Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. –Colossians 3:16

When you hear “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,” what comes to mind first? Memorizing Bible verses? Doing a Bible study? Going to a conference, or reading a popular book by a Bible teacher or a pastor?

How about simply reading the Bible? Just reading it. And particularly, reading it in community with other believers.

In January 2000, I responded to an invitation to join a group of women forming to read through the Bible in a year and to meet weekly to discuss what we read.

The experienced changed my life, as I wrote about here, and I’ve been part of a similar group nearly every year since then.

Along with so many other women who have participated along with me, I discovered five wonderful “reasons to read it.”

1. We discovered that God reveals himself through his Word. It’s been said that the Bible is the only book whose Author is right there with you when you read it. Although I have always believed in God, it wasn’t until I began to read the whole Bible that I started to truly get to know him—who he is and what he does. And every time we read through, God speaks to our lives at that time, and there is always more to learn.

2. We discovered a sense of sisterhood, a “one-anotherness” as we interacted with the Word and with each other each week.

3. We discovered that we were developing discernment, the ability to evaluate what we hear others say and write about the Bible, about life, about faith.

4. We discovered that we could indeed teach and admonish one another with wisdom—God’s wisdom. As years went on, we could bring in Scripture from other places in the Bible that all had some bearing on the question being discussed–or on the crisis or decision one of us faced. The rustle of Bible pages as women talk about the Word is a very satisfying sound!

Now, there’s nothing sacred about reading through in a year, but I do want to encourage you to read the whole Bible. First Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (emphasis mine).

When you start to see connections between the Old and New Testaments, as you discover that the Bible actually tells one big story, and when you find yourself getting to know God more and more through his Word—that’s when it really gets exciting!

Maybe you’re not a big reader. Try listening to the Word instead—on your phone or computer, while you run or workout, or cook, clean, or drive.

One way or the other, just read it! Because here’s my fifth reason to read it:

5. I’m convinced that one of the most loving things we can do for one another is invite and encourage one another to become lifelong readers of the Word, and to read it together.

DIANE

Visit me at www.dianestortz.com. Learn about my book A Woman’s Guide to Reading the Bible in a Year, and my new release, Words to Dream On. Download free resources, find helpful links, sign up for my newsletter, and follow me on your favorite social media networks.