When we approach the Bible from a hyper-individualistic viewpoint, the burden to be in it daily is on our individual shoulders, the burden to interpret and understand it is all on our individual shoulders, and we can end up sitting down to what can appear at first glance to be an enormous to-do list we cannot live up to--an activity to dread. It's the "just read it and then do it" method.

In reality, we are called to "hear the Word" which is different than "read the Word." Hearing means someone else is speaking it to you. It involves others. In community, we are given the Holy Spirit, theological frameworks, creeds, and discipleship in the Scriptures and we soon find out the Bible isn't a great to-do list. It's all pointing us to the work of Christ. God loves us as individuals, but he has not called us to a spiritual life in isolation.

Gretchen and Katie talk about ways to make the most of Bible reading time, as a gift, instead of adding burdensome requirements on individuals that make us think "why bother?"

Links:

Theocast podcast episode mentioned

Recommended podcasts to assist specifically in Bible reading:

40 minutes in the Old Testament

30 minutes in the New Testament

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