Have you flexed your muscles lately? That is, your Bible muscles? Have you exercised the spiritual discipline of Scripture reading?

If you’re like me, reading the Bible takes effort. It doesn’t come naturally. I need to train myself to spend time in God’s Word. Reading the Bible takes hard work, just like serving others does.

Paul encouraged Timothy to persevere in serving others when he wrote:

Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he will not be crowned as the winner unless he competes according to the rules. (2 Timothy 2:5 NET)

In the ancient world, “rules” included training requirements and competition rules. To be crowned the winner, the athlete must commit himself to exercise. Hard work went into the preparation for each competition.

Serving others requires hard work. And the same preparation should go into reading the Bible. Studying Scripture takes effort, just like training for a competition. The more time you spend in the gym, the better you get.

Scripture and/or notes quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://bible.org All rights reserved.