The New Testament "Challenge"

When I was in junior high, I attended a Christian summer camp where the speaker made an impassioned plea for everyone to develop the habit of reading the Bible every day. He promised that this routine would bring encouragement to tough days, strength to make tough decisions, and answers to difficult questions. What he was saying wasn’t new to me. My parents had encouraged this since the time I learned to read. But, there was something about this guy’s plea and the camp setting that inspired me to give it a try. I had a new found passion to read something every day and let God shape my life.

Our speaker was serious about us reading the Bible, so he created time every day for us to find a quiet place to read and pray. He suggested we read one of the Gospels or the book of James first. I don’t remember what I read that week, but I do remember what I experienced. I struggled. Really struggled. Unfortunately, I was a bit bored and distracted. I had a tough time focusing and I didn’t really understand what I was reading, let alone experiencing any kind of change. But what I struggled with most was guilt. Why wasn’t this working for me? It couldn’t be the Bible’s problem. Something had to be wrong with me.

As an adult, I’ve had similar struggles with reading the Bible. In contrast to my junior high experience, I’ve become more focused and now I understand a vast majority of what I read. But, my struggle lies with what I hear from other people about their rich and deep Bible reading experiences. My buddy, Doug, talks about times when he takes his Bible out in the woods, sits at the foot of his favorite tree, and reads and prays for hours. He talks about wrestling down life issues with God and experiencing the voice and presence of God as he reads and prays. Kristi is another person who describes Scripture as a love letter from God to her. She talks about God being near to her as she reads during her daily quiet time. This rarely happens to me. I hope that doesn’t unsettle anyone to read that a pastor struggles with reading Scripture.

All this doesn’t mean that the Bible doesn’t hold a vital, irreplaceable place in my life. It does. My struggle is not with the truth of the Bible, it’s simply with reading. So, I’ve had to learn to absorb Scripture in other ways such as listening to sermons then rethinking through the text that was taught. I love to write and writing helps me think and focus on passages of the Bible. I’ve memorized verses over the years and the small groups I’ve been in have played a huge part in embedding God’s Word into my life. I’ve noticed over the years that Scripture has been kind of like putting money into a bank account. Depositing is always fun; when you need money, you’re always glad it’s there to withdraw. Verses, passages, thoughts, sermons, and reflections have been “Bible” deposits into my mind and heart. Over the years, large and small withdrawals are made in times of personal need, times of celebration when God is given credit and praise, and times of counsel when others need encouragement or direction.

This fall will be a challenge for me as we dive into the New Testament Challenge. If you’re a prolific reader, this may come easy to you; but for me, reading is not my first learning style and I’m afraid that I may feel like I’m at that junior high camp again. But, I’m excited to push my mind and heart and try to grow stronger in this weak area of mine. If you’re feeling like I am, remember these five tips:

1.       Read what you can.

2.       Read something every day.

3.       Always have your Bible with you.

4.       Every week is a new week.

5.       Don’t worry about the parts you don’t understand, worry about the parts you do understand.

God bless you as you pursue a habit of ingesting the Word of God on a daily basis.