Daily verse or actual reading?

These days it seems that we are looking for quick service, quick reads, quick deals. If I open a blog and it appears it will take me longer than a few minutes to read it the chances of me reading it are pretty slim. I suppose that’s why I like getting a daily bible verse sent to my phone, it’s just one verse and almost always pertains to some current situation of my life. Short and sweet that’s what we’re after, that’s what I’m after.


I’ve been challenged in the past with “I don’t have time to read the bible” and it often came when it appeared to others I had all the time in the world to just sit and do nothing but read. Today my world is so full I have little time to even hang out with my kids let alone sit and read so I like the daily bible verse even more.

But.

I always hated when my mom would be answering my question and then throw in the “but” part. “But” is rarely, in my opinion, followed by something good. Depending on how you view it, this is one of those times.

Daily bible verses rock. BUT that isn’t enough, that isn’t what one can call “reading my bible daily.” If you wrote me a letter and I only read one sentence then called you and said “Loved the letter, I read it daily. One sentence at a time” how would you feel? Did I really read your letter? No, I read a sentence of the letter but I can’t possibly see your whole intent, your whole heart, if I didn’t read the whole letter.

Sitting down and reading the bible will look different for us all. For some that will be 15 minutes and a chapter or two, for others it’ll be an hour of a whole book. The point is reading your bible, spending TIME in God’s love letter to us, is more than a verse a day.

So, if I were to ask you “Do you read your bible” what would you say? A sentence of the love letter or the whole letter?