How often should we read the Bible ?

[QuestionQuest74]

Should Christians read it everyday or every other day or weekly?

 

[sandman]

Should Christians read it everyday or every other day or weekly?

Everybody is different.

Some say…. The equal amount of time that you spend eating physical food, you should spend devouring the spiritual.

I don’t eat a lot… so that would not be enough time for me…. I need at least 2 hours every day, some days it’s much more.



Act 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

 

[BobRyan]

Should Christians read it everyday or every other day or weekly?

every day - "examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so"

Acts 17:11

 

[Daniel9v9]

Acts 2:42 is a very helpful model for all who believe in Jesus. It reads: "And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."

Here we see how the early church was devoted to the apostles' teaching, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 2:19-21, John 20:30-31), the fellowship, which is the union we have through faith and baptism in Christ (Acts 2:36-39, Mark 16:16), the breaking of bread, which is the Eucharist (Matthew 26:26-29, 1 Corinthians 11:23-32), and the prayers, which in particular is the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13, Hebrews 5:7). They were devoted to these things, which doesn't give us an arbitrary number, but a strong sense of devotion, urgency, and reliance on God and His Word.

So, instead of asking how much and how often, which can often lead to a kind of legalism and a guilty conscience, it can be better to consider what we need help with and what we're interested in. Because when we reflect on our needs and what we could benefit from learning, then we grow in our appreciation of how much wisdom, knowledge, and good can be received from God's Word.

In terms of habits, just find a simple devotional routine that works for you. If you're able to stick to it, you'll have the benefits that the Holy Spirit brings through God's Word and prayer. If you want to change your routine, you're free to do it. If you fail to keep the routine, it's no sin and no one is out to judge you. In other words, we want to receive God's Word for our good with joy, and not as a chore out of compulsion.

People have different devotional lives, and any kind of devotion to prayer and receiving God's gift of His Word is good. I'd be happy to share about my own personal devotions, and I'm sure others here would as well.

God bless!

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

Should Christians read it everyday or every other day or weekly?

Reading the Bible is time spent with God. How much personal relationship do you want with God? Don't you want to speak to Him everyday? Don't you want to find out His will, His commandements, who He is? Only the Bible is the Living Word of God, thus the Bible is the most valuable subject on this planet.

How long to read? Well, depends on what you read, and whether you do a Bible study along with it. Then it depends on text, some is hard to understand, some is hard to accept because we thought otherwise.
It is like with physical food. Every food is different to digest, some more than others. So it is with the spiritual food. There have been times where couple of verses were enough for me, because they for example showed the sin in me.

Besides, do you have anything better to do than read the Bible? God must always comes first. There is of course nothing wrong with working long hours, taking care of others and having very little spare time, but even then, God must come first.

 

[com7fy8]

If you know God's word, possibly reading it can include thinking on it while you do different things in the day.

But if you are new to the Bible . . . I would read all the way through, steadily. In the time it takes you to read a sports or news report, you can read a beneficial amount of the Bible.

But while reading through, study parts of the New Testament and Psalms and Proverbs, even whole chapters and books.

And read people who are a good example. Get to know maturing people in Jesus who are living messages of Christianity.

And when you post an advice question, also read a fair amount of the Bible and see if you find something which helps you with your question.

 

[anetazo]

Different appetites for Christians. I study one chapter per day. I stay discipline in Gods word.
Doctors never stop going back to school. After so many years. They go back short season to be updated.

Christian people should keep learning.
Only a know it all knows everything. Christian people detest arrogant people.

 

[tturt]

Yes, as others have posted, it's reading, studying, and meditating which means thinking about the Bible. It can only be one verse at a time.

"I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways." Psa 119:15

 

[DW_in_AR]

Historically, the layperson would hear the scripture, not read it. There's no model for how much a layperson should read. The Berean Jews mentioned above were "well-born," not average people, and the rarity of written documents meant that only a few of them could have been actively "examining the scriptures" at any one time. And they weren't doing this as a devotional practice, they were trying to determine if Paul and Silas were correct about the Hebrew scripture prophesying Christ's death and resurrection.

We now live in an area of near-universal literacy, and the printing press has almost been superseded by screens after a 570-year run. It's entirely possible for a layperson to read as much of the Bible as they care to when they have the time to do so. But how often they should do so is purely a matter of opinion. And honestly, I'd say a singular focus on the Bible is probably not a good idea. And focusing on reading a certain amount/at a certain frequency, at the expense of understanding what is being read, is also not a good idea.

 

[St_Worm2]

I like some of the things that the OT says about how much time we should devote to the reading and study of God's word, and how/why it should be a regular part of our daily lives.

For example,

Deuteronomy 11​

18 You shall impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. ​

19 You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. ​

20 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, ​

21 so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth. ​

​

Joshua 1​

8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. ​

​

Psalm 1​

1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, ​

Nor stand in the path of sinners, ​

Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! ​

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, ​

And in His law he meditates day and night. ​

3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, ​

Which yields its fruit in its season ​

And its leaf does not wither; ​

And in whatever he does, he prospers.​

God bless you!!

--David

Psalm 119​

9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word.​

11 Thy word I have treasured/hidden/stored in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee.​

.

 

[linux.poet]

It depends on your reading dispositions and particular gifts. Someone with the gift of Scripture memorization may go without reading the Bible at all for years and be totally okay, because they have much of it memorized already. One of the challenges of that gift is constantly having to go into new depths of engagement and deeper study to keep yourself reading and meditating on the Scripture.

But for a new believer in Christ, a chapter a day of God's Word keeps Satan's darts away. I advise going from Genesis to Revelation, for the order of Scripture is sovereignly ordained. The point is to keep going. It doesn't matter if it's reading or audio or as part of a study. Just get God's Word running through your skull. For those prone to forgetfulness, a regular reading or listening program is a must.

 

[DragonFox91]

All the time. How can you not! We are so evil & God is so good. We need to constantly be reminding ourselves of God's truths.

 

[Paleouss]

I recognize that the question is, how often should we read the Bible. My answer is going to be more along the line of...how much of our life should we devote to God?

1Cor 10:31 (NKJ) Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

We are told to present ourselves as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1) to God, to do all things to His glory (1Cor 10:31). Many of us, that is the body of Christ, receive the grace of salvation through our faith. Then, we slip back into that daily grind that we lived before our salvation.

We notice however, that those habits of thought and behavior still linger. We need to realize that we have been justified unto salvation but we are called to be sanctified through the renewing of our mind toward becoming healed, daily.

So how much must we give to God, daily, to heal our sinful soul and its habits. The answer to that is, continually. When we wake up, give thanks. When we eat, give thanks. When we meet troubles in our work, ask for strength. When we recieve a promotion, give thanks. Do we talk to our wives regarding spiritual things and lead them in the way of the Lord? Do we systemically teach our children the way of the Lord and are we good role models?

Do we walk with Christ before us? Or do we walk through the day with Christ behind us. Only turning to ask Him questions in prayer. Then when we are done, putting Him back behind us and going about our day.

To answer the original question more directly. We should seek a devotional time with God, daily. We should stive to walk in the Spirit, continually. That is our calling, and our struggle (at least here on earth for this life).

May God do a fruitful work through you.

 

[jsimms615]

I guess it depends on how much you want to grow strong in your faith. . . .I try to read it daily and study it regularly