How and why we should read a really ancient book with really small font

“I’m too busy to read it”

“I get distracted by other things”

“I don’t understand it”

These are the three most common reasons why people find it hard to read the Bible.

Dusty Bible is a booklet designed for younger Christians to help them overcome those barriers and develop a regular Bible reading habit.

It’s a free resource available to churches and youth groups in New Zealand.

Here’s a snippet of what’s in the booklet:

Why should you read it?

Because God’s written words have life. They have power. When you spend time reading the Bible and praying, you’re putting yourself before God and asking him to change you and make you into the person he wants you to be.

It’s all about transformation. 

Bible reading and prayer is a crucial part of your journey with God. So, if you want the Bible to be an important part of your journey, here’s some help on dealing with busyness, distractions and finding the Bible hard to understand.

So then, about those three reasons...

 “I’m too busy to read it”

After He had sent them away, he went by himself up into the hills to pray.
- Matthew 14:23

Jesus made time to be alone with God. Sometimes he had to tell people to go away so he could be alone.

You make time in your day for the things that are important to you. If TV is important to you, you’ll make time to watch it. If having a shower is important to you, you’ll make time for one.

If God is important to you, shouldn’t you make time for him? It’s all too easy to put off spending time with God, because we know he will still love us.

Spending time alone with God every day is the best way to grow in your faith and to deepen your relationship with him. God deserves the best of your time, because he gives you the best of his.

Make spending time with God in prayer and Bible reading a priority in your day. You don’t need to spend hours, 20 minutes will do. God just wants to have a conversation with you.

“I get distracted by other things”

Early the next morning, while it was still dark, Jesus woke and left the house, He went to a lonely place, where He prayed.
- Mark 1:35

Jesus separated himself from the busyness of life. If that meant climbing a mountain to be alone with God, he did it.

You will always find it difficult to spend time with God while someone is watching TV in the same room. Or if you’re sitting on your bed with your Bible in front of you and your cell phone next to it. Make your time with God free of distractions by going to a quiet place.

Spending time alone with God, in silence, is radical considering we are constantly surrounded by noise, images, flickering lights and televisions, ringing phones, music and people.

Regularly reading your Bible and praying is a spiritual discipline. You need to work at it. The more you do it, the easier it becomes.

Don’t give up too easily.

 “I don’t understand it”

Then starting with what Moses and all the prophets had said about him, Jesus began to explain everything that had been written about Himself in the scriptures.
- Luke 24:27

The Bible is one story. It’s the story of Jesus Christ. Even the Old Testament is about Jesus. Everything in the Bible is from God and it is all useful. So it’s important to read it all - both the Old and New Testaments.

Knowing the Bible story will help you understand it. It helps you work out when and why each of the different books in the Bible was written.

This is something you’ll need to work at. Here’s what to do:

1. Make sure the translation you’re using is a good one for you. If you don’t understand it, find a different translation that you do understand. Try the Contemporary English Version (CEV) or the New Living Translation (NLT).
2. Learn the Bible story. Check out the back of this book for a very brief summary, or visit www.biblesociety.org.nz and click on the Get resources for individuals link for more help.
3. Read the Bible systematically. Rather than reading a random verse each day, read through a chunk of verses over the course of a few days. For example, read Deuteronomy chapters 1 to 5 over the course of a week. This will help you understand your Bible story better.

Other content

That’s just a few pages from the Dusty Bible booklet. It also has tips on how to read your Bible, some helpful tools and a summary of the Bible Story to help young Christians understand the overall story and how it all fits together.

Click here if you’d like to view the full booklet.

Order Dusty Bible

These booklets are a free resource for your church or youth group, just complete our online order form and we’ll send them out to you.