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Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, ESV).
Three problems with reading the New Testament:
First: The New Testament wasn’t written with chapters and verses. The chapters and verses as we read them today were finalized around A.D. 1555. Studies have shown that we tend to pause after reading a verse and come to a complete stop after finishing a chapter. This manner of reading loses the narrative context, and we miss the overarching message.
Second: I’m more focused on my reading at the beginning of a chapter, with my mind wandering towards the end; however, some of the most encouraging verses of the New Testament (not necessarily in the Old Testament) are found at the end of chapters. Consider the promise found in the last verse of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, “Comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.”
Third: Reading left to right develops the muscles and cognitive skills being lost today in our culture, which is flooded with videos. Thus, we lose concentration and experience greater muscle fatigue, causing us to skip words and minimize detail retention.
What can we do?
Read the Bible on paper. This develops the necessary muscle and cognitive function for focus and concentration. Though I’m constantly reading on screens, I read about five chapters from a paper Bible each day.
Read a few verses of the previous chapter and then a few verses of the next chapter. This preserves context for the chapter that you are reading. For example, don’t the last two verses of Romans chapter 11 give depth of meaning to the beginning of Romans chapter 12?
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen (Romans 11:33-36).
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship (Romans 12:1).
Read the Letters of Paul (not Romans), James, and Peter in one sitting!!!!
Ephesians is about 3,000 words and takes 15 to 20 minutes to read; 1 Peter is about 2,300 words and takes 15 minutes; and James is about 1,800 words and takes a few minutes less than Ephesians and 1 Peter.
At least once a month, read a shorter New Testament book, and you will perceive new ideas from it. Then Jesus will say to the Father in heaven, “Did you see (insert your name here) read the Book of Colossians today? Let’s send him a blessing today.”
I can’t say what the blessing will be, but often, after reading my Bible, I discover the foreknowledge of God at work. Not coincidentally, after reading a passage of Scripture in the morning, often I needed the wisdom from that exact passage later in the day. And as a pastor, many times someone asked for advice that I could provide from verses that I had read in my devotions.
I was in my 20s when I read Ephesians 3:20a in the morning, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think.” Then, later in the day at a men’s Bible study with a bunch of OGs (Old Guys), one of them asked, “Where in the Bible does it say God will do more than you ask?”
I quickly replied, “Oh, that’s Ephesians 3:20.” I then put on my smug look as all eyes turned toward me. It’s the last days, with false teaching abounding; all of us need some “smugness” with the Word of God.