When I was in high school, I hated reading the Bible. It was boring, wordy, and confusing. Nothing but my mother’s persuasion could make me flip through the pages of my little King James Bible, the one with my name engraved in rainbow lettering.
Growing up in church, I’ve had a Bible since birth. I knew the stories, I ran the drills, I could list the books in order. As a Christian, I understood its importance, I just couldn’t find the motivation or interest. If ever I did crack open my Bible, it was out of guilt or sadness.
Can you relate?
As college approached I felt God asking me if I would use the independence as an opportunity to grow with Him. “Are you going to follow Me or are you going to follow others who follow Me?” I felt Him say.
I challenged my desire and began reading the Bible for myself each night and each morning, hoping to work my way through the entire book. It took nearly three years, but I made it, learning a lot on the way. God opened up my need to experience more about Him and about His ways.
Like a series of padlocks dispersed through the words, each time through, another was 
unlocked and a mystery was released into my heart. The more I discovered, the more I wanted to unlock until it finally became something I couldn’t live without.
Welcome to the turning point in my relationship with the God of the Universe. He didn’t have to bestow upon me a book that proves His existence or His power, or even foretells the future of the world. He didn’t have to offer a way for me to draw close to Him.
But He did.
Whether you’ve read the Bible as a kid, in high school, or last Sunday, the Bible should be treated as if it holds value in your life. What do I mean by that?
Do you let your trophies get dusty? Do you push a best friend aside until you need something? Do you love a movie so much but never watch it again?
If you have issues with motivation, don’t worry, I get it. But we can’t make excuses forever. How do you ever expect to make an ‘A’ on the test if you don’t study? Make the decision to do something good for your soul and relationship with Jesus.
Here are some ideas to help you rekindle your spiritual thirst.
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Listen
Take a break from the favorite playlists and podcasts and turn on your Bible app and listen to a reading of the Bible. After all, faith does come through hearing the Word of God, right? (Romans 10:17)
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Set goals
With each book of the Bible you finish, write it down and keep track of it until you’ve finished the whole Bible. Once you’re done, do it again. You’re never done reading the Word of God. (Is. 40:8)
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Choose Daily
Set a few verses and chapters to read for your morning devotion and meditate on the passages that stick out to you. (Psalm 63:1)
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Study
Research is the best way to help study the Bible. Discover the surrounding context, historical facts, original language, and culture. Many elements can help you understand it’s meaning if you take the time to look. (2 Tim. 3:16)
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Search
If you constantly have questions about God, His works, His ways, His communication, its in the Bible. You want to figure out your purpose, your reason for living, your identity? Check the Bible. You CAN find answers in scripture, even if they’re answers you don’t necessarily like to hear. (Is. 55:6)
“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
∼John 8:31,32∼
If the Word is a map to the kingdom, a place where He’s prepared a home for us, we have no choice but to keep studying that map until we get to our destination. (Matt 6:33)
Take the chance to evaluate your time or lack of time in God’s Word. If I can be blunt, if you don’t spend any time in the Bible and you say you’re a follower of Christ, you may have to question if that’s really true.
Don’t wait until you feel like it–make the effort now to keep your Bible from getting lost in the clutter of your life. An unread Bible has more worth at Goodwill where someone else can get some use out of it.
Open your gift from God today; it may just change your life. It changed mine. (John 8:32)
God bless!
-LJM
Want to feel inspired? Click here to see a woman who’s read the Bible 342 times! (page 16)
Follow me on twitter @leahjordanmeahl for encouraging Bible verses each week
Leah Jordan Meahl 