Many of us begin each New Year with a renewed desire to read the Bible daily. However, as the newness of the New Year fades (usually around the middle of January) and we miss a few days, it is easy to become discouraged and give up altogether. I want to encourage you to keep going.

One of the many blessings of living in this age is that we have access to God’s Word. When you find that you do not have time to sit with your Bible and read, here are some additional ways you might consider getting into the Word:

Read the Bible on Your Phone. There are numerous Bible apps that you can download that will help you be more consistent. While I personally prefer reading a print Bible, I find that using a Bible app is helpful when I’m not at my desk. When I’m standing in line, or I have a few minutes of free time, loading up my Bible app instead of a social media app has been a blessing.

Listen to the Bible. It is interesting to consider that the majority of saints in both the Old Covenant and the New Covenant listened to the Word being read more than they actually read it themselves. It wasn’t until the invention of the printing press and the multiplication of Bible translations that believers began to have access to personal copies of God’s Word. Before that, they listened to it being read in the context of a worship service. Many Bible reading apps also have a feature that will read it aloud. 

Meditate on What You Have Memorized. While it is great to be able to read longer portions of the Bible daily, it is good for us to remember that quantity is not always required for us to benefit spiritually from it. If you have a busy day and you know you will not be able to read or listen to a longer passage, just take a moment to recall a verse from the Bible that you are familiar with and meditate on it. You can use it as a guide to prayer.

God’s Word is amazing. Kevin DeYoung, in his book Taking God At His Word, writes: 

We need the Bible if we are to be competent Christians. The Bible will build us up so that we can endure suffering. It will give us discernment for difficult choices. It will make us strong enough to be patient with others and patient enough to respond with kindness when others hurt us. The Bible will get us up to bring meals to new moms and pray for people on their hospital beds. The Bible equips us to be truth lovers and truth tellers. It sends us out to care for the poor and welcome the stranger. There is no limit to what the Bible can do for us, to us, and through us. We can never outgrow the Bible, because it always means to make us grow.