BIBLE READING BORING? YOU MAY BE READING IT THE WRONG WAY

If you find Bible reading boring, maybe you are reading it the wrong way. What other book covers everything from the first day of creation until the last day of humanity as we know it?

*spoiler alert: there are no zombies

Revelation 22:17 — The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come”

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price

Judge a Book

When you pick up a new book, do you look at the description on the back of the book before reading it? I do. And I like to skim over a few pages as I flip through it. Then I typically read the last few paragraphs just to make sure it is going to be interesting enough until the very end.

It usually works out for me, although, there has been a time or two when I came across a little gem that would have made the book more interesting if I hadn’t discovered it so early.

When I became a Christian, I handled the Bible the same way. I mean, with almost 750,000 words, when you decide to read the Bible you are making a HUGE commitment! However, you are not reading one book but 66 individual books and letters.

The Bible passed my test, of course. I know that some think the Bible is boring (they must be reading Deuteronomy), but if you can’t find interesting stories in the Bible, you may be reading it wrong. Just open the first book, Genesis, and you will read about the miracle of creation, the devastation of sin, and the redemption of a loving Savior.

The books following are filled with every storyline imaginable:

mystery, murder, and mayhem
rags to riches
tragedy, love, and romance
cruelty, comedy, and character-building

But is it interesting to the end? Yes! The last chapter, Revelation, is a riveting account of things to come! Once you begin to read this book, you will not be able to stop.

In fact, the last chapter of the last book should be read first, in my opinion!

Revelation 22:1-21

Here are just a few verses:

(Vv. 1-6) Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will worship Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

And He said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take place.

(v. 17) The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

(v. 20) He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Why The Struggle With Reading the Bible Is Real

Besides a few Bible verses that we pull out and memorize and claim as personal promises from God, there is a lot of content in the Bible that is hard to understand. There is a lot of different contextual information to take in, like historical, societal, and cultural.

There are also poetry books, books of prophecy, books with another nation’s laws, genealogies, war records, and all the hidden truths sprinkled around in the book of Proverbs and the parables of Jesus.

Another reason could be that we see Bible reading as a “have to” instead of a “get to”. Most of us have an aversion to being forced to do something, even if it’s good for us.

Reading God’s letter to humankind is a privilege that not all people have. There was no Bible for centuries for the common person. And even now, when some of us have numerous copies of God’s word others have never seen the Bible.

The next time you sit down beside your Bible, don’t think about it like a text book. Pick it up, flop it open, and read the first thing you come to. I bet you will be surprised at the richness of the words you will discover when you allow yourself to read for the pure enjoyment of reading.