Together, they give you a solid foundation for understanding Scripture and applying it to your life.

As Ephesians 6 tells us, the Bible is our sword—a tool for defense and offense in spiritual battles. But here’s the catch: you can’t wield a sword you don’t know how to use. If you only read the Bible without studying it, you might miss key truths or misunderstand passages. If you only study without reading, you lose the beauty of seeing how all of Scripture connects.

How This Shapes Your View of God and the World
Regular Bible reading and study shape the way you see everything: God, people, life, and even yourself. You begin to develop a biblical worldview, seeing things through the lens of God’s truth instead of the culture’s ever-changing ideas.

God’s Word is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12). Reading it gives you the spiritual nourishment you need daily. Studying it helps you grow in wisdom and discernment, equipping you to navigate life with grace and truth.

A Challenge for You
If you’ve never done a focused Bible reading plan, start there. Pick a time frame that works for you—30, 60, or 90 days—and commit to reading through Scripture. After that, choose one book to study deeply. Take your time, ask questions, and let God’s Word transform your mind and heart.

This isn’t about checking off a spiritual to-do list. It’s about drawing nearer to God, knowing Him more deeply, and learning how to live in a way that honors Him. Make this year the year you dive into God’s Word like never before. You won’t regret it

Reading Vs. Studying the Bible
There are two different ways you can break up your time spent in the Bible. They are reading and studying. You might be thinking those are the same thing, but they are actually very different. Today, I would like to share with you what it means to read the bible, versus what it means to study the Bible.

First, let’s start with reading the Bible. When reading the Bible, the goal is familiarity with the text and understanding what you are reading and how it fits into the bigger picture of Scripture. You will probably want to read larger chunks, from 2-3 chapters to complete smaller books of the Bible to see how it flows. The purpose of this is not to understand 100% of what is there, but instead to get familiar with the way that the story is being told, the main details, and how that story fits into the larger story of the Bible.  Reading plans that are one year or less are usually for the purpose of reading the Bible instead of studying it. I like to read through the Bible at least once a year, and in the past few years I have done this chronologically, or in the order that the events actually happened, instead of cover to cover. I have included a link to a chronological reading plan in the show notes below.

On the other hand, Studying the Bible is different. You can spend as little or as much time as you like studying a specific chapter of the Bible and keep learning more and more as you do. This is where you would dig deeper and ask more questions of the text. What is the key theme of this section? Why did the author put these two thoughts together? Why is this repeated? How does this compare to other sections of Scripture? Studying the Bible can be more complex, but helps develop a greater understanding of God’s Word.

I like to think of it like visiting the Grand Canyon. Reading the Bible is like looking out across the canyon from the Rim, and getting to see the big picture of the Bible from the top. Where studying the Bible is more like hiking through the canyon and seeing the terrain changes, and how each part fits together on a more intimate level. Both are valuable and need each other to get a complete picture.

Most days, my personal Bible time is spent reading the Bible. I save one or two days a week to go deeper. You will want to find a rhythm that works for you.

When you are just starting out, either reading or studying, look for a guide. A reading plan is a great guide to help you with reading the Bible. To get started with studying the Bible, a great resource is the Deep Dive Scripture Journal. This journal asks basic questions to help you dive in and really study the Bible.

The Difference Between Studying and Reading the Bible

March is a special month for us as it marks the beginning of our Give a Bible campaign. Every day, through our work, we meet men, women and children who have never seen or touched a Bible before, let alone learned of or read the scriptures. The moment when they open a Bible written in their language, they start to know that they are a beloved child of God. There is a huge difference in hearing that you are loved, and reading it for yourself.

As we deliver Bible’s to people in villages, communities, and cities around the world, we are reminded of how important it is to read and study the Bible. Many believe that reading and studying the Bible are the same thing, but they are two very different ways of learning more about the Bible and the full importance of God’s Word.

Studying the Bible

Studying the Bible is our chance to dig deeper into the scriptures and be a witness to the greatness of God. Through studying and reflection, we can begin to understand the history of Christ and the importance of each event that is written in the books of the Bible. As we study the Bible, we begin to identify the things that we do not understand and give ourselves the opportunity to dig deeper, whether it be through personal reflection or through a group discussion.

