Poll -- How Often Do You Read the Bible?

How Often Do You Read the Bible?

  • Haven't missed a single day in years.

    Votes: 7 14.3%
  • Usually 7 days a week.

    Votes: 34 69.4%
  • About 6 days per week.

    Votes: 3 6.1%
  • Less than 6 days a week.

    Votes: 1 2.0%
  • Less than 5 days a week.

    Votes: 3 6.1%
  • Other

    Votes: 1 2.0%

  • Total voters
    49
  • Poll closed .
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Ed Walsh

Puritan Board Senior
Greetings,

This is meant to be a supplement to the Featured--What is Your Favorite Bible?--thread. We discussed what Bible we read, but I thought it would be good to discuss how often we read.

For me, this is an anniversary of sorts. I've been reading the Bible for a long long time. I hardly ever missed, except occasionally when I was sick or on vacation or just too plain out of sorts to bother. But 5 or 6 years ago I committed myself to never miss a day. At least not while I am alive. :). Then, two years ago I began using the Bible app due to my aging eyes and discovered I really enjoyed it reading along with me. Well, this morning I got up and opened the Bible app as I do every day and it said, 730 Day Streak. It wasn't very difficult math but I figured that that was exactly two years without missing a single day. That made me feel pretty good and encouraged me all the more to never miss a day.

PS - Don't think for a minute that I have had no crises or illness these past two years. The stories I could tell you...
 
I normally don't miss a day, but whenever my schedule takes erratic turns, I adapt. I read a passage in hebrew and in Greek every day or so. It's not much at first, but it builds up after a while.
 
I missed a day last year due to being busy in travel, but I aim for daily. I use a reading system inspired by that of Professor Horner where I have a spreadsheet with the current books I am reading and mix it up between them. I aim for 5-10 chapters a day and read through the Bible in just over a year on average with the New Testament more frequently.
 
I've been doing the M'Cheyne 1 Year Bible Reading Plan for 5 years. Lord willing I'll continue to do it until I go home to be with the Lord. I've read that Reverend D Martyn Lloyd-Jones used the plan for 52 or 53 years, he couldn't recall whether it was one or the other.
That is the minimum I do. Usually out of more than one English translation for comparison.
 
I suspect that many Christians end up not reading the Bible at all because they have been taught that there is something ultra-spiritual about spending a really long time in personal devotions every day. For most people, that amount of time is not realistic and such severity in pursuing spiritual disciplines may actually damage their health. In truth, spending around 10 minutes each morning and evening reading the Bible and praying would be much better than doing nothing at all. Less is often more.
 
I read about everyday, depending on my schedule. But I have never read the Bible straight from beginning to end in a year. I almost never just read the Bible, I prefer to study.
 
I read about everyday, depending on my schedule. But I have never read the Bible straight from beginning to end in a year. I almost never just read the Bible, I prefer to study.
@ 65 years of age, having read the Bible cafeteria style for 30 years, I had never read it from beginning to end in my long life, and never dreamed I would.

Now @ 71 I'm going into my 6th year of the M'Cheyne plan. I will have completed the entire OT/NT every year for the past 5 years if I make it until Dec 31st.

Reading, on average, 2 chapters from 2 books in the morning, and 2 in the evening seems as if it might be superficial before beginning the plan. But I found that I can focus more on what I'm reading, than if I had bit off more to chew at one time.

Add D.A. Carson's 2 volume complimentary exegesis to the M'Cheyne plan, 'For The Love Of God', and it is an amazing resource. Vol 1 for the morning reading, vol 2 for the evening. If a person has the time and the inclination it is a great way to study Scripture.
 
Greetings,

This is meant to be a supplement to the Featured--What is Your Favorite Bible?--thread. We discussed what Bible we read, but I thought it would be good to discuss how often we read.

For me, this is an anniversary of sorts. I've been reading the Bible for a long long time. I hardly ever missed, except occasionally when I was sick or on vacation or just too plain out of sorts to bother. But 5 or 6 years ago I committed myself to never miss a day. At least not while I am alive. :). Then, two years ago I began using the Bible app due to my aging eyes and discovered I really enjoyed it reading along with me. Well, this morning I got up and opened the Bible app as I do every day and it said, 730 Day Streak. It wasn't very difficult math but I figured that that was exactly two years without missing a single day. That made me feel pretty good and encouraged me all the more to never miss a day.

