One Reason You Are Bored with the Bible

Mar 18, 2015

Can I be totally honest with you? There have been times in my adult life when I have found reading the Bible…boring. At times I’ve watched Netflix or scrolled mindlessly through social media because I found these things more enjoyable than Bible study. I probably would have never admitted out loud that I was bored with the Bible, but my actions spoke louder than my words. This is something about which I’m incredibly ashamed, because the problem was not with the Bible, it was with me.

Here is one thing I’ve discovered about why people are bored with the Bible and how to fix the problem.

Entertainment is “Junk Food”

First of all, you need to understand that entertainment is like junk food for your heart, soul, and mind. Social media, video games, Netflix, television, and even sports and hobbies are all enjoyable, but they do very little – if anything – to nourish you. In fact, they often spoil your appetite for spiritual things.

My mother used to warn me not to eat junk food before dinner because it would spoil my appetite. She was right. It wasn’t just that it filled me up. It was that the more I ate junk food, the less I wanted nourishing food. I craved the junk food. After all, it’s hard to eat a carrot after you’ve eaten a candy bar.

The same is true with entertainment. The more of it you “consume,” the more it will consume you!

Scripture is a Nourishing Feast

Scripture, on the other hand, is like a nourishing feast. It is like meat and vegetables. It not only tastes good, but it is good for you. But unfortunately, you’re not hungry for it because you’ve ruined your appetite. You’ve watched college basketball for hours on end, but now you have to force yourself to read the Bible for just a few minutes.

One of the most important things in the whole world is reading God’s word, but it shouldn’t feel like a chore. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul wrote to Timothy,

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Many of us are completely malnourished spiritually. We are not equipped for every good work, because we are too busy entertaining ourselves. We would like to find Scripture as exciting as we know it is, but we simply do not have an appetite left for the feast God has prepared for us.

How to Solve the Problem

The solution is simple, but it requires discipline and self-control. If you find entertainment more enjoyable than reading the “living and active” Word of God (Hebrews 4:12), then it is time to go on a fast or at least a strict diet. When you come to the realization that your diet is unhealthy, you have to cut out the junk food.

This means it is time to put away the smart phone, turn off Netflix, DVR the college basketball game, and maybe even go on a social media “fast.” A little bit of entertainment – like a little bit of junk food – may be no big deal, but when it is affecting your appetite, it is a very big deal!

I can already hear people saying, “But I only watch things that are wholesome and I only use social media to connect with other like-minded Christians.” Hey, me too! But that doesn’t mean these things are not still negatively affecting your attention span and ruining your spiritual appetite. And remember, even reading a religious blog article does not take the place of actually reading the Bible.

Before long, you will once again see the Word of God in its proper light and say like the Psalmist in Psalm 119:103-104a,