Top 5 Benefits Of Reading The Bible Daily
Through most of my teenage years and into my twenties, I spent a lot of time wanting to hear from God - I needed direction on what to major in, what job to accept, whether I should go to law school, where I should live, who (and if) I should marry. People told me to read my Bible and pray - that it’s where I could find the answers I was seeking, but for years, I couldn’t find them there either.
It wasn’t until my first year of law school - away from home for the first time and enrolled in a challenging and competitive graduate school program - that I began to read the Bible as not one looking for answers, but as a desperate and weak soul. I needed God and on my knees and in His word are the two places I could find Him any time of day or night.
As I read, for the first time, every page from Genesis to Revelations, I slowly discovered the Bible was never about me. It was for me, but it was about God. Every chapter and verse spoke of who God is and what His desire is for His people. Because God is always speaking, it us who rarely listen or even show up to hear Him.
Since then, I’ve continued to read the Bible almost every single day, and in its entirety every year, and the miracles that manifested in my heart and life are hard to describe in words. But I still wanted to share the top five benefits I’ve seen emerge in my life as a result of cultivating this spiritual discipline:
The Bible teaches us and trains us in righteousness, preparing us for the work God has for each of us
Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness; that the [wo]man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.
Proverbs 2 says that if we cry out for insight and ask for understanding - as we search for a husband, spouse, boyfriend, beauty, wealth, fame, likes - if we apply that level of seeking, we will understand what it means to fear the Lord and gain knowledge of God. Through that knowledge of God, His divine power then grants us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). For it is God who works in us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13).
It all starts by showing up and reading His word, and because it is the living word of God, it does its work in us as the Holy Spirit teaches us all things (John 14:26) and the power of God trains and equips us to be able to do every good work that He calls us to.
The Word of God is powerful and heals our hearts
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
I heard an older woman share once that when she got married, she was deeply insecure and it made her insanely jealous of other women to the point of accusing her husband of having an affair because she thought he looked entirely too long at that pretty co-worker. A Christian counselor advised her and her husband to read the Bible together and have the husband end with prayer. Every single day. After awhile, the woman shared that God healed her mind and her heart.
God knows our hearts, thoughts and our true motives, and if we bring all of ourselves to Him, He will use His living word and the Holy Spirit to heal our hearts - He brings comfort to an aching heart, healing to the wounded one, wisdom to the questioning mind, boldness to the shy one, renewal to the one who can’t go on, strength for the weak, and hope to the one in despair. Sometimes, we don’t even know what we need, but when we come to the throne room of God, He knows exactly what to pour into our hearts to make us holy and more like Him.
The Bible guards us from bad decisions and against people who may wish us harm
He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to Him. Wise choices will watch over you; understanding will keep you safe. Wisdom will save you from evil people; from those whose words are twisted.
Once upon a time, a guy walked into my life. As we started a tentative long-distance friendship, I knew very little about the guy, his family, background or intentions… and it freaked me out. So much could go wrong and I worried, until the thought came into my mind that I knew someone who knew this guy and his intentions better than he probably even knew himself. So, I got on my knees and I prayed (a lot!) and a few days later, I ended up in Proverbs 2 where the words seemed to leap off the page, as if written especially for me and for this situation:
If you walk in the word of God and seek His counsel, He will give you common sense, He will be your shield and keep you safe from anything or anyone that may try to harm you... That’s just what He does for those who are faithful to Him, who desire Him more than life. He won’t let you walk into a trap or allow someone to hurt you - not while you carry His name and not if you’re consulting Him every step of the way. His Word will keep you from making bad choices and protect you from people who try to lead you astray; it will rescue you from evil in disguise and from those who speak duplicities.
So, I must take Him at His word and walk forward in faith, knowing He is my guardrails, my protector, provider, and counselor.
The Word of God tells us the right way
Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go.
As we grow in the knowledge of God, we also learn how to listen to His voice and obey as He leads us. With the anointing that we received from Him abiding in us, we have no need that anyone should teach us (1 John 2:27), because when you’re walking in the Spirit, you’ll know the right way to live and the right way to go. In every life decision, when you’re filled with His wisdom and know His character, you’ll know what to do and when to say yes or no.
How does that work logistically? John 14:26 says that the Holy Spirit will bring to our remembrance all that Jesus said. I’ve taken those words to heart and have lived them out, because there were many times when as I prayed, a piece of Scripture I read at one point would flash into my mind and be the answer I sought; or I would be in a conversation and God would remind me of a passage to share with the other person.
In the words of David, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105). The Word of God lights the right way for us and it can only do that if we read it regularly so there is something to be reminded of in the first place.
The Bible is our defense and our strong foundation
But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.
I am a skeptic at heart, so from a young age, I refused to accept “this is how it’s always been done” when it came to religious rules. I needed to know why. Thankfully, I’ve been blessed with a father who took the time to sit us down and show us the Biblical basis for everything he asked of us. It’s easier to disobey if you think it’s just tradition or men making up rules. It is much harder to do when you know their ask is based on the word of God, so by default, it is God asking you.
When I got to law school - where the sole goal is make you question everything and be able to defend any position regardless of whether you agree with the position or person you’re defending - I realized I needed a firm foundation for my religious beliefs, otherwise they’d all fade away with the skills and mindset I was acquiring in law school.
That’s also a big reason for why that first year of law school I read my Bible in full for the first time - I needed to be able to show in the Bible to anyone who questioned why I believed such “old-fashioned” things when it came to how I dressed and spoke, gender roles, and even my work ethic.
That begins with honoring God as holy and believing that the Bible in its entirety is the living word of God that is relevant today. And it grows as you drink deeply from the living water every single day, until our roots run deep and no storm or false doctrine can move us from the only way and the only Truth.
So, have you read your Bible today?
This article is a summary of Week 1 of our “Habits of Devotion” Bible study on spiritual disciplines. To watch the video version of this (and seven other spiritual disciplines), download a copy of the study below.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yelena is the founder and editor in chief Tirzah. Yelena works as an attorney in tax and in her spare time, she is working on her first book for unmarried twenty-something women in extended waiting seasons and running Tirzah. She has a passion for pointing young women to Christ, and enjoys reading, writing, traveling, and spending time with her family.