PS - Don't think for a minute that I have had no crises or illness these past two years. The stories I could tell you...
Not nearly enough,!
 
Aren't we a bunch of Bible readers! I read quite a bit throughout the day. Family worship in the morning and evening, audio Bible during commuting, in bed at night devotions, etc., on a daily basis. It's just a natural part of life.
 
I suspect that many Christians end up not reading the Bible at all because they have been taught that there is something ultra-spiritual about spending a really long time in personal devotions every day. For most people, that amount of time is not realistic and such severity in pursuing spiritual disciplines may actually damage their health. In truth, spending around 10 minutes each morning and evening reading the Bible and praying would be much better than doing nothing at all. Less is often more.
I agree that we should be careful not to make a rule of expecting that everyone must set aside hours per day for prayer, bible reading, and meditation. I particularly think of mothers at home with many littles for which to care, which can be withering with various ages. I also think of the man who -in order to feed his family- 6 days a week may have to work from dark to dark. Certainly, such providential circumstances would disabuse us of setting such a rule; that said, there are also seasons where men may be able to take up these duties with more vigor, and are not engaging in such because they think it “ultra-spiritual,” but because they have the opportunity to take up these secret duties in lieu of excess recreation, or in absence of other duties.

It may also be that -for a season- one goes with less sleep, because he/she is dealing with extra struggle in the ways of mortification, and the only way they can set forward to that great work during a day of taking up their usual calling, is to engage in -by God’s blessing through the Spirit- more than usual preparation in prayer, reading, and meditation. I believe it varies on place, station, and circumstances, no doubt. It is also good to note that the Sabbath day is given to us for a double-portion, if you will, in shoring up the defenses for the week to come, and the same duties/privileges performed will not be the same intensity on other days, and this by God’s design. What a great privilege it is to absorb all that we can on the Lord’s Day, having cud upon which to chew for the coming week!

This is not intended as a “rebuttal” of what was quoted, more a supplement, as I think Daniel would agree.
 
This is not intended as a “rebuttal” of what was quoted, more a supplement, as I think Daniel would agree.

If I may add another supplement, several Puritan and later authors that I have read warn those with melancholy and related issues not to spend too long in prayer and meditation. My initial comment was more a warning against overdoing things to such an extent that it leads to these problems.
 
If I may add another supplement, several Puritan and later authors that I have read warn those with melancholy and related issues not to spend too long in prayer and meditation. My initial comment was more a warning against overdoing things to such an extent that it leads to these problems.
Maybe you can clarify for us all, brother, as the Bible tells us to pray constantly and meditate on the Word day and night. I believe I know what you're saying, but it probably needs some qualifiers. Thanks!
 
Maybe you can clarify for us all, brother, as the Bible tells us to pray constantly and meditate on the Word day and night. I believe I know what you're saying, but it probably needs some qualifiers. Thanks!

Does the Bible mean for us to engage in prolonged meditation and prayer 24 hours a day 7 days a week? No, instead, it means we are to continually do such things in a persevering manner. Also, the writers I was referring to were speaking specifically about those whose condition did not allow them to engage in as much prayer and meditation as others without them violating the sixth commandment.
 
Maybe you can clarify for us all, brother, as the Bible tells us to pray constantly and meditate on the Word day and night. I believe I know what you're saying, but it probably needs some qualifiers. Thanks!
Don’t have a citation handy, maybe Jacob does, but some of ECFs and hermits took this literally. They would try to pray until they were in a kind of muttering stupor when they fell asleep.
 
Don’t have a citation handy, maybe Jacob does, but some of ECFs and hermits took this literally. They would try to pray until they were in a kind of muttering stupor when they fell asleep.
Yeah. I was thinking that it's always good to have mindful communication with God all throughout the day, and that our minds should always be thinking on the words of God continuously. Not a constant on the knees praying or a constant eyes closed quiet place meditation.
 
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