It happens every morning. You roll out of bed, reach for your phone and open your Bible app. Maybe you read a verse or skim a devotional. Maybe you let the daily reading plan roll by like a loading screen on a game you don’t really care about. And then? Streak maintained. Box checked. Spiritual obligation complete.
But here’s the question that none of us really want to answer: Are you actually learning anything from it?
This isn’t an indictment; it’s an observation. If you’ve been in church long enough, you’ve been told a million times that daily time in Scripture is essential for spiritual growth. But somewhere along the way, “time in Scripture” got condensed to a task on the ever-expanding to-do list of adulthood. And let’s be honest: our modern obsession with streaks, check-ins and gamification—while great for motivation—isn’t exactly fostering deep, transformative engagement.
Bible apps are incredible tools. They make Scripture more accessible than ever, offering reading plans, reminders and even AI-generated devotionals that can provide structure and encouragement. But they also come with a hidden downside: the illusion of spiritual depth. A streak