Summary3 min read

Podcast Summary: Ask Ligonier

Episode: What Can I Do to Enjoy Reading My Bible More?
Host: Nathan W. Bingham
Guest: Pastor Ken Jones (Glendale Missionary Baptist Church, Miami)
Date: July 10, 2025

Main Theme

This episode addresses the question: What can Christians do to enjoy reading their Bible more? Pastor Ken Jones discusses overcoming the sense of duty and rekindling genuine enjoyment in engaging with God’s Word, offering practical and theological perspectives relevant for both lay Christians and ministers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Challenge of Duty versus Delight

Duty as a Christian:
- All Christians feel the duty to read Scripture, whether for personal discipleship or as part of spiritual habits.
- Quote:
  
  "We can get into that habit of reading the Bible because we know we should, but we're doing what we should and diminishing the fact that it should be an enjoyable thing."
  – Pastor Ken Jones (01:17)
Duty as a Minister:
- Pastors and teachers may focus so much on preparation for preaching/teaching that personal delight is lost.
- Quote:
  
  "I can be so caught up in the duty of preaching and teaching that again, I forget the delight or the joy of reading the Word."
  – Pastor Ken Jones (02:00)
Both types of duty, whether lay or vocational, can cause one to overlook the joy inherent in reading Scripture.

2. Strategies to Restore Enjoyment

Remember the Source:
- Reframe Bible reading as hearing directly from God, the loving Father—this changes the entire experience.
- Quote:
  
  “The Bible is God's Word to us, so it's the Word of our loving, gracious Heavenly Father.”
  – Pastor Ken Jones (02:41)
- When paired with prayer (us speaking to God), Bible reading (God speaking to us) becomes a relational delight.
Connect Bible Reading with Prayer:
- Combining Bible study and prayer cultivates a two-way conversation with God.
Recall the Ultimate Purpose:
- Every part of Scripture—law, history, poetry, New Testament, etc.—ultimately reveals God's covenant love.
- Quote:
  
  “No matter what portion of the scripture we're reading from, whether it's devotional, whether you're studying an Old Testament, the ultimate purpose of God's Word to us is to reveal his covenant, commitment and love to us.”
  – Pastor Ken Jones (03:22)
- Even difficult or “heavy” passages have this underlying goal.
Enjoy the Privilege:
- Approach Scripture not as an academic or rote obligation, but as a precious privilege—hearing from the Creator who loves you.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Overcoming “Just Duty”:

“…sometimes we can get into that habit of reading the Bible because we know we should, but we're doing what we should and diminishing the fact that it should be an enjoyable thing.”
– Pastor Ken Jones (01:17)
On Relational Context:

“…when we pray, it's us talking to him, but when we read His Word, it's that same sovereign, holy, loving God, creator sustainer of the universe, who happens to be our Heavenly Father, who's now speaking to us.”
– Pastor Ken Jones (02:51)
On Difficult Passages:

“…even if I'm reading heavy portions of law, remembering that this is the Word of my Heavenly Father, ultimately to reveal his great love to me, that helps me enjoy what I'm doing.”
– Pastor Ken Jones (03:39)

Timestamps for Important Segments

[00:04] – Introduction of the topic and guest
[00:25] – Pastor Jones explains the “duty versus delight” dilemma in Bible reading
[01:17] – Discussing how routine can diminish joy in Bible reading
[02:41] – Advice: Remember the source—God’s Word as a loving Father speaking
[03:22] – Advice: The Bible’s ultimate purpose is to reveal God’s covenant love
[03:39] – Application of perspective to challenging parts of Scripture

Conclusion

Pastor Ken Jones encourages listeners to move beyond obligation and rediscover Bible reading as an act of relational joy with their Heavenly Father. By remembering that Scripture is God’s loving communication and combining reading with prayer, Christians can reclaim a sense of delight—regardless of their station or stage in faith.

For more resources and answers to Biblical questions, visit ask.ligonier.org.

Loading summary

Transcript4 lines

[00:04]
Nathan W. Bingham
What can I do to enjoy reading my Bible more? We're joined this week on the Ask Ligonier podcast by Pastor Ken Jones, who serves at Glendale Missionary Baptist Church in Miami. Pastor Jones, what advice do you have for a Christian to help them enjoy reading their Bible more?
[00:25]
Pastor Ken Jones
Number one, let me begin by saying I appreciate the nuance of enjoying reading the Bible. And that resonates with me particularly as a minister of the Gospel, because I think there are two dimensions of duty that can cause us to forget that reading the Bible can and should be enjoyable. Maybe not enjoyable in the way that we would enjoy a good movie, but there's something pleasurable about it. And those two things are number one, the duty of just as a Christian, my duty as a disciple, that I know I should be reading my Bible. Anyone who is a Christian, even if you're just a layperson, you need to read your Bible. You need to read your Bible. And sometimes we can get into that habit of reading the Bible because we know we should, but we're doing what we should and diminishing the fact that it should be an enjoyable thing. But secondly, in another mention, as a pastor and as a preacher, obviously we are called to the vocation of serving the church, which means preaching and teaching from the Word. So therefore we continuously for instance, myself, I preach once a week at least and teach at least three times a week. So that means I'm reading my Bible. And sometimes I can be so caught up in the duty of preaching and teaching that again, I forget the delight or the joy of reading the Word. So whether it's from the standpoint of just individual discipleship, where I know it's my duty to read God's Word, as David says, I've hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you. So obviously there are advantages that come from that discipleship duty. And if I'm a minister of the Word, then I should obviously spend time in the Word. But in either one of those capacities, we can overlook the fact that it's a delight. So here's my response to that. How can I continue to enjoy reading the Bible? How can I enjoy it by remembering, number one, its ultimate source? The Bible is God's Word to us, so it's the Word of our loving, gracious Heavenly Father. And if you couple reading God's Word with the privilege of prayer, then I think that can help us remember it's a pleasurable thing. Because in prayer we have the privilege of speaking to the sovereign creator and ruler of the universe, who happens to be our Heavenly Father. So when we pray, it's us talking to him, but when we read His Word, it's that same sovereign, holy, loving God, creator sustainer of the universe, who happens to be our Heavenly Father, who who's now speaking to us. So remembering the source of what we're reading, that this is God's Word to us. And then secondly, remembering ultimately, no matter what portion of the scripture we're reading from, whether it's devotional, whether you're studying an Old Testament, the ultimate purpose of God's Word to us is to reveal his covenant, commitment and love to us. So even if I'm reading heavy portions of law, remembering that this is the Word of my Heavenly Father, ultimately to reveal his great love to me, that helps me enjoy what I'm doing.
[04:28]
Nathan W. Bingham
This has been Ask Ligonier with me Nathan W. Bingham if you have a Biblical question that you'd like to pose to one of our future guests, leave us a voicemail by calling 1-800-Senior 607-9386. That number again is 1-800-607-9386, and you can always record that question on your smartphone and email it to us@askligonier vmigonier.org and if you'd like to go back and browse the entire archive of answers, you can find them at ask.ligonier.org podcast.
[05:07]
Sam
Sam.