What is something that you do every day for 30 minutes? Exercise? Eat? Shower? Pray? Devotions? Social media (maybe more than 30 mins a day!)? Some of these are routines, some are what we cannot do without, and some are simply things we enjoy… How about reading the Bible? Not in-depth studying (with commentaries and other resources) or reading a verse attached to a devotional material, but just reading the Word of God, chapter by chapter, book by book.
Perhaps we have been scared away from reading the Word of God by those “Read the Bible in a Year” plans, thinking that it would take a WHOLE YEAR to finish reading the Bible! Or perhaps we are afraid that we won’t do the Bible justice if we are reading it without clearly understanding it.
There was a time when writing letters was the popular means of communication – I would read each letter from my parents and friends a few times, first quickly to scan through the whole letter for important items and to get the overall tone, then again a little slower to digest it better, and then maybe once more even slower to dwell on some parts and really savor them.
The Bible is God’s letter to us: it reveals His heart and His love and tells the story of Him pursuing us and the plans and promises He has for us. As such, would you only spend just enough time to dive into certain parts (e.g. in a Bible study or through a sermon) or just read what others say about it (e.g. commentaries or devotional materials)? Would you not read the whole letter addressed to you from your Heavenly Father?
It takes about 72 hours to read the whole Bible, cover to cover. That means if you read 30 minutes a day, it will take 144 days to complete the whole Bible, Old and New Testaments. Giving or taking days when you are too busy to sit down for 30 mins or when you are so into it that you read more than 30 mins, you can finish reading the Bible in roughly 4 to 5 months. After you have done it once, you will want to do it again – I have been reading through the Bible for several years, and I have never been tired of the prospect of reading again the letter from my Heavenly Father.