I love technology. And I love the convenience of having my Bible on my phone. So for several years I had switched to primarily reading the Bible on my phone. There are certainly advantages to having it with you at all times, but I began to notice some disadvantages as well. I was more prone to reading on-the-go. I was more prone to read less meditatively and more for quantity. I often found myself at the end of a chapter thinking, “Well I just read it, but WHAT did I just read?”
I decided it was time to make some changes to my devotional life. After all, my end-goal is not to say I read my passage. My end-goal is to be changed by Scripture. So I decided to become more meditative with my reading. To do this, I went back to a good-ole paper Bible. (An ESV Study Bible, which I will talk about more in my next post).
How has the paper Bible helped me? Let me give you several ways from my own experience:
1) The paper Bible has helps me to slow down.
I still use my phone to “read” the Bible to me, but I follow along with my paper Bible in front of me. As you can assume, it is harder to read a paper Bible in the car or elsewhere. This has forced me to make sure I have time to actually sit and focus. Is it inconvenient? Yes. But does it make the time more productive and memorable? Absolutely!
2) The paper Bible has helps me become more reflective.
I have highlighted hundreds, or even thousands, of verses on my phone. But there is something about using a pencil to highlight a verse that makes it more memorable. I am able to highlight (or underline) a phrase, circle a word, or write notes in the empty space. All of these help me think more about the passage. In other words, I am able to reflect more on what I have just read.
3) The paper Bible makes it more real.
This is just my own opinion, but seeing it on paper makes it feel more “real” than on my screen. It makes me pay more attention. Maybe this is because we are so used to quickly scanning through tons of digital text. But when you have paper right in front of you, it makes you focus on it more… at least it does for me.
4) The paper Bible increases my retention and application.
Since I am slowing down and focusing more, the paper Bible has helped me remember more of what I read. And retention is a good first step toward application! After all, you can’t apply what you don’t remember. So remembering something puts me in position to apply it to my life later.
In conclusion, I want you to do what works best for you. But I have no doubt that many of you use your phones for your devotional time out of mere convenience, and perhaps don’t even realize that you may be missing out on some meaningful benefits of a paper Bible. If the phone works better for you, then by all means continue using it. But if you are finding your devotional time a little flat or forgetful on the phone, then perhaps you should switch back to the paper Bible and see what happens.
Next time I will talk more about the particular paper Bible I have been using and love: my ESV Study Bible!