Reading the Bible

Reading the Bible gives us the chance to intimately connect with God and take in His glory and goodness. When reading, we can reflect on the words that He is saying and learn from the stories of the followers of Christ. When we study the Bible, we tend to get so caught up in family lines and historical facts that we lose the intimate message of the Bible. Reading can lead to studying the Bible, but by reading the Bible first, we can take in what God is trying to say and know how to approach each chapter and verse.

To read the Bible and to study the Bible are both important to fully understand who God is, as well as the magnitude of His greatest gift of all; giving His son to die on the cross for our sins. As we read and study the Bible, we must remember that God wants us to learn more about Him and find understanding, peace, and grace every single day.

To stay consistent with Bible reading, create a specific plan with a set time and place, use a reading plan to guide you (like one chapter a day), pray for understanding, minimize distractions, find an accountability partner, and consider audio Bibles or podcasts for flexibility, remembering that consistency means making space for God daily, not perfect identical routines.
1. Plan & Routine
Schedule it: Treat it like an important appointment by picking a consistent time and place, even if it's just 15 minutes.
Use a Plan: Follow a structured Bible reading plan (like through the New Testament or Psalms) to remove the guesswork.
Start Small: Focus on one chapter at a time to avoid burnout, not whole books.
2. Engage & Understand
Pray First: Ask for understanding before you read, as the Bible is Spirit-inspired.
Journal: Jot down key takeaways and how to apply them to your life.
Meditate: Spend time thinking about what you've read, summarizing it, and finding life lessons.
Try Different Versions/Audio: Use a modern translation or an audio Bible if traditional reading is difficult.
3. Stay Motivated
Minimize Distractions: Find a quiet spot or put your phone away.
Get Accountable: Tell a friend, spouse, or small group your goals.
Be Flexible: Consistency isn't perfection; listen to audio Bibles in the car or read while kids play, focusing on the principle of meeting with God daily.
Reward Yourself: A small incentive for reaching a goal can help build the habit.

How to Start Reading the Bible Every Day & Stick With It
Follow these seven tips for nurturing a daily devotional time with God.
Ken Braddy

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So you'd like to begin spending time with God daily?

It's a noble goal and one that every Christian should strive for. Perhaps you just made a personal resolution or you just had a spiritual mountaintop experience and you want to fan the flame of passion you feel for God and His Word.

Whatever it is that has moved you to act, you'll have a better chance of developing a daily habit of time with God if you follow these seven tips for nurturing a daily devotional time with God.

1. Pick a time for your devotional reading.
Make it a priority by calendaring it as you would any other important meeting. We set appointments for much less important things like oil changes, haircuts, and lunches. How much more important is it to have a daily time with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? The Creator is available to meet with you ... are you ready to meet with Him? Set a specific time to meet with Him daily and stick to it.

2. Pick a place for your devotional reading.
I have a favorite recliner in my home ... it's "mine." I love to begin my day by sitting in this particular chair with my Bible near me, my copy of Stand Firm (a men's devotional), and a cup of coffee. I find that meeting with God in the same place each day is helpful and helps me to build memories of what God says during my daily devotional time with Him.

3. Pick an accountability partner.
When you are trying to establish a new habit, it helps to have someone hold you accountable. I want one or two people to have permission to ask me how my daily devotional time is going, what God is saying to me, and whether or not I'm keeping my appointments with God.

4. Tell others.
Let your Bible study group, spouse, close friend, or children know what you are about to attempt. It is amazing how much more devoted you will be to having a devotional time with God when you know others are watching you to see if you are really serious about it.

5. Don't skip a day.
This is not to be legalistic, but to make sure that you don't give yourself an "out." If you choose to have your daily devotional time early in the morning, say 6 a.m., you know that you can't do it if you keep hitting the snooze button on your alarm clock. You may be tempted to skip a day and spend extra time with God the next day, but making up lost time rarely happens, and once time is lost, it's lost. Don't talk yourself out of meeting with God, and don't give yourself permission to skip a day. Do a Google search on creating habits and you'll find plenty of evidence that repeating a habit 21 to 28 days in a row is significant in forming an ongoing habit. Some people may need a little longer than that, but the point is, be consistent and don't skip a day.

6. Reward yourself.
While meeting with God is its own reward of course, consider giving yourself small incentives for consistently having your daily devotional time. For instance, at the end of your first seven days of consistently meeting with God, take yourself out for coffee or a special dessert. Do something like this at the end of each week, and perhaps build up to something big, like buying yourself a new Bible that will become a part of your daily devotional time, and a reminder of your commitment to meeting with God.

