Not Enjoying Reading Scripture?

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Melodeonist

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No matter what, I can never enjoy reading the bible. I personally don’t like reading any books for that matter. I find books kind of boring.

What should I do to make reading the bible more interesting? I have tried meditating on the scripture, but I find that confusing. :confused:
 
Melodeonist said:
No matter what, I can never enjoy reading the bible. I personally don’t like reading any books for that matter. I find books kind of boring.

What should I do to make reading the bible more interesting? I have tried meditating on the scripture, but I find that confusing. :confused:
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TRY This:)

PUT yourself into that time and place; be an active participant, not a casual bystander:thumbsup:

always being by asking the Holy Spirit to guide your understanding. Then at the end of your study time: THANK GOD!

God Bless you

Patrick
 
Great advice from PJM.

Also, it is “Bible” not “bible.”

Titles of books are always capitalized.
 
Melodeonist said:
No matter what, I can never enjoy reading the bible. I personally don’t like reading any books for that matter. I find books kind of boring.

What should I do to make reading the bible more interesting? I have tried meditating on the scripture, but I find that confusing. :confused:
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“PUT yourself into that time and place; be an active participant, not a casual bystander” is good advice.

Check out Acts of the Apostles. It’s a real page turner with great adventure and a lot of action. Try to figure out why they were doing all that stuff. It may give you the motivation to search for clues in some of the other books.

You don’t have to read them in order. There’s many good and interesting things in the shorter books also.
 
I would try the more historical books, which have more action, and maybe avoid the books of prophecy and law. I find the wisdom literature quite easy reading on the whole.

If you don’t like reading at all, maybe try an audio Bible that you could listen to? Try Bible Gateway, there are several versions to choose from.
 
I find it ironic that the OP doesn’t like reading the Bible but has a Bible quote as his signature. 😉

@melodeonist, just curious, mind telling us how old you are?

-Tim-
 
To the OP, I had tried in the past to read the bible several times and just couldn’t do it. I wanted to, I really did, and I tried, but couldn’t get “into” it.

Then our church hosted a 3-part series over 24 weeks (8 weeks for each segment), of Jeff Cavins’ “The Bible Adventure”. It made reading the bible much more interesting because Jeff Cavins teaches you how to read the bible and provides so much intelligent insight into scripture. Our church purchased all of his videos (1 hour each for every session for a total of 24) and all of the study materials. We also do weekly group sessions to discuss our answers to the questions in the study guide.

The great part about it is he guides you through the most important scripture and because he is leading you through it all, you can choose to read more if you want.

All of this helped provide a lot of needed structure that I was looking for, rather than trying to go into it blind like I’ve done in the past. It may be easy for some people to just open it up and read it, but there are plenty of us who are different. And remember, even though there is no “new” revelation, the CC has put 2,000 years into providing its church with thousands of pages of the meaning of the bible in the CCC… so it’s not like just reading it is simple!

Maybe you could do a search for his series and try that?
 
There has been some great advice here.

Maybe you might try reading some commentary on the reading before reading it. It will aid your understanding of what you are reading.

If I am reading alone and my attention wanders. I read it out loud and add the inflection that I think the would be used if it was being preached 2000 years ago. It adds a lot to the reading that I don’t get with normal reading to myself. It makes the words come alive.

Perhaps you might put down the Bible for a while and try reading some writing by Doctor’s of the Church. Someone like Teresa of Avila or Augustine might be just the ticket.
 
My guess is that the OP is young, from the internet generation where everything is a 140 character tweet or a hashtag and books are TLDR.

-Tim-
 
TimothyH said:
My guess is that the OP is young, from the internet generation where everything is a 140 character tweet or a hashtag and books are TLDR.

-Tim-
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I had to look up TLDR, and I am proud of it! I guess for me TLDR is TSDKI (Too Short; Don’t Know It) 😉
 
The OP does not enjoy reading scripture, or books in general.

Well, is there any kind of reading that you enjoy? My nine yo nephew is hooked on reading. But, there are definitely just certain types of books he reads. He likes the thriller books, like The Terrifying Tractors of Texas.

Going to school is a progression in learning how to read, from year to year, more and more types of books.

I like reading Bible commentaries, but in-between, I’m reading mystery books – Sherlock Holmes, for example, and now I’m reading Agatha Christie mystery novels. They’re easy to read, in the first place. And, they’re entertaining. I’m very selective about what I watch on TV. My TV is off most of the time, and I watch shows that I recorded on the DVR. I have to skip the commercials, like I’m running from bees.
 
TimothyH said:
I find it ironic that the OP doesn’t like reading the Bible but has a Bible quote as his signature. 😉

@melodeonist, just curious, mind telling us how old you are?

-Tim-
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I’m 18.

I don’t mind reading small bits, but I can’t stand reading whole chapters. It makes me bored.

I do enjoy reading factual books. For example, I like reading books with lots of pictures and not that much text. I also enjoy reading books with very short chapters. 🙂

I am a very visual reader and I like when the books can help you visualize the story with descriptive words.
 
Melodeonist said:
I’m 18.

I don’t mind reading small bits, but I can’t stand reading whole chapters. It makes me bored.

I do enjoy reading factual books. For example, I like reading books with lots of pictures and not that much text. I also enjoy reading books with very short chapters. 🙂

I am a very visual reader and I like when the books can help you visualize the story with descriptive words.
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Try using an audio New Testament such as ‘Truth and Life audio New Testament’. You can get the app for your phone. The text of the NT follows along with the audio so you can read along if you choose or simply listen. It is dramatized and will keep your attention! It also comes with study notes and the text of the whole Bible.
 
One thing that has helped me a lot is putting whole books of the Bible to a song. You spend so much time making up tunes for the verses that you end up memorizing the Bible and singing it throughout the day. Maybe that’s not a great suggestion for everyone, but for me it has been really wonderful! I record the tunes on my phone until I have them memorized. I even made one book into a cd and my children listen to it when they go to sleep. 🙂
 
Melodeonist said:
I’m 18.

I don’t mind reading small bits, but I can’t stand reading whole chapters. It makes me bored.

I do enjoy reading factual books. For example, I like reading books with lots of pictures and not that much text. I also enjoy reading books with very short chapters. 🙂

I am a very visual reader and I like when the books can help you visualize the story with descriptive words.
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That you WANT to read the Bible is commendable! 👍

However, that it is not enjoyable is nothing to worry about. Reading, in a sense, especially in today’s twitter paced world is practically obsolete! Of course it is far from obsolete for the educated. But a young person may not have had enough practical experience with reading enjoyment, to appreciate reading. Some young people, who come from families of readers, are more fortunate.

Be that as it may, the Bible is NOT to be read like a regular book. That in itself is a mistake. The Bible should be read with reverence and veneration, even prayerfully above all else. Enjoyment would be the last motive, or at least at the very bottom of the list.

However, with time, and the grace of God, enjoyment WILL become possible. But so too will remorse, sympathy, and love of God. Just as hearing from people can elicit various emotions and feelings, the Word of God is not always for our enjoyment, but just as well for our instruction and salvation.
 
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