I just love getting interrupted in the middle of a chapter in my latest novel . . . said no one ever. Who enjoys being ripped away from a rollicking adventure or spellbinding mystery? From characters you love or love to hate? That doorbell or tap on the shoulder is often an unwelcome intrusion into your literary getaway.
Chances are you’ve never (or rarely) felt that way about your Bible reading. Not because the Word doesn’t have adventures, mysteries, and characters to love or hate. All of that can easily be found within the sixty-six books of Scripture. No, we don’t often get annoyed at interruptions because we don’t read the Good Book like a good book.
If you are anything like me, typical Bible reading occurs in conjunction with a study of a particular topic or book. Topical studies tend to keep readers jumping from verse to verse, all in different books within the Bible, looking for the common denominator. Book studies, in which we study one book of the Bible, are better at keeping us in one continuous pattern, but they too will have us consult cross references that take us away from our narrative. Neither are bad choices. Both have strengths, and both have weaknesses.
But, what if you paused your study of Scripture and began just reading Scripture? Just read the text, continuously and in context. No inductive questions. No introductory illustrations. Just the Bible—at least for a season.
Finish this by hopping over to the HeartStrong Faith site . . .