7. Persist.
Let's face it, our schedules are busy and we lead "time compressed" lives. If you do miss a daily devotional time, don't give up and count yourself a failure. Forgive yourself, recommit, and begin again. Don't stop having a daily devotional time. That's exactly what the enemy would like you to do ... so don't.

Beginning a daily devotional time with God can truly be a life-changing experience. You have every possibility of growing closer to the Lord than ever before as you get to know Him through prayer and the reading of His Word. Your time with God will be motivated by your deep love for Him and the grace He has poured out on your life, not just keeping an appointment so that you can check a box. Allow yourself to experience the blessings of spending time with your Savior and allow Him to transform your heart so that you reflect the image of Christ to others in your family, neighborhood, and workplace.

Help! I Can’t Stay Consistent with My Bible Reading

A Daily Staple
Right now I have one breakfast food: oatmeal and almond butter. This is pretty much what I eat every morning—or at least, every morning where I have time between waking up and making the two-minute trek to work from my room.

To be sure, it can get a little boring. Of course, I would rather have pastries with my morning coffee. But I know that not only will the oatmeal give me the energy I need for the next few hours of work, both my body and my bank account will be healthier in the long run.

Why Daily Bible Reading Is Important
Like the oatmeal, daily Bible reading can get boring—and hard to make time for. You might even wonder, Is it really necessary to read the Bible every single day? It’s not like you’re going to remember every one of those devotional times. Some days are more striking than others, but mostly they go by one after another, blending together into a kind of blur. Sometimes it’s tempting to skip the daily practice of Bible reading in favor of something that seems like it will create a more vivid or powerful experience.

However, sanctification doesn’t generally happen in leaps and bounds. It’s a constant, daily and hourly process of God working in us, and one of the biggest ways he works is through his word. We can’t always tell that it’s happening—sometimes our Bible reading seems boring or pointless or even fruitless. But God’s word does not fail in its purpose (Isa. 55:11). He is working in and through that daily, faithful, consistent discipline. Like eating oatmeal instead of pastries for breakfast, it will have powerful effect in the long term—even if it’s hard to see in the moment.

The Obedience of Meditation
The daily practice of reading and studying God’s word is also a means of obedience to God. Scripture is replete with commands and exhortations to meditate on God’s word at all times (Deut. 6:6-9; Ps. 119:15-16). Daily Bible reading is one simple, obvious means to this end. Where Scripture memory engrains a few verses into your mind and heart, and in-depth Bible study dives deep into a text, Bible reading allows you to move through entire books more quickly and see the bigger picture of God’s character and his plan of redemption.

Transformed by Truth
Transformed by Truth
Katherine Forster
This book outlines a clear, robust method of Bible study for teenagers to use every time they open the Bible so they can discover God’s truth for themselves.

There’s a caveat here: it’s all too easy to get tied up in the forms of a discipline and forget its purpose. Reading the Bible for thirty minutes (or even an hour) every day does not save us. In itself, it’s not even what sanctifies us—that takes the Spirit applying the truths we read to our hearts. A form, such as daily Bible reading, is helpful and important. However, our focus is not to be on the act of Bible reading, but on the God we’re reading about.

There will be seasons in our lives where we are unable to read the Bible every day. Maybe it’s due to sickness or emergency, or it might be merely a (God-ordained and necessary) busy season where there is literally no time to read the Bible. When these times come, we have to recognize them as God’s providence—that he hasn’t allowed us to partake in this practice right now. It’s not an occasion for guilt, but for clinging more closely to him. Meditating on his word is going to look different during this season—maybe it looks like stealing five minutes between classes to memorize a verse of a psalm or listening to an audio Bible in the car.

May these times only strengthen our dependence on God and out desire for his word, and when we are again able to read it every day, may that discipline be all the sweeter.

Spiritual Strategization
Our motivation for reading the Bible should be a desire for God and his word. However, the beauty (and difficulty) of daily Bible reading is that we do it even when the desire isn’t there, trusting that God will provide it. What’s more, even when the desire is there, the world and the devil and our own sin nature will conspire to keep us from it, whether through lack of sleep, smartphones, or sudden crises.

