Daily Bible Reading Plans to help you read and understand God’s Word

Scripture Reading: Ezra 7:8-10, Nehemiah 8:1-18, Psalm 111:1-4, Luke 2:41-52, 2 Timothy 2:14-19, Hebrews 4:12

If I close my eyes and try, I can still taste the first bite of the best steak of my life.  

Filet mignon. Medium rare. A side of duchess potatoes. It was the highlight of a special celebration enjoyed with my husband almost twenty years ago. There were white tablecloths and tapered candles. We were young and newly married. The steaks we each ordered probably cost more than our monthly grocery budget, but they were worth it—goodness, they were worth it. 

Each bite was a circus of flavor. Salty, savory, smokey hues trapezed through my tastebuds and demanded my full attention. This was not a meal to be scarfed down or slammed back. This was a meal to be savored. 

So it is with God’s Word. 

We live in a world that worships at the twin altars of convenience and performance. This ethos trickles quietly into our approach to the Word of God. How often have we surmised that the goal is to consume our Bibles rather than savor them? If you’re anything like me, the answer is often, bordering on always. We know that Bible reading alone doesn’t save anyone. We don’t read our Bibles to impress God but rather to know Him. Still, in our warp-speed world, it’s easy to see Bible reading as a “got to,” not a “get to”—a duty, not a delight. We need frequent reminders, then, that the Bible is a feast we’re invited to enjoy.

The prophet Jeremiah once declared, “Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart” (Jeremiah 15:16).  

First, he ate. Then, he chewed. Then, he delighted. When was the last time you consumed your Bible this way? Eating often. Chewing slowly. Delighting deeply. 

Consider how our spiritual foreparents approached the precious Word of God: Ezra vowed to study, obey, and teach it (Ezra 7:10). God’s people listened to the Word attentively (Nehemiah 8:3). They read it for understanding, not obligation (v.8). The psalmist declared that the Word is to be studied and delighted in (Psalm 111:2). Timothy called God’s people to learn and apply the Word with diligence (2Timothy 2:15). 

These men and women weren’t given greater appetites for spiritual truth than you or I. They simply saw the Word as the feast that it is and chose to internalize God’s truth deep down into their guts. 

Jesus Himself was found listening to the reading aloud of the Word carefully and asking questions (Luke 2:46). Can you imagine? The Word-become-flesh, diligently studying the Word penned on parchment? Among other things, surely, He was teaching us that our Bibles are meant to be consumed with intention, not speed.  

This is not about method; it’s about mindset. Consider this your permission slip to chew truth more slowly. Delight is its own discipline. The inspired, infallible, immutable Word of God is a five-star filet mignon, not a drive-thru hamburger. Let the taste of it linger long on your tongue today.

Written by Erin Davis