Obstacle: The Bible Feels Irrelevant to My Real Life
The Bible feels disconnected from real life for many believers — here are three practical strategies to change that.
Listen to the conversation above, then read on.
The most common reason people give for not studying the Bible is that it just does not seem relevant to the real world they live in. If that thought has ever crossed your mind, you are in good company — and this post is for you. Below you will find three practical strategies that address this obstacle directly and give you a concrete place to start.
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Obstacle: The Bible Feels Irrelevant to My Real Life
The Issue
You are managing real responsibilities — deadlines, decisions, difficult people, financial pressure. The Bible was written thousands of years ago, in a completely different world. It is easy to wonder what any of it has to do with the problems on your plate this Monday morning. If that resonates with you, you are not alone — and you are not wrong to ask the question.
But here is what most people discover once they get past the surface: the Bible is not primarily a book of answers to specific situations. It is a book that shapes the kind of person who handles every situation with wisdom, integrity, and perspective. That is not irrelevant. That is exactly what the real world needs from you.
3 Strategies to Overcome This Obstacle
- Start with the Proverbs.Read one chapter of Proverbs each day for a month — there are 31 chapters, one for each day. Proverbs is dense with practical wisdom about work, money, relationships, and decision-making. It is the most immediately applicable book in the Bible for everyday life.
- Ask a different question.Instead of asking ‘Does this passage apply to my situation?’ ask ‘What kind of person does this passage call me to become?’ That shift moves you from looking for a manual and toward finding a mirror. The character formation that results will touch every area of your life.
- Keep a one-week journal.For seven days, write down one decision or challenge you face each day. At the end of the week, spend 30 minutes in the Psalms or the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) and note any connection to what you wrote. Most people are surprised by how much they find.
Source: Adapted from Hendricks, Howard G., and William D. Hendricks. Living by the Book: The Art and Science of Reading the Bible. Moody Publishers, 2007.