So you’re planning to read your Bible more this year? Often this desire begins as a motivation given by God’s Spirit but falters and fizzles because life happens and suffocates desire. What can you do differently this year?
Be encouraged
As you stand at the starting line, it may be helpful to remind yourself you are not starting a religious habit - you are stepping into God’s chosen means of shaping your heart and life. Revelation 1 reminds us that Scripture is not first about information, but revelation: “The revelation of Jesus Christ.” God desires to be known. So, its important to realize what God intends to accomplish through it: here’s three.
Reading helps you know Jesus
When you meet someone new or want to get together with a good friend, often you meet for and spend time in conversation. In the same way, you will get to know Jesus by taking time to listen to Him in The Word. The goal is not merely familiarity with verses and Biblical concepts, it’s intimacy with the Lord who speaks them. Reading is not checking a box any more than you would do that when you meet up with your friend. You are drawing near to a living Savior who reveals His character, purposes, and promises in His Word. So read with the desire to get to know Jesus.
Reading helps you know yourself.
The Apostle James tells us that God’s Word functions like a mirror. When you read it, Scripture reveals not only who Jesus is, but who you are. It reveals areas of faithfulness and areas in need of repentance and growth. The danger is not ignorance but self-deception; you need the mirror of God’s Word to show who you are and how Jesus is personally aiding you. You discover not just who you are but how God is at work preparing you for impact in His Kingdom.
Reading introduces truth that transforms you
Peter reminds us that God’s divine power has granted everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him (2 Peter 1:3–5). Scripture is not static; it is active and powerful. As you read the Bible, you are tapping in to God’s plan to use Biblical truth to form Christlike character in you. Beginning to read the Bible daily is like stepping in to a spiritual gym that will, over time transform your life.
Answer this critical question: What will motivate you to open God’s Word: Guilt or Glory?
Guilt-driven reading rarely lasts. It may begin with good intentions, but over time it leads to weariness and resistance. God never intended His Word to be a burden. Instead, Scripture invites us into a Glory-driven pursuit. Glory-driven Bible reading is fueled by the fact that its God’s way to show you His glory and draw you closer to Him. Glory-driven reading brings us to The Word with desire, not duty. We desire to know Jesus. We desire to find gold that we have never seen before. Reading God’s Word was never intended to be out of obligation, but in light of an expectation to experience God and meet Him on each page.
Find some encouragement from some of God’s most faithful writers:
- Jeremiah promises that when we seek the Lord with all our heart, we will find Him.
- The author of Hebrews reminds us that God rewards those who diligently seek Him.
- And Paul declares that as we behold the glory of the Lord in His Word, we are being transformed—slowly, steadily—from one degree of glory to another.
So open your Bible not because you have to, but because you get to. Not as a burden, but a benefit. In its pages, you will meet Jesus, discover your true condition, and experience the transforming power of God’s glorious plans for you.