When I first started taking my faith seriously in college, one of the hardest parts about spiritually maturing was finding enjoyment in reading the Bible. Put simply, I was bored. The only personal investment I placed in the text was a hope that I would glean something to help me out with that very dark period of my life. For that reason alone, reading became an obligation. Thankfully, however, what began as obligatory turned into a genuine desire to learn.
I don’t think reading out of obligation is inherently bad. Sometimes we do things that we don’t want to do because of the merit behind said activity. We don’t always want to work, but we recognize that there are bills to pay. Sometimes we don’t want to fulfill certain responsibilities, but those are hard to neglect when we have to take care of ourselves and other people. In the same way, there are obvious benefits to reading Scripture. Benefits you experience no matter why you read. That is why we should all be reading with some sort of frequency. Sadly, too many of us don’t make reading an obligation, nor a source of recreation. If we encounter Scripture, we do so on Sunday when the pastor references the text.
Yet, the Bible tells us, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you” (Matthew 6:33, CSB). We can easily spend our lives searching for and dwelling on earthly matters. The Christian way is supposed to be the opposite, though. If we are to adhere to the Bible, then we should treat God with much more significance than our families, our work, and any other interest or responsibility. That includes reading the Word.
As I have grown as a Christian and reflected on why I once did not read the Bible, I have since heard some of the same logic used by other people. Some of whom have told me to go deeper in my faith. Other excuses have surprised me. Truthfully though, they’re all just that, excuses.
When we want to do something, we find every reason to. We make time for movies, video games, people. If God is to be prioritized more than everything and everyone in our lives, then we should be finding opportunities to engage with Him and reading His Word.
These are five excuses we make not to read the Bible.
“I’m content.”
Contentment generally comes with a positive connotation, however, being content with bad things is possible. To be content is to accept what is present. Several people have told me over the years that they see no need to read the Bible. They pray, they feel blessed, and that’s that. However, those same people are accepting their current faith for what it is. If you have a choice to go deeper with God, would you honestly choose to not go deeper?
There might be a sense of safety that you get to keep, but you lose a lot of potential growth as a result.
“I’ll do it one day.”
While contentment can be a bad thing on its own, that excuse is usually coupled with “I’ll do it one day.” That statement translates to “I’m too lazy” or “I’m too intimidated” to do it right now. Reading Scripture, especially for the first time, can be a challenge. There’s a lot of chaos that happens, miracles, a lot of people, and a lot of names that are hard to pronounce. I still don’t know how to pronounce Habakkuk. That being said, much like a New Year’s Resolution, when you put off change, putting off the change becomes easier. You give yourself an excuse today, giving yourself an excuse tomorrow is more likely. Then the cycle continues on and on.
The way to make reading not challenging is to just dive in and read a little, just to test the water.
“I don’t know much about the Bible.”
You might not know much about the Bible, but you never will without reading. Perhaps you went to college. You didn’t know all there was before going. The same logic applies to working a job, being a spouse, or a parent. Sometimes, you learn as you go. Don’t let anxiety tell you otherwise.
“I’m too busy.”
If you utter this excuse, which I certainly have, then you have misaligned your priorities. One devotional I read imparted a reality check on me, “God doesn’t need you to finish my to-do list.” That list is something I, or you, create so that we can feel productive. Perhaps there are good things on our to-do lists. Yet, would we deny that connecting with God through His Word is also a good thing? Would we deny that connecting with God is ultimately better?
“The Bible is kinda boring.”
Unlike some other Christians, I’ll admit that some parts of the Bible still bore me today. Not as much as in the past, but I would still prefer not to read passages like the Book of Numbers. There’s something very monotonous about the text, and family lineages don’t usually interest me. However, what I also recognize is that beneficial ideas are not always pretty. There’s important information about Jesus to be found in Numbers and realities about how God can use people, anyone, even those society disregards, to do great things. If I skipped Numbers entirely, I would miss out on that.
Sometimes, what we need to hear comes as a harsh truth. Sometimes, what we need to hear comes as a boring truth. Ultimately, if we are to live the Christian life, we want to make sure that we connect with the Truth, no matter what.
Conclusion
The Bible calls us to seek first the kingdom of righteousness. Only then can we effectively build our faith and teach others about the Gospel. In fact, one of the major reasons we ought to spend more time in the Word is God’s call for us to share the Gospel (Matthew 28: 18-20). Like sports or technology, We can’t speak deeply or confidently on any subject we don’t comprehend ourselves. I used to see biblical events as historical events separate from my own life. The experience was like me studying the events in a foreign land out of curiosity but not believing that they had any bearing on me. Then, during one sermon, my pastor said that we should view Bible history as our own history. We are a community of believers. We should seek to honor the believers we know now but also those who came before us. They are our people. We are so quick to put ourselves in communities based on our hobbies, skin color, and such, but don’t treat the Church the same way. Ultimately, by reading Scripture, we learn more about Christ. We become more like Him, and in turn, we live out the sort of lives that God has called us to together.
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Get in touch at aarondanthony.com and check out his short story “Serenity.”