RISKY BIBLE STUDY

If you’re anything like me, you’ve found yourself in the place where your Bible study is less than consistent.  Maybe our intentions are good.  We intend to be in God’s word every day.  However, good intentions often don’t translate into good follow-through.  This is where a good reading plan becomes essential.  Many balk at the idea of being regimented by someone else’s schedule for reading through God’s word.  And it may be that many of us have tried a reading plan and found it too cumbersome or overwhelming.  Consequently, the reading plan was abandoned and the former reader is now “gun shy”, as it were, toward the whole concept.  I could very easily place myself in this camp, having started many Bible reading plans only to give up half-way through Exodus.  But I find myself returning to the enterprise over and over for some very good reasons.

REASON NUMBER 1 – DISCIPLINE

2 Timothy 2:15 in the King James Bible says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Besides not understanding why the word “show” was spelled “shew”, I felt like I grasped the meaning of this verse pretty well.  Spend time studying the Bible and God will give me his approval.  I was a teenager before I saw a modern translation of the verse where it was rendered, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”  At first, I thought I was getting a pass on the Bible study part.  “It just says to do your best.  That could mean anything.”  Wrong.  The proper translation shows a much deeper level of commitment that is required by God to be approved by him.  I noticed that while the beginning of the verse took out the “study” wording, the ending was pretty much the same.  We are still expected to be able to handle God’s word.  We need to be accomplished, as it were, with it.  This will not happen with a haphazard approach to reading/studying it. 

I remember, years ago, watching a pilot to a hopeful TV show.  The story focused on a mom raising her children, and the struggles that are associated with a venture of that type.  Poor acting and writing doomed it though, and the series never saw the light of day.  However, one thing about it stuck out to me.  At the conclusion of the show the mom sat with her children and they engaged in what was suggested to be their family ritual.  She asked one of the children to bring out “the book”.  She then proceeded to have them randomly pull a passage out to be read for the family.  The idea was that they would gain daily wisdom from “the book” (which they chose never to call the Bible).  I can only assume that this was going to be the way each episode ended.  However, like I said, it was not to be.  But it has always stuck in my mind that many of us approach our real study in a very similar manner.  This is what I refer to as “risky Bible study”.  If we are ever to get any traction in our knowledge of God through his word, we are going to have to be disciplined in our study.  For many, if not most, that is going to require a study plan.

REASON NUMBER 2 – CONSISTENCY

Psalm 119:11 says, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”  Proverbs 3:1-2 states, “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.”  It is made clear here, and in numerous other places, that God wants us to know him intimately through the knowledge of his word, and that we directly benefit from acquiring that knowledge.  One very important way that happens is by regularly being in the word.  When we are “shooting from the hip”, so to speak, it is all too easy to get off track with our reading, if we were ever on a track in the first place.  A reading plan helps hold us accountable in being consistent with our reading.

REASON NUMBER 3 – PURPOSE

For some people, reading from Genesis to Revelation straight through is the best way to comprehend God’s word.  They may even be dedicated to doing that yearly.  However, for many this might not be the best approach.  God’s word is big and complex.  Anyone who tells you reading through it is no big deal is selling you something.  Many people find parts of the Old Testament unwieldy and get discouraged in their reading.  That’s not to say these portions are unimportant.  They just require a bit of seasoning for the novice reader.  That’s part of the experience, and it makes Bible reading a joy and a journey, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”  There are many different reading plans that address the reader where he or she is – wherever that may be.  These plans give them a sense of purpose and focus, so as to not be overwhelmed and consequently give up on their trek through Scripture.

REASON NUMBER 4 – CHALLENGE

God made each of us differently.  We each have strengths that are weaknesses to someone else.  We also have ways of doing things that are going to make us less comfortable than others.  I have heard some people say that they don’t understand the value of reading through the Bible in a year’s time, because of the limited amount of time it gives you with each verse.  I have conversely heard others criticize that slow, meticulous, verse by verse study prevents the reader from appreciating the full scope of the biblical narrative.  In reality both approaches (and many others) are good and right, even though they accomplish different things.  What people are usually addressing is their own personalities.  Some people simply prefer reading through the Bible every year.  Some people prefer digging in to a passage.  And, of course, a lot of us would prefer to simply be told what the Bible says by a minister or some other teacher!  Venturing out and embracing a different type of Bible study can be very challenging.  However, it IS a good idea to study a passage intensely to gain deeper meaning and enrichment.  It IS a good idea to read through the entire Bible within a time-frame that allows to you grasp the “big picture” of God’s story.  It IS a good idea to surround yourself with people who can share insights from God’s word you were not aware of before.  In “A League Of Their Own” Tom Hanks' character addresses Geena Davis’ character who is leaving because of the difficult situation.  He says these memorable words to her, “It’s supposed to be hard.  If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it.  The hard. . . is what makes it great.”  I would apply this to Bible study with this minor change, “The hard is what makes it God.”  God wants to grow us, and it is going to be a challenging journey.  God made us for this, and his plan is to guide and mature us as we go.  I would like to lay out the challenge to try a reading plan that takes you out of your comfort zone.  If reading through the Bible in one year is challenging to you – good!  It probably means you need to try it.  I have mentioned "risky Bible study" above from a negative angle. Challenging ourselves is another form of "risky Bible study", but from a positive perspective.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

That’s a good question.  It all depends on where “here” is for you.  I would encourage you to check out the various different Bible study plans available.  “Plethora” would be a good word to describe the number of types and options out there.  I’ll just suggest a few.

• YouVersion Bible App – Probably the best resource for mobile Bible reading available today is Lifechurch.tv’s YouVersion Bible App.  It includes numerous reading plans.  It is available on all major smartphone platforms (iPhone, Android, Windows Phone and Blackberry).  It is also available on PC as well.  It would be well worth your time to check it out.
• Websites like Biblegateway and Navpress have great plans too.  Navpress offers theirs as PDFs that can be downloaded or printed to carry in your Bible.
• Most study Bibles include reading plans as well.  The ESV Study Bible includes a fantastic one year plan that takes you through four different sections of Scripture every day.  The HCSB Study Bible includes both a one year and a three year plan, as well as a weekly memory passage (another article for another time).

There are numerous options available.  My suggestion is to first pray fervently for God to guide you and second, try some out to see if the pace is one you can maintain and provide you a rich experience.  It’s win-win from every angle “knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Blessings.