Think about your favorite meal of all time. Picture it. Taste it. Now think about raw broccoli. Or an uncooked Brussels sprout. You went from salivating to checked out real fast.
If we're honest, that's how a lot of us feel about reading the Bible. "This is good for me, so I'd better just choke it down." So how do you go from raw broccoli to a perfectly seared steak with garlic butter? Here's what's helped me.
1. Know your why
In 2020, I hired a weightlifting and nutrition coach. Before he told me anything about what to eat or how to train, he asked me why I wanted to lose the weight. He knew a plan without a reason wouldn't last. The same is true with God's Word. If you know what to do and how to do it but not why, it won't last. So why read the Bible? Not to check a box, but to know Jesus. "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19 ESV). And if you've lost that, Jesus told the church in Ephesus, "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first" (Revelation 2:5 ESV). Love gets rekindled by going back to what produced it in the first place.
2. Treat it like a relationship
Imagine if the only time you talked to your spouse was at a weekly family dinner. That's what it's like when Sunday is your only time with God. Reading the Bible is like reading notes your spouse left you. What if you read it like you were sitting with the Author and could ask Him questions? Because you can.
3. Stay consistent
"Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9 ESV). The results you want are on the other side of consistency. You might be thinking, "But I don't feel like it most days." Me neither, at the gym. Feelings are great indicators, but they're atrocious leaders. Your feelings are valid. They just shouldn't be in charge. And here's the secret: the action usually comes before the feeling, not after.
4. Get rid of the faith-suckers
You can read more and pray more, but if something is draining you, you won't grow. It's like a parasite that steals the nutrients you eat. You don't fix that by eating more. You remove the parasite. That might be a person who's always in your ear, a playlist, a show, or just distraction.
5. Use a simple plan
A simple one I love is SOAP: read the Scripture, write an Observation, make an Application to your life, and Pray it back to God. You don't need a seminary degree. You need a pen and 15 minutes.
And this isn't just pastor talk. The Center for Bible Engagement surveyed over 400,000 people. They found that people who read the Bible three times a week or less live about the same as people who don't believe at all. But people who read it four or more times a week were 228% more likely to share their faith, 59% less likely to view pornography and 30% less likely to struggle with loneliness. Something changes at four.
The Psalmist describes the person who is blessed this way: "His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2 ESV). Delight usually doesn't show up first. It shows up after you keep showing up. You may not feel different after one day, but you'll live differently after one year.
Scripture: Psalm 1:2; 1 John 4:19; Revelation 2:4–5; Galatians 6:9; Joshua 1:8; Romans 10:17; Hebrews 4:12; Psalm 119:105