Thus the necessity for some common sense in forming and keeping this habit—some spiritual strategy, if you will.

Sanctification doesn’t generally happen in leaps and bounds. It’s a constant, daily and hourly process of God working in us.


I’m well aware of the irony in my writing this article at this moment (I suppose God has a sense of humor, or maybe it’s just conviction). The last few months have seen me at perhaps my least consistent when it comes to the discipline of Bible reading. Most of these strategies, then, are those I’ve learned the hard way—and find myself needing to re-implement again now.

Find a time. If I don’t make Bible reading a part of my daily routine, it just doesn’t happen. I have to tie it to some concrete part of my schedule, something that is (God-willing) always going to happen, like waking up in the morning or eating dinner.

The important thing is to find a time you know will work—and that time may change from one season to the next. During some semesters I’ve been able to get up early and do it before breakfast. But eventually, I get to the point where sleep is the all-important thing and I never get up more than fifteen minutes before I need to be somewhere. At that point, after dinner is the best option.

Phones off (or on Do Not Disturb). My phone is usually the biggest culprit for time-wasting. I usually can’t turn it all the way off (or leave it in my room, if I’m using the school prayer chapel) due to practical reasons. However, I can leave it in my backpack and put it on the Do Not Disturb setting.

If you’re worried about missing important calls, you can set some of your contacts as “favorites,” so their calls can still come through (the internet says this works on both Android and iOS, although I’ve only tried it on the latter).

Find or create accountability. This could look like the traditional accountability partner approach, but it doesn’t have to. If I’ve told my roommate or a close (Christian) friend, “I try to do my devotions after dinner,” then if I go somewhere with them right after dinner, they’ll know I’m going back on my word. Often that’s enough positive peer pressure to keep me accountable.

Similarly, if a friend asks about my plans for the evening, it might be appropriate to say, “Well, first I’m doing my devotions.” It feels odd at first, especially if you’re worried about being thought pharisaical; but if it isn’t done with self-righteous intent, the openness can be helpful in setting boundaries to protect that time of prayer and Bible reading.

The discipline of daily Bible reading is a combination of desire and what my theology professor calls “sanctified common sense.” Desire drives us to read the word—and common sense drives us to strategize and form habits that will keep us reading it even when the desire isn’t there. But in all our strategizing and habit-forming, let’s not forget the ultimate reason we read the Bible. It’s not to gain extra favor with God or others, but rather to immerse ourselves in the life-giving words of God. This is where the Spirit works to convict, comfort, and transform us more into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

Seven Keys for Effective and Consistent Bible Reading
Seven Keys for Effective and Consistent Bible Reading
By Dan Franklin

Consistent personal Bible reading is one of the most important and meaningful ways for believers to draw close to God. Through God’s Word we see His heart, we hear His voice, and we receive His guidance. Without God’s Word we are left to wander on our own, doing our best to try to figure out God, life, decisions, and the world.

Most Christians will agree on the importance of reading the Bible, and yet a huge number of Christians struggle to read with any consistency. We are too busy. We aren’t sure how to do it right. We don’t get anything out of it. We have tried, but it didn’t take. How is it that something we believe to be so important is something that we so rarely do?

There are no magic tricks when it comes to consistent Bible reading. That said, there are some ways that we can approach Bible reading that will help us immensely. In this post, I will highlight seven keys to effective and consistent Bible reading.

Have a Plan

People who successfully lose weight and get into shape do so by having a plan. They don’t come to the breakfast table and say, “What should I eat today?” They don’t show up at the gym and say, “I wonder what exercise I should do?” They find success when they plan in advance. They get certain groceries and plan out healthy meals. As soon as they arrive at the gym they start into their stretches and then their cardio and then their weights. If you are cultivating new habits, it is unrealistic to do so without a plan.

If you want to read the Bible consistently, have a plan. Don’t wake up and then decide whether or not to read. Decide in advance when and where and what you will read. Pick a time, pick a place, and pick a reading plan. At LBF Church we put out a new Bible Reading Plan every three months. This is not because our plan is the only good plan. It is simply because having a plan is better than not having one. Plan to read through the whole Bible in a year. Plan to read the Gospel of John one chapter per day. Plan to read through the Psalms, three at a time. There are plenty of good plans. Choose one. Don’t simply hope that you stumble into good habits. Make a plan in advance so that each day you are simply living out your plan.

