Why is the Bible Boring?
However, when you know the author of the Bible, and you have a wonderful love relationship with Him, you'll desire to read the Bible in the same way you would devour a love letter that is filled with wonderful insight into the one you love.
We certainly get to know the God of the Bible by reading the Bible, but even more amazing and astounding to me is that as we read the Bible, we also get to know ourselves.
The Bible is like a mirror, or a magnifying glass that zeros right into our hearts and reveals what is there. How many times I've been participating in certain activities or even mere thoughts that are not pleasing to God only to have a verse of Scripture come to mind that exposes the ugly nature of my heart, mind, and actions. That can be painful and yet at the same time healing when it happens.
What I love the most about the Bible, however, is the way that it applies to the every day situations of my life. Not just whether or not I should steal or commit adultery. I know that those things are wrong. But amazingly, the Bible speaks to absolutely every aspect of my life.
For instance, I was once grappling with whether or not I should ghostwrite a book. I had never ghostwritten anything before and didn't know if I was even capable of such a thing. Believe it or not, I found the answer to that question in the Bible! Now, you may be thinking, "ghostwriting is not in the Bible!" and you would be right. But the principles that guided my decision are indeed in the Bible. God even gave me a plan of attack for how to work on the book as I spent time reading the Bible. I've now ghostwritten two books, using the plan and method that came to my mind as I read the Bible.
You see, the Word of God is personal and "alive." It speaks to me each day about whatever it is that I'm grappling with. I don't have to hunt and try to find a Scripture that fits with whatever issue concerns me. I just read faithfully, each morning, and the answers for my day are there.
I've learned to hear God's voice through my Bible reading in the following way. First, I always read my Bible with a pencil in hand. As I read, I place a little check mark by verses that stand out to me for whatever reason. At the end of my reading for the day (usually a few chapters), I look at the verses I marked and pick one verse to write a few thoughts about.
Periodically I look back through my journal entries to remind myself of how God spoke to me. It's amazing to me how often those thoughts that come to my mind follow a pattern and address the same issue over and over again. When I have times of doubts about big decisions I've made or need to make, I can look back through my journal and receive reassurance that I'm heading in the right direction. That reassurance is all I need to get over the next hurdle and continue moving forward. In fact, every bit of success in my life is directly related to things God revealed to me as I read my Bible.
Do you think the Bible is boring? If so, I'd encourage you to get to know the author, who longs to reveal Himself and His amazing plans for your life to you, as you read the Bible.
Published by Rebecca Livermore - Featured Contributor in Travel and Lifestyle
Rebecca Livermore has been a freelance writer since 1993. Although she started off writing for print magazines, in recent years she has switched her focus to writing for the web. She writes on many subjects,... View profile
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77 Comments
Post a CommentGreat article,very insipiring way you wrote this article.
Very well said Rebecca! I never get tired of reading God's Word. Everytime I read it, I learn something new about myself and who God is. Never stop writing about how awesome He is--you are truly inspired to share His love!
I've thought about the comment I made on this article last night (about a page down), and I realized that I have done some ghost writing -- I've written letters and articles for nonprofits that were signed by the organization's leaders. I don't really feel comfortable doing it, but I justify it in my mind when I know the person signing it has read and approved it, I do it. I really would like to hear about the Scriptural support you've found for ghost writing, though -- maybe in another article?
I agree wholeheartedly and think your article is inspired!
I know how you feel about the "begats" but my mother in law gave me some advice one day and it helped alot. She told me to pray for understanding before I began to read my bible. I did and it helped . I am not intimidated by not understanding the words anymore. His word say ask and ye shall receive. The bible is the greatest love story ever written . Some are saying it is not God's word. That is is written by man. It is written by man but inspired by God .
I agree with you wholeheartedly. I suppose the Bible may be boring to some people who, like me, dislike Shakespearean English. Shakespeare actually was one of the men who translated the original language into the King James Bible. I understand some of the more modern versions better, but don't they they always agree entirely with the King James version. For example, in Genesis where the King James version says God said to Noah, "Come into the ark," indicating that God was already in the ark waiting for Noah, some of the modern versions say "Go into the ark," which changes the meaning. But I think people who are honestly searching for the truth will be given the ability to understand the Bible. Thanks for writing this.
How many of us practice what the Bible or the quran say,we only are lustful,greedy ,angry and hate,how many of us help less fortunate brother and sister ,how many of us pool a dollar to send to the many victims of tsunami and cyclone,we only think about the most fancy car and the biggest house.if we all can share and give the less fortunate,it would be a bigger blessing than to say what is boring .the left over in your plate can satisfy a hungry child somewhere.look at benny hinn.he is a culprit.if you believe then that someone can pray and heal ,then why all the sickness and disaster.did we as human ever think our president bush is the biggest sinner,how many innocent lives are lost,would he like to lose his love ones like that.bet on good Friday he would ask for forgiveness ,do you did the lord will forgave him,well for me he has to pa for his dirty sins
It was a great article Rebecca, but my own point of view is, the bible are just words indited by men who claimed to have been under the influence of a higher diety. I find it very difficult to comprehend why this simple book does not sound but farfetched to everyone. Faith is it? Well i'm not really a empiricist but, this nonsense about a single being knowing and understanding me is something i disagree with totaly
The author of the bible is Constantine the Great. It's really just about human conscious - nothing more.
You have a good point here, Rebecca. It's easy to overlook the fact of "living words," because God's words have been translated and printed. But we'd make ourselves fools to say that God is only on the printed page. The Holy Spirit still speaks these words, and He still offers faith to those who seek with all their heart.
I think the day is coming soon when the sheep will be separated from the goats; when it will be easy to tell the difference between those who only like to wear a pretty cross around their necks, and those who are devoted to Christ and understand the gravity of His gospel. His are the only words that will never pass away. Never stop advancing your knowledge of WHY you believe the truth.