Quality Bible Reading VS Quantity Bible Reading

My pastor instructed the congregation recently to make a choice each day to take time for Bible reading and prayer. He said that the quality of your time is more important than the quantity. Some people boast of reading ten chapters in the Bible each day, but they cannot tell you what they read. If you read a small portion and really understand it and eat of that word each day, then it will be more beneficial.  Not everyone reads at the same rate and understands on the same level, so don't compare yourself to others that may be able to read more each day--make your own plan that is designed for you.  If you can read multiple chapters and focus on them--great!  If you can only read a few verses, then that's ok, too. 

As a reading teacher, I often assess students on their reading ability. One of these assessments is a timed reading test where students read for one minute to check their fluency rate, and then they retell what they read in order to test their understanding. Students are determined to increase their fluency rate, which research tells us will increase comprehension. In order for a child to understand what they read, they have to read a passage fluently. However, I have found that many times, they are so intent on increasing their speed that they literally have no idea what the passage was about- they did not concentrate on the words. There have been many students that when I asked them to tell me about what they read that draw a complete blank-- they remember nothing!

As we read and study the Bible, it is important to take our time and concentrate on the passage in front of us. It is more than just reading a few chapters quickly so we can mark it off of our reading chart for the day. We don't want to be like the students that read through quickly, and get a high score in one area-- only to fail the comprehension.