Read a Unit

I know some people who, for their Bible reading, simply open up their Bible and then read a specific verse at random. While God is certainly able to work through this method, I would not recommend it. First of all, I already advocated for a plan. Second of all, don’t simply read one verse or a couple of verses. Read an entire unit. When we read books and articles, we usually don’t stop in the middle of the author’s thought. We read a whole chapter, or at least a whole paragraph. That way we get the author’s complete thought.

When reading the Bible, read a complete thought from the author. This often means reading an entire chapter. If not a whole chapter, however, this probably means at least that we read an entire paragraph. This allows us to experience the context and flow of the passage, instead of just looking at one verse out of context. When you read an entire unit, you are reminded that the Bible is not a magic book with spells and tricks. It is literature. It is a God-inspired book that is written with human methods. Read the whole psalm. Read the whole chapter. Read the whole thought. Read the whole unit.

Read for a Message, not for Nuggets

When I was growing up, I heard a lot of people talk about “nuggets” that they picked out of their Bible reading. They meant that they were treating their Bible reading as if they were panning for gold. Much of what they read did not connect with them, but then they would seize upon one meaningful part of the passage, and they would take that away as God’s message to them. Again, God certainly works through this method, but I don’t recommend it. We are not panning for gold when we read Scripture. It is all gold! We are not called to sort through the meaningless parts in order to find something valuable. It is all God’s Word!

Inspired of panning for nuggets of gold, read for the author’s message. When you read a psalm, it is surely a good thing if you pick up a specific point that is meaningful to you. However, it is a much better thing if you pick up on the author’s message. If you read an entire unit, and you look for the author’s message—his main point—you will be gaining deeper insight into God’s message through His Word.

Look for the Intended Application

Scripture is meant to impact our lives. This means that we read passages in order to look for practical applications for our lives. Look for how God is calling you to think, how He is calling you to act, and how He is calling you to change your behavior. If we read an entire unit, looking for the author’s meaning, then we will be much more likely to come across the way that God intends for us to apply His Word to our lives. Don’t read while trying to generate application for your life. Read the Bible looking for how the author of that particular passage intends for his readers to apply the passage.

Incorporate Prayer

Don’t simply read the Bible in order to gain knowledge and understanding. Read the Bible in order to draw close to God. Being your Bible reading time in prayer, asking God to guide you and to open up your heart to what He is going to say. Pray along with way, giving thanks and asking for understanding. And pray afterwards, asking for God to lead you as you look to live in light of what He has said.

Use Resources

The Bible is not an easy book to read. It was written long ago in foreign countries and in different cultures. There is no shame in using resources for help. Use a study Bible or commentaries or a Bible program. Get help in understanding what confusing verses mean. None of us is equipped to read the Bible and understand everything without help. Avail yourself of the great resources that have been passed along to us by men and women who labored over God’s Word.

Persevere

The person looking to lose weight and get into shape will not do so in a week. They will do so through persevering. Don’t simply read the Bible and expect it to be easy. Persevere. Persevere when you’re tired. Persevere when you don’t feel like reading is making any difference. Persevere when you’re busy. Persevere because you trust that God will not allow His Word to come back to Him without accomplishing what He intends. Don’t give up. Read the Bible consistently is something that you will never regret. It is worth your perseverance.
If you’re interested in growing in the area of personal Bible reading, sign up for a four-week class called How to Read Your Bible. The class begins on Tuesday, April 25th. Sign up here.

14 Ideas to Make Your Bible Reading More Consistent

For many Christians, reading the Bible consistently is a challenge.

In 2017, the American Bible Society reported that only 20% of Americans read their Bibles at least four times each week. This means that 80% of Americans read Scripture less frequently than that, if at all.

But God says his words are like food—“Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3). And no human can survive without food. If we’re not eating, we starve.

And if we aren’t feeding on God’s Word consistently, so will our souls.

Read Your Bible, Feed Your Soul
When our newborn baby entered the world, everything changed—especially our sleep patterns. There were mornings when my husband and I struggled to peel ourselves out of bed to meet with the Lord in his Word. But the struggle was worth it. Most mornings, we fought the temptation to keep sleeping (only by God’s grace) and were grateful we did, as it meant starting our day in communion with him through Scripture and prayer.

It meant feeding our souls.

