Do you feel bored with your Bible? I’ve made it my mission to help Christians find joy in Jesus through creative and enjoyable Bible habits. Because life with Jesus is anything but boring! Below you’ll find 7 fresh ideas to bring vibrancy to your Bible reading today.
Enjoyable Bible habits are a big thing around here. We believe God created us to enjoy Him all our days, and there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for how to read your Bible. In fact, you’re probably bored because you’re trying to fit into some else’s idea of “the right way to read the Bible.”
No more.
Let’s get creative in how we worship our creative God.
Each of the Bible habits below features the Dwell Bible App, which if you’re not familiar with it, is a phone app that helps you explore Scripture through playlists, stories, and plans. I first heard about Dwell when they were running their KickStarter campaign in 2018. I was so impressed with their mission and vision that I joined as a supporter… and I’ve been using their app almost every day since they’ve launched it!
I’m partnering with the Dwell team this summer to share ways you can enjoy Scripture, both in this blog post and in weekly newsletters. You can try Dwell for up to 33% off through this link, and if you’re not subscribed to our weekly Enjoyable Bible Habit email, you can join for free here.
So let’s talk about some creative ideas for how to dwell in God’s Word throughout the day!
1. Meditate on Scripture while doing chores
I’ll be honest: cleaning toilets is not my favorite thing to do. Neither is mopping floors. Or folding laundry. Or chopping vegetables for dinner. Okay, so that’s a lot of unfavorited chores, but they need to get done anyway. When I meditate on Scripture, not only does the time go by faster, but my attitude changes too.
In the 6 minutes it takes to unload the dishwasher (yes, I’ve timed it!), I can listen to the “My Identity in Christ” playlist from Dwell. If cleaning the bathroom takes 13 minutes, that’s the perfect timing for the “He Loves Us” playlist.
Have a longer chore? Try the “I’m Feeling Stressed” playlist which runs for 29 minutes, or listen to the whole book of Philippians in just 18 minutes. Imagine scrubbing the toilet with Jesus at your side—somehow, it doesn’t sound so dull anymore.
2. Reimagine biblical narratives with new voices and music
I’m convinced that part of the reason we struggle to make time to read the Bible is that we’re bored with the Bible. None of us want to admit that, of course, but it’s true. If the Bible captivated our imaginations, we would spend every spare moment immersed in its pages.
But we don’t. Not because we lack time (after all, how many hours each week do we spend commuting or doing chores—see #5 above), but because we lack desire.
I have a lot of thoughts about why we don’t desire God (here’s a short post as an intro), but for now, what if we switched up our Bible reading? You could try reading a new translation for a fresh take on familiar passages. You could also try a new narrator if you’re listening to the audioBible. The Dwell App lets you choose voices featuring accents that range from American, British, Irish, and East African. You can also switch up the musical bed between piano, guitar, cello, beloved hymns, or no music at all.
3. Fall Asleep with Scripture
Do you have trouble falling asleep at night? Sometimes I do. Meditating on Scripture will help calm your anxious mind, whether you’re reciting a favorite passage (like Psalm 23 or John 1), or listening to the the audioBible.
One of my favorite ways to fall asleep to Scripture is using the Dwell App’s Sleep Playlists and Sleep Timer. With curated playlists like “Sleep to the Sayings of Jesus,” “Sleep to Wisdom,” A Peaceful Night,” and “Peaceful Psalms,” I can fall asleep to Scripture and gentle music, ensuring both my mind and my body find rest at night.
4. Memorize a passage using “Dwell Mode”
If you struggle to memorize Bible verses, chances are you’re doing it the old-school way, reading it out loud over and over again. How’s that going for you?
To be honest, that memorization method doesn’t work for me. For the longest time, I thought I had a bad memory, but then I realized that I had no trouble remembering lyrics from catchy songs and even commercials. So the problem isn’t really our ability to memorize. Maybe the problem is the method we’re using to memorize. (Or maybe you’ve grown so discouraged that you’ve given up trying to memorize all together!)
Here’s a simple invitation: listen to the same verse five times a day for five days in a row, and see if you don’t remember it at the end of the week. I bet you will!
BTW, the Dwell App makes this easy with their “Dwell Mode” feature, which allows you to repeat the same passage as many times as you want. And you can even add time for reflection between repetitions. So you can listen to your memory verse and then say it out loud, catching any corrections on your second or third go-around.
Imagine memorizing Scripture this way with your children in the car, or while walking the dog, or waiting in the carpool line. What an incredible way to redeem the lost minutes of our days for eternal value to our souls!
5. Listen to the Bible in a Year
Perhaps you’ve heard Bible teachers extol the virtues of reading the Bible in a year and you’ve tried… but you always get stuck somewhere between the “thou shalt not’s” and the “Ephraim begat Elishama who begat Ammihud…” And then gave up.
Listen—I totally get it. Some of these Old Testament passages can be hard to read when we don’t understand their historical context and their contemporary relevance. I used to struggle getting through those texts… until I started listening to them as I read along in my Bible.
I’m on my third year in a row of reading through the Bible in a year, and I say this not to brag (because truly, who even cares aside from me and the Lord?), but rather to encourage you that not only is it possible, but listening to the Bible in a year can actually be enjoyable!
As I listen to Scripture read aloud, I can highlight, underline, and make notes in the margins of my Bible. It’s easier to recognize patterns or repeated phrases when I’m hearing the words read to me. And I can always change things up with a new narrator or music in the Dwell App (see #6 below).
6. Refocus your heart with “I’m Feeling…” playlists
How many times have you felt your emotions controlling you rather than being in control of your emotions? When we feel angry, frustrated, or lonely, we can withdraw into ourselves or worse, lash out at others. But what if we took our emotions to the Lord in prayer?
Try reading through Bible passages that address those emotions, and then respond to God in prayer based on what you’ve read.
The Dwell App makes this easy with their curated playlists for when you’re feeling…
- stressed
- afraid
- angry
- ashamed
- tempted
- depressed, and
- lonely
No matter how you’re feeling, turn to Scripture for comfort and truth, and you’ll find everything you need in God’s own presence.
7. Prayer walk through the Psalms
Whoever said we need to read the Bible seated in a chair at a table? If you find your mind wandering while your eyes skim the page (or if you’ve ever fallen asleep—I have!), try taking a walk while listening to Scripture.
After all, Jesus and His disciples spent hundreds of hours (if not more) walking and talking as they journeyed from place to place. You could listen to the “Jesus parables” playlist in Dwell for a 38-minute walk, or pray through the longest chapter of the Bible—Psalm 119—on an 18-minute walk.
Those are just seven of the ways I’ve used the Dwell App to saturate my life with Scripture and truly dwell on God’s Word throughout my day. As you can tell, I’m a big fan of the app, but you don’t have to take my word for it—try it yourself for up to 33% off today.
I’d love to hear which of these 7 Enjoyable Bible Habits you’re going to try today! Share this post with your friends on Instagram and be sure to tag me @asheritah so I can see too!
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