"DAILY BIBLE READING (II)"

How To Make It A Habit

INTRODUCTION
  1. In the previous lesson, I sought to encourage everyone to make daily Bible reading a habit...
    1. By emphasizing the value of the Word of God to:
      1. Save Us
      2. Comfort Us
    2. By stressing we are creatures of habit and time
      1. We either have a habit of reading or not reading
      2. If we have gotten in the habit of not reading, our time on earth will end without our ever having read God's Word
  2. In this lesson, I want to offer suggestions for making daily Bible reading a habit in our lives

[To be successful in forming any good habit...]

  1. WE NEED TO CREATE A "POSITIVE ADDICTION" TO DAILY BIBLE READING
    1. WHAT IS A "POSITIVE ADDICTION"?
      1. Usually when we hear the word ADDICTION, we think of NEGATIVE ADDICTIONS
        1. Which is simply another word for BAD HABITS
        2. Such as smoking, swearing, drinking, gambling
        3. When something bad for us:
          1. Becomes "second nature"
          2. We do it without much effort or thought
        4. We become dependent on it, either emotionally or physically
        5. When we try to do without it, we experience various degrees of discomfort
      2. POSITIVE ADDICTION is when you become dependent upon a good habit
        1. For example, exercise can become a positive addiction
          1. Those who have made exercise a pleasurable and frequent experience soon become "addicted" to it
          2. So that if they go a few days without exercise, they feel uneasy, depressed, irritable
          3. Of course, if they go without exercise long enough, the discomfort will eventually pass
        2. So a positive addiction is a habit which is:
          1. Good for you, either physically, mentally, or spiritually
          2. A source of pleasure and satisfaction
          3. One that should you neglect it, begins to give you "withdrawal pains"
    2. WHY IS A "POSITIVE ADDICTION" TO DAILY BIBLE READING NECESSARY?
      1. It will help you maintain the practice of reading the Bible
      2. Should a few days go by without reading the Bible, the "discomfort" experienced will help motivate you to get "back on track"
      3. Most people who have tried to read the Bible daily and did not keep it up...
        1. Are people who have never experienced a positive addiction to reading God's Word
        2. Rather than a pleasurable experience, it was a chore
        3. So when they fell behind in their goals, there was little motivation to catch up

        [Having explained what I mean by "positive addiction", here are some thoughts on...]

  2. HOW TO CREATE A "POSITIVE ADDICTION" FOR DAILY BIBLE READING
    1. THE PRINCIPLES ARE THE SAME FOR CREATING ANY POSITIVE ADDICTION...
      1. You must make the experience a pleasurable one
        1. This is where many people fail when it comes to "exercise"
        2. Going about it the wrong way, the daily workouts are painful and miserable
        3. Therefore any excuse not to exercise prevents them from keeping it up
      2. The same applies to reading the Bible
        1. To many, they try to do too much too soon
        2. The experience soon becomes little more than "marking a checklist"
    2. SOME SUGGESTIONS...
      1. START SLOW, WITH SMALL GOALS
        1. Many try to start by reading through the Bible in one year
          1. An admirable goal, but most never make it past Exodus or Leviticus
          2. Before Bible reading has become a positive addiction, they run into difficult passages of Scripture
          3. They are like beginning joggers who try to run a mile the first time out
        2. I would recommend starting with making the New Testament a yearly goal
          1. This requires no more than a chapter a day
          2. The material is easier, more edifying at the outset
        3. Once you have read the New Testament in a year a couple of times
          1. You might read through the Old Testament one year
          2. Then begin reading through the entire Bible each year
      2. BEGIN EACH SESSION WITH PRAYER
        1. Like that found in Ps 119:18: "Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your Law."
        2. This puts us in the most receptive frame of mind - cf. Ja 1:21
      3. READ SLOWLY, CAREFULLY
        1. This helps to prevent reading without comprehending what you read - cf. Ps 1:1-2; 119:15-16
        2. Reading out loud at times, as though you were reading to someone else, can help to read this way
      4. MAKE USE OF BIBLE STUDY AIDS
        1. Especially a Bible dictionary, and Bible maps
        2. Don't observe the "pass over", passing over...
          1. Words you don't understand
          2. Names you don't know
          3. Places unfamiliar to you
        3. Every time you do, there is that much more of the Bible you don't understand, don't get anything out of it
        4. Take a moment to look them up in the references
      5. DISCUSS WHAT YOU READ WITH OTHERS
        1. Encourage others to follow the same program of reading
        2. Share your discoveries, the passages that encourage you
      6. READ WITH THE INTENTION TO DO WHAT IT SAYS
        1. Otherwise, you are wasting your time! - Jm 1:22-24
        2. The true joy comes in the application of God's Word (another "positive addiction" to develop) - Jm 1:25
      7. END EACH SESSION WITH PRAYER
        1. Like that expressed in Ps 119:5-6
        2. Or the one found in Ps 119:10-11
CONCLUSION
  1. I have found that following these suggestions the practice of reading the Bible becomes one of great joy - Ps 119:162
  2. Done on a regular basis, a "positive addiction" for daily Bible reading quickly develops which helps one to keep up this wonderful habit
  3. I hope that in some way I have encouraged everyone...
    1. To begin if they have never done so
    2. To continue if they are doing so
    3. To try again if they tried in the past and failed

For there is so much to gain, and there is so much to lose!