Hearing God speak through our Bibles was a game-changer for us:

He hid his Word in our hearts and would bring it to mind by his Spirit.
He renewed our minds, setting them on eternal matters, and gave us eyes to see through this perspective moment-by-moment.
He gave us his armor to help us fight sin and temptation.
He reminded us that Christ is our highest joy and our most valued treasure.
I’ve heard it said, you don’t remember every meal you’ve eaten, but the meals you’ve eaten have sustained you. We may not recall every Scripture we’ve read, but God sustains our trust in him as we choose to consistently feed on his Word.

14 Ideas to Make Your Reading More Consistent
There’s no one way to open Scripture—everybody’s devotional time will look different—but there is a right way to pursue it: consistently.

As you seek God in his Word, begin by asking him to give you an ever-deepening desire for this pursuit. Call on him to help you put away the distractions of tiredness, tasks, and trivialities. Plead with him for eyes to see the glory of Christ in Scripture, and for ears to hear the good news of the gospel in everything you read.

Then, commit to reading every day—even if only for five minutes at first—and pursue specific ways to make this reading a habit. Here are several ideas for you, in no particular order:


1. Put your phone away!
Our phones are wonderful tools, but can be incredibly distracting. Leave your phone in another room while you read so you aren’t tempted to check messages or scroll social media.

2. Get a new Bible.
A brand new Bible can be a great motivator to build a reading habit. With clean pages, you have a fresh template on which to mark up passages, take notes, and apply what you read.

3. Use helpful tools.
On a similar note, helpful tools can also motivate regular reading. Bleedless pens (like Micron), colored pencils, commentaries, Scripture journals, and Bible software (like Logos) promote active reading.

4. Schedule it.
Scheduling your Bible reading can seem cold and heartless. But don’t we schedule what’s important to us, like family outings, dates with our spouses, and our kids’ school events? Our delight in people motivates this—how much more our delight in God? Schedule your Bible reading time as a divine appointment you don’t want to miss.

5. Read in the same place every day.
A habit sticks the stickier we make it, so choose one location for your Bible reading. For me, this is the couch in our living room. Perhaps for you it’s on the train as you commute to work, during nap time, or at your kitchen table. You’ll be less likely to skip your time of communion with the Lord if it’s in the same place every day.

6. Remove distractions.
Besides your phone, what distracts you from reading Scripture? Is it the laundry pile? The dirty dish tower? Your full inbox and schedule? The research paper due next week? Whatever the task, it will be there after your Bible reading is done, and you’ll be more likely to engage with these tasks in a Godward manner as a result of temporarily setting them aside.

7. Start small.
It can be easy, especially for Type-A personalities, to  immediately go full-throttle. But it’s important not to overreach, or you risk falling behind and feeling defeated (unless it’s most helpful for you to go full-throttle!). Start with what you know you can handle: Read five minutes a day the first week; 10 minutes a day the second week; and 15 minutes a day the third week. Increase your reading time each week until you get into a routine that works for you.

8. Join/complete a Bible study.
I’ve found that going through a guided Bible study helps me stay consistent in God’s Word. You might join a group through your church, or choose a study to do by yourself.

9. Sign up for daily devotional emails.
Be intentional about reading throughout the day by signing up for a devotional or two online. You’re more likely to sow God’s Word into your heart if you read these as they arrive in your inbox, rather than intending to read them later. Some of my favorites are LifeKEYS, Solid Joys, and Morning and Evening.

10. Ask for accountability.
Who might you ask to check in with you every so often about how your Bible reading is going? Recruit a trusted friend in the Lord to routinely ask you about your time in Scripture.

11. Use a Bible reading plan.
Similar to choosing the right tools, a reading plan can help you form a regular habit of opening your Bible. There’s no pressure to complete the plan in a year, as most of them encourage (mine has taken me three years to finish!). But a plan will give you guidance through Scripture and prevent the discouragement that can come from feeling lost in possibilities.

12. Involve your family.
While time alone with the Lord is important, family Bible reading is another eternally significant habit to form. Read a verse or passage of Scripture during dinnertime; read to your kids before bed; or invite them to sit with you as your read in the morning.

13. Sit under sound, biblical preaching.
What does this have to do with reading your Bible consistently? Everything. You will learn from your pastor how to study your Bible as you listen to him unfold God’s Word each weekend. Take note of how he comprehends, interprets, and applies the text, and ask God to help you do this each day when you read.

