The Bible Isn’t Boring

Beth’s small group leader gave her a challenge that seemed difficult when she first heard it. She had never read the Bible consistently, but the assignment seemed doable. Read one chapter a day out of 1 Peter for five days, and she could complete the book before they met again. She reluctantly told her leader that she would try to do what she asked.

Once she got home, she realized she couldn’t read one chapter a day. She read two. Surprisingly, she was so mesmerized by what she read in the first chapter that she kept going. By the time they gathered the following Sunday, she had studied 1 Peter numerous times and was amazed at all the truths about Jesus she had learned. All Beth needed was an intentional disciple-maker and a clear goal. Within those pages, she began to see that the Bible wasn’t a boring book at all. She finally understood how important the Scriptures were to her.

What if I told you that all of the students in your school were struggling with a disease, and unless something changed, all of them would die by the end of the year? Many people had attempted to help them, but the more solutions they tried, the worse their symptoms became. In their fear, they were starting to turn on each other rather than go to each other for support. For all their efforts, their conditions worsened by the day.

Then, amazingly, you discovered a cure. You didn’t develop it yourself, but you received specific instructions for addressing the sick and curing what endangered them. The path toward healing was contained within some notes that an expert had succeeded with in previous similar situations. He graciously wrote them down and intentionally delivered them to you.

Would such a book be boring? Of course not! You would diligently read it with unwavering focus. You couldn’t fathom letting difficult sections slow you down from getting to the cure. If simple research permitted you to understand unfamiliar words better, that wouldn’t seem like a chore. Could you entertain overlooking the needs around you to scroll aimlessly through your phone? Trivial distractions couldn’t sidetrack you if the cure were so readily available. 

Now, you are starting to understand the power of Scripture. A compassionate and gracious God created all of us in His image, and we have tried to remodel ourselves more to the templates we have seen in this world. We have turned from that which gives life to that which poisons our souls. All of us are sinners, and we are hopeless in our knowledge and power to revive ourselves. But God sent His Son Jesus to infect Himself with our sins. He never did anything wrong, yet He identified Himself with our weaknesses so we could be made clean. Jesus’ death from our infection provided the antidote that each of us needs. The cure for our soul’s sickness was written down in the Bible. We call it the gospel. It is truly good news.

Does that sound boring to you? What if we were to tell you that, within this book, God clearly provides the cure? It also informs how you could make a radical change within your city. Did you know that it shares how to make possible the situations of this world that seem impossible? Are you aware that it gives clear guidance for those who feel isolated, fearful, anxious, depressed, and hopeless? Have you ever discovered that it teaches how to leverage your life to make it count for more than just getting through it? Do you know that it speaks of an unseen war all around us in which God will be the ultimate victor? And amid this situation, He has invited us to join Him on the frontlines, rescuing countless lives from the clutches of humanity’s great enemy.

There’s nothing about the Bible that is boring. If you think the Scriptures are uninteresting, it speaks more to what you are doing with them than what is in them. The Bible isn’t boring – we are! The first step in discipleship is committing yourself to learning God’s Word. The goal is not to obsess over words on a page but the Savior they point to in every phrase.