Bible Study Is Not About You

When we first got married, Kathy and I would spend time studying the Bible together. It was wonderful: just the two of us, with zero diapers to change or homework to complete. Then life started lifing.

One baby came, then the other, and our Bible study time became an individual exercise. We did it on our own, whenever we could.

One day I noticed that she was not reading the Bible as regularly as before, which was worrisome. I inserted myself into her reality and did what any considerate, thoughtful, and loving husband would do: I mustered all the empathy I had in my heart and said:

“I can’t believe you, as a pastor’s wife, would not make time for your personal devotions!”

What a guy! Incredible, right?

Much to my surprise, instead of solving the problem, I managed to make it much worse. Not only did she not drop everything and resume her devotions, but that approach created distance and static instead of intimacy and connection.

I heaped guilt on her instead of hope. I offered rebuke instead of redemption. She needed Christ; she found criticism.

I share this personal story because we learn more from our mistakes than we do from our achievements, and since struggle is the secret sauce in success, hopefully our experience can be helpful in your own life.

Whether you struggle with Bible study or it has become a keystone habit of your spiritual walk, allow me to share four practical reflections and some key principles we have found helpful.

What Bible Study Is Not

Before we understand what Bible study is, it’s imperative that we define what it is not.

1. It is not primarily a habit we engage to acquire knowledge or information. Information is clearly valuable; yet information without connection will often make us informed but not transformed. Some of the best-informed “Bible scholars” I know have been tour guides in Israel who shared several obscure and unknown facts about the Bible with the 52 people on the bus, yet they still await the coming of the Messiah.

2. It is not a tool to constantly remind you how much better you are at religion than others. Several years ago I heard a phrase I have never forgotten: We often sin more when we know we are right. Yes, truth matters. But Scripture is more a map, not a mallet. Some of the most argumentative, insensitive, and demeaning people online have the words “Bible-believing Christian” in their bio. I remember my own mom leaving Bible texts on notes in my room as a teen (a good practice), but often the passages had to do with me “obeying.” Surely there is a better way of using Scripture than as a passive-aggressive tool.

3. It is not about you. The way we read the Bible matters, as does the way we interpret what we read. This is called hermeneutics. Some of us have fallen prey to what I call the Disney princess hermeneutic. You read the Bible and then insert yourself in every story as the hero, or at least the main character . . . just like a Disney princess. (I’m not a fan of Disney, by the way.) You see yourself in Daniel’s friends, who stood, but never in Nebuchadnezzar, who schemed. You are David, the giant killer, never the cowering Israelites. You are Esther the liberator, not Haman the conspirator. You are Joseph; never his brothers.
This is a misguided way of reading the Bible. Why? Because Scripture is not primarily about you! There are enough pharaohs, Hamans, and Labans in all of us to drive us to the feet of Jesus, to the mercy of His grace. It is His victory that makes ours possible. We are not the hero of the story; Jesus is.

Find your moment. Your time. Make it a priority and give God your best, not what is left.

One of my favorite bias-exposing sermons comes from a story found in Genesis 31, in which Laban mistreats Jacob. Laban changes his attitude about Jacob; he mistreats, lies, and gossips about Jacob. He even changes his wages 10 times. Jacob’s only problem was the success that attended him because of God’s favor. Whatever God blesses, the devil will attack. Throughout the message I can see people identifying with Jacob and thinking, Yes, me too! I have been lied to. I have been taken advantage of. I have been gossiped about. Then I just simply say toward the end: “You could be Laban.” It gets quiet suddenly. That’s the Disney princess hermeneutic in action. There is enough Laban in all of us to keep us humbly at the foot of the cross.

Four Ways Bible Study Works for Me

Now that we know what not to do, let’s get into what works. Please consider the following:

1. Less is more. I would rather read one passage and digest it, understand it, apply it, and be transformed by it, than race through three chapters and remember nothing an hour later. Repeat to yourself daily: This is not a race. You do not get extra points for material covered, but you do get expedited transformation from lessons applied. Take one passage, one story, one chapter, and mine it for all the gold nuggets. Less is more.

2. Find your sweet spot. Some of you are morning people, like my wife. She is awake and exceedingly happy early in the morning. I do not know how morning people do it; it takes a while for me to get going. Others of you are night owls. We all possess different personalities, perspectives, and occupations. I remember reading an enjoyable book titled At Your Best, in which the author encourages readers to analyze how our energy is during the different parts of the day and to divide it into green, yellow, and red zones. The green zone is you at your sharpest, and the red zone is your energy at the lowest. Find your sweet spot. For many, that time is first thing in the morning, but some people work the night shift, so 6:00 a.m. would not be the best moment to get into Revelation 13. After a 12-hour shift, you are so sleep-deprived that you stop studying about the beast and become one.
Find your moment. Your time. Make it a priority and give God your best, not what is left. Do you like to write in a journal or doodle? Do it! Do you like to stop five times a day and do a mini study break? Do it. There are two headwinds to your Bible study: perfection and comparison. Done is better than perfect, and perfection is the enemy of progress in the same way that comparison is the enemy of joy. Find a Bible version you can understand. Spend a little less time consuming conspiracy theories about Bible versions, and a lot more time consuming the actual Word of God.

3. Going deep for what reason? Sometimes people go so deep that they drown. For me, it’s like the difference between regular diving and free diving. Both are done in the ocean. Both go down to challenging depths. Free diving goes down and comes back up. They see nothing, they experience nothing, and they risk everything. The regular diver with the tanks takes the time to go down, and a whole other world opens. Bright-colored ocean creatures. Magnificent colors and corals. Incredible life forms. Unforgettable memories. What do regular divers do when back on the surface? They share with others the beauty they saw. What do free divers do? They thank God they are alive. Another thing: Regular diving is often done with a partner, which makes it even more fun. Free diving is often done by yourself. What did you see down there, free diver? Nothing. “But I went deep!”

4. You receive God. The primary purpose of the Word is not to get _____________, it is to get God. God is the prize. Bible study is not a checkmark on the heavenly report card. It is more than just a task to complete; it’s a relationship to develop. You get God! The God of the universe, whom we cannot explain, comprehend, or order around—who has unlimited power and ability—that God wants to know and be known by you. That is why He left you His Word, so that you can have a reminder of how crazy He is about you. God is the prize.

Final Thoughts

The other day I noticed my wife’s routine when she woke up. She spent time praying and writing in her journal. She has a reading plan that she follows in a Bible app. It has become a beautiful habit.

A long time has passed since that unfortunate incident more than 30 years ago. God has been gracious with me, and so has my wife. One key lesson I learned is that when we prioritize compliance, we can often miss connection, but not the other way around.

My prayer today is that a connection with God and the joy of His Word will be yours. This love letter He left us will soon be a face-to-face conversation. I imagine Jesus having a talk with you when you arrive in heaven to tell you, “Remember when I said that I had a plan? Remember when you read in the Bible that I had ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’ [Jer. 29:11, NIV]?

“This is it. This is what I meant!”

Enjoy spending time in your Bible today.