How to Study the Bible in 2023

If you’re like me, you like to read a lot.

If you’re like some others, you don’t like to read a lot.

Both groups have their struggles (of course). Mine is that I read too fast, and I read for the lyrical stringing of words rather than for the meaning. Non-readers, for lack of a better term, would rather spend their time doing anything else, and when they do happen to sit down and read something, they have a hard time getting the point of it.

So how does a person read the Bible so that it’s more than just words on a page? Here are some tips I’ve found helpful (in absolutely no particular order):

1. Wonder about some topic. Maybe you wonder about the story of Jacob’s life, or maybe you wonder about the exact timeline of last-day events. Search out all the Bible verses you can think of on that topic, and piece them all together into some kind of coherent fashion. Be sure to keep paper and pens handy.

2. Keep a journal. Write what you learned today, devotional style (who knows, once you have a collection, you just may be the next devotional author!). You can add prayers if you’d like; whatever works for you.

3. Don’t read by quantity. It is better to read one verse and ponder it all day than read ten chapters and walk away unchanged. I like to read just until I find a verse that really hits me. Sometimes that adds up to only a couple verses, sometimes it’s more.

4. Pens are your friends. Underline the verses that really mean a lot to you. Put notes in the margins. Use colors! I color-code all the things I underline (purple for promises, red for instructions, etc.). There are several verses that I’ve memorized without even trying, just because I had underlined it in a memorable color.

5. Stick Bible verses up all over your house. In my house, the background worship music we play has scripture screensavers. The paintings on my bedroom walls are Bible verses. The notecards scattered about the house… that’s right, most of them are Bible verses too.

6. Have an attitude of prayer as you read. When you read the Bible, you are literally having a conversation with God; He’s the one talking at the moment. Read those words as if you’re listening to Him talking to you. It does make a difference!

7. Color, draw, doodle. Make word art of a particularly important verse. That’s my favorite kind of art!

What’s your favorite method?

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” - Matthew 6:19-21

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” - Matthew 6:33