How to Improve Your Bible Reading in 10 Minutes
One of the reasons The Average Churchman exists is to provide you with tools, methods, and ideas to help you better understand and live out Scripture. Today, I want to give you the easiest, most practical tip to improve your Bible reading that I could think of. It isn’t complicated. No master’s of Divinity is required. Simply applying this to your daily Bible reading will have profound effects on your life long-term. And the best part: you can start it today without any difficulty.
The simple process to improve your Bible reading
Let’s say you just picked up your Bible for your daily “read through the Bible in a year” plan. Here is a simple and profound method to use:
- Read the passage
- Pause and stop reading
- Think about the passage for 10 minutes straight
That’s it. It could not get simpler. Read your passage and then stop to think about what you just read for 10 minutes. Not 5 minutes. 10 whole, uninterrupted minutes of pure reflection. It might be tempting to let your mind wander or to keep reading. Don’t: read a section of Scripture and then let it sit.
Why does this simple method work? To use a metaphor, America is a fast-food culture. We want things right away and then it is on to the next task. Sitting down and savoring a meal takes time. Fast-food might not taste all that great, but at least it is convenient and saves us time.
I fear that this mentality of “cheap, fast, and mediocre” has affected how you and I read our Bibles. Sure you want to hear from God’s word, but only if it is quick, easily applicable, and done in time for you to move on to your next task. If you want to improve your Bible reading, the first step is to savor Scripture.
The Bible is a feast of profound truth. So take some time to savor and enjoy what God has prepared for you in His word.
Taking just 10 focused minutes to think about a Scripture you read helps counteract this fast-food mentality. Rather then reading as much as you can before moving on with your day, taking a reflective pause allows you to engage with the truths you just read. So, when planning out your Bible reading time, plan for 10 minutes of reflection and non-reading. Taking this pause every time you read Scripture will allow you to remember and apply more of what you read in Scripture.
The question is, what kinds of things should you think about as you take your 10 minute pause? Here are a couple ideas
Think about other Scriptures that connect with your passage
A lot of times, improving your Bible reading is about seeing how your text fits in with the rest of Scripture. Taking a 10 minute reflective pause gives you time to think about other Scriptures that relate to that passage you just read. What passages deal with the same topic? Where does this passage fit in with God’s plan of redemption? Are there any passages alluded to in your text?
10 minutes of reflection lets you “connect the dots” and think about how your passage relates to other parts of Scripture.
A lot of times, the Holy Spirit will bring to mind several passages you read earlier that week or heard in a sermon or another believer talked about. Taking a 10 minute pause can give you the time and space to make those connections. One of the benefits is you might see a common theme the Lord is trying to teach you.
Think about situations in your own life which relate to your passage
The 10 minute pause not only gives you time to connect your passage to the rest of the Bible, it also gives you time to examine your own life. What events in your life illustrate the truths in this passage? When have you experienced something similar to what is discussed in the passage? What is going on in your life currently that the Lord might want you to change based on your passage?
Comparing your current life to Scripture is a great way of starting to apply a text. Rather than simply jumping to “what do I need to do”, you start by simply comparing yourself, your character, your life to the realities in your passage. Taking a 10 minute pause gives you enough time to think about your own life in light of truth. Don’t just run to the next passage: let a truth permeate your life.
Parts of Scripture can seem impractical until you pause and examine your own life in light of a passage.
If God is sovereign, then even the passage you read for your daily Bible reading was chosen by Him. Improve your Bible reading by stopping to think about why God might have led you to a particular passage today. What is going on in your life that God might be speaking to?
Think about the ways a passage drives you to prayer
Finally, taking a 10 minute pause gives you space to respond to a text with prayer. What is there to thank the Lord for? Are there any requests that should be made based on your passage? Perhaps a sin needs to be confessed, a promise pleaded, or a song of praise sung. Don’t let your 10 minute pause end without praying your passage back to the Lord.
Scripture should drive you to worship. And one of the simplest acts of worship that you can do “without ceasing” is praying in response to the Word.
Don’t make the mistake of disconnecting your prayer life with your Bible reading. They are integrally related. If you can’t think of anything else, end your 10 minute reflection thanking the Lord for providing you His word. For sustaining you “not by bread alone” but by “every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Improve your Bible reading by setting aside 10 minutes for reflection
Taking 10 minutes to reflect on your Bible reading is not complicated or difficult to understand. You can start doing it today. The biggest barrier is often time and focus: you feel like 10 minutes might be too much time or you don’t think you can spend 10 minutes straight thinking solely about a text of Scripture. But here is the good news: the Bible was meant to be meditated on.
In taking 10 minutes to simply pause and reflect, you are reading the Bible the way it is meant to be read. Not as a box to check or a “quick read.” But as God’s life-changing, eternal truth that has countless connections and infinite implications for your life. Start today. Discipline yourself to slow down and savor God’s word. Through daily 10 minute pauses, you will train your mind to meditate on God’s word. And this in turn will make you like “a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither.”
Another great way to reflect on a text is think through the different parts of the passage. You can also mediate on applications more specifically using these Puritan application questions. Check out the Tools page to find more ways to improve your Bible reading, Bible study, and Sermon preparation.