14. Remember God’s grace.
Whether you spent five minutes or five hours in God’s Word yesterday, or you didn’t make it into Scripture at all, God’s grace in Jesus Christ has the final say on your acceptance in his sight.

His grace covers you when you forget, fail, and choose other pursuits—but he doesn’t intend to leave you there. The promise of his grace is to change your heart and therefore your desires, through the blood-bought, finished work of his Son. And the outcome of this grace is consistent communion with God in his Word, for the praise and glory of Jesus Christ and your highest joy.

3 Incredibly Useful Ways to Stay Consistent with Bible Reading
By Aaron Joseph Hall
Do you want to learn how to stay consistent with Bible reading? I’ve self-diagnosed (I have many of the signs) of ADD and staying consistent with anything is a challenge! I’m the kind of person who starts a lot of things but never finishes them and for a long time, I would start to read through the whole Bible but never finish. To be honest, I hated that about myself.

For a long time, I knew I needed to make getting in the Word a priority like I do other things in my life. I knew God’s Word was a lifeline for my soul. And as a pastor, I NEED to be in the Word to fill my own well but also to be able to effectively pour into other people’s wells!


So, are you like me? Is reading the Bible consistently a challenge? Kristen Wetherell from UnlockingtheBible.com writes, “For many Christians, reading the Bible consistently is a challenge.

In 2017, the American Bible Society reported that only 20% of Americans read their Bibles at least four times each week. This means that 80% of Americans read Scripture less frequently than that, if at all.

But God says his words are like food—“Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3). And no human can survive without food. If we’re not eating, we starve.

And if we aren’t feeding on God’s Word consistently, so will our souls.”

Are you starving spiritually? I was for a long time until I made it a priority to get in the Word regularly. The following are 3 useful ways to help you stay consistent with your Bible reading! It’s not magic. It’s not a secret formula. God’s Word is alive, active, and powerful (see Hebrews 4:12) because of the Holy Spirit. His Spirit is what makes the Bible different from any other book you will ever read!

3 Incredibly Useful Ways to Stay Consistent with Bible Reading


1. Put your phone away – OR just turn it off entirely!
We live in the age of distraction and a large part of that is because of the small computer in the palm of our hands! Cell phones (or smartphones) are not evil in and of themselves but they are easily addictive and open up a whole world of distractions, such as social media, the news, sports, games, and the internet.

The best solution? Put it away. Put it someplace out of your sight or just power it off. That way while you read your Bible you won’t be tempted by your notifications, texts, or even calls. You’ll be amazed at how much time you actually have to get in the Word consistently by removing yourself from that tiny screen.



2. At first, don’t stress yourself out by trying to read a lot and for hours!
Some of us are readers and some of us aren’t. That’s okay. Start small. Read a few verses, reflect on them, journal, and allow the Lord to speak. First, read for a few minutes. Each day add five more minutes. But make sure it’s not becoming something that you do legalistically or habitually for the purpose of just doing it.

Reading God’s Word should be life-giving, refreshing, challenging, and life-altering!

I used to stress over not being able to read my Bible for 30 minutes a day. I started small. I set a timer, got my Bible and journal out, and I read and prayed until it went off. Eventually, it became second nature and I stopped timing myself. The purpose was to help me make it more than just a daily habit but something I knew I needed daily for the well-being of my soul!



3. Ask someone to hold you accountable!
Accountability goes a long way–IF you follow through with it! It only works if you actually do it! I’ve been guilty of not following through when someone asks me to hold them accountable for different things. The kicker here: accountability is only effective when BOTH parties agree to do it AND actually do it!

Ask someone you trust that’s been walking with the Lord longer than you to hold you accountable. Have them challenge you to be more consistent with reading the Bible. Ask them to challenge you, ask you point-blank, blunt questions about what you are doing with your time and, if you are really in the Word, what’s God saying to you through it (because God surely speaks through His Word)?




These three ideas are ways you can begin to kick start being more consistent with reading the Bible. You might not see changes right away, but give it time. Like anything, it takes time. Reading God’s Word isn’t a race to simply check it off your daily to-do list. God’s Word is nourishment for your soul. Meditate on it. Immerse yourself in it. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak, fill, and convict when needed.

Being more consistent with reading the Bible is one of the best things you can work on improving! It will change your life!