What Keeps Us From Reading the Bible?

"It's too hard to read."
"It's too much information to sift through."
"It doesn't apply to my life."

We find lots of reasons not to read the Bible. But underneath most of our excuses lies one consistent theme: "The Bible intimidates me."

God never intended for the Bible to be intimidating. It's the most important way God reveals himself to those who've made a faith commitment to Jesus Christ. We need the guidance the Bible can give - guidance for relationships, purpose in life, and love. But we'll never get that guidance if we never open the book.

God wants to relate to us through his Word and show us how WE can relate to Him.

Take some time to reflect on your own values about reading the Bible. Answer these questions to help get you started:

*When did the Bible become important to you?
*What value do you place on daily scripture reading?
*In what ways do you struggle with reading the Bible?
*When do you read?
*What version do you read?
*How does the Bible guide you through problems and tough decisions?
*How do you apply what you read to your life?

Make a Scripture Reading Covenant

A covenant is like a contract. It can be an agreement between two people or between God and a person or group. In the Bible, it was considered a serious binding agreement-broken only by the death of one of the parties.

This covenant is between you and God.

State Your Covenant
Example: Because my relationship with God is important to me and because God desires to continue to teach and inspire me, I commit myself to the following plan for scripture reading:

List Goals You Want To Reach
Example: I'll read the Bible for 20 minutes each day. I'll read the entire Bible over the next year.

List Your Plan To Reach These Goals
Example: I'll set aside 20 minutes each day after school for reading the Bible. I'll finish the Old Testament by September and read the New Testament in the fall.