Today's post isn't about reading the Bible. Not really. It's about the how or how long of Bible reading...and how quick we are to judge others AND how quick we are to get defensive. Instead of cheering on and applauding others, HOORAY FOR YOU THAT YOU ARE READING THE WORD OF GOD, it can turn into: you're reading too fast; you're reading too slow; you're reading too much; you're reading too little. If you don't meditate on each and every verse of the Bible--no matter the book--then you're doing it wrong. If you don't read in the morning, you're doing it wrong. If you don't read in the morning BEFORE BREAKFAST, you're doing it wrong.
There are times I read a post--either on a blog or Facebook or an article from a Christian magazine--where I just want to shout STOP THE JUDGING.
There isn't one right way to read the Bible. I'll clarify: There isn't one right *way* to *read* the Bible. There are right and wrong ways to interpret and apply what we read. But the truth is everyone has a reading pace--everyone. Some read fast. Some read slow. Most read somewhere in between. For some the pace varies greatly depending on a couple of things--fiction or nonfiction, new read or reread, and life circumstances.
Expecting every single person to read at the same pace just because we're talking about the Bible is a bit silly and way harsh if judgment is attached. The person who spends eight minutes reading one chapter isn't *better* than the person who spends two minutes reading one chapter. The person who spends two minutes reading one chapter isn't *better* than the person who spends eight minutes reading one chapter. Neither the fast reader or the slow reader should feel guilty.
The fast reader shouldn't have to apologize--or feel the need to justify--for reading the Bible through three or four times a year. The slow reader shouldn't have to apologize--or feel the need to justify--for taking five years to read the Bible.
There isn't one right time frame for Bible reading. 90 Days. 1 year. 2 years. 3 years. The Bible isn't a generic "one size fits most" t-shirt that you buy at the drug store.
There also seems to be judgment surrounding meditation or lack thereof. If you read the Bible at that fast pace, surely, then you're not reading it to savor, to taste and see, to absorb, to learn. If you read the Bible at that pace, then surely you're just reading it to say you've read it, to check it off your list. The text surely can't be ministering to you--and leading you to a place of worship--if you read it at that pace.
And there's some judgment going the other way too. How can you see the big picture and connect anything to the bigger context if you've never read the whole Bible and aren't familiar with it? If you don't know the whole story of the Bible, then how can you accurately make sense of the context and interpret a verse rightly?
You've got the ALL TIMES IN THE WORD SHOULD BE BIBLE STUDY vs. ALL TIMES IN THE WORD SHOULD BE DEVOTIONAL.
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