Help! I've Given Up On My Bible Reading Plan!

Jul 28

The eighth month of the new year is already upon us. Many of us began the year with a renewed pursuit of reading God’s word. As January transitions into August, the demands of life, irregular routines of our (Covid) days, and the spiritual attacks of the enemy have sought to lead us away from our pursuit of reading God’s word.

Perhaps you’ve missed a few days or even months in your bible reading plan for the new year. If that’s you, here are three thoughts to help and encourage you to get back up and continue the pursuit of reading God’s Word.

1 - Guilt is an awful motivator.

What has, and is, driving you to read the Bible? Is the motivation centered around spending time with God and loving Him more? Or guilt? We often talk about the how of Bible reading, such as here. But what about the why?

No one needs to be reminded that going to the gym is healthier than sitting at home watching TV. We don’t need to be reminded because it has been so ingrained into us which is better. So it is with the spiritual disciplines. We often operate out of a sense of guilt. A low grade ache in our soul that says: “You suck at being a Christian if you don’t check the spiritual boxes”.

What ends up happening when guilt is our motivator is that our primary desire to read the Bible ends up having nothing to do with knowing and treasuring God, but it becomes simply a way to devoid ourselves of guilt. A legalistic pathway to “feel better about ourselves”.

In what other relationship does this type of motivation lead to pleasure? “Honey, I really hate spending time with you. But I know I should and I will feel awful if I don’t, so let’s just get this over with.” Who wants to hear that? And conversely, who wants to say that? And yet, this is how many of us think about our quiet times.

Guilt is an awful motivator because it leads to affectionless routine.

So, how do we help motivate ourselves to stay in the Word if not with guilt? One way, is to realize that Jesus is not something to know about, but someone to know. If we imagine Jesus sitting at a table, and we want to go sit with Him, the spiritual disciplines get you into the chair with God, they help you move into communion with Him.

A primary motivation should be, I want to know God more.

2 - Far more is happening than you realize in your quiet time.

Point one leads right into point two.

It is in God’s Word that we are challenged, encouraged, broken for sin, built up in love, reminded of God’s faithfulness, and a million other needed spiritual encounters.

When I have been downcast, I have been reminded to trust Him. When my heart has been bent towards rebellion, I have been challenged with the evilness of sin. When my heart is apathetic towards kingdom work, I am encouraged to strengthen my weak knees as I contemplate Jesus and the coming kingdom.

You might respond: “But I don’t remember the last five times God did any of those things to me through the Word!” I would respond, neither do I!

Do you remember each meal you ate last week? Last month? Last year? Probably not. But you needed each one to get you through the day. So it is with our daily intake of the Word. Far more is happening when we spend time with God than we might be aware of.

3 - Be realistic. You don’t have to read five chapters a day to be faithful.

We can often become discouraged by our pace. If point one and point two are true, the goal of our quiet times isn’t to read a certain number of chapters or pray for a certain amount of time during our day. The goal in our quiet times is to spend them with God. And that can happen over a single verse and a car ride to work.

Many of us fall away from our Bible reading plans because we cannot keep up with the pace. A helpful practice for me has been to be ok with not reading a ton of scripture if something grabs my attention. Perhaps I read three verses in my assigned chapter for the day. It’s better for me to stop and savor those three verses, talking to God about them and allowing them to shape my heart and my affections, then blowing past that moment because I have to read my assigned 3 chapters before work.

Just as with our relationships, the goal isn’t quantified measurements of conversation, but to simply be with the other person. So it is with us and God. Whether that be over three chapters or three verses. In no other relationship do we put such an emphasis on number of conversations listened to or had.

God is tender with our growth

Friends, be tender with yourself. God is not scowling until you get your quiet time in for the day. He is acutely aware of the daily pressure and burdens on your busy life. With that said, He does deeply desire your growth, your fellowship with Him, and your heart being expanded to treasure and delight in Him. You will never be closer to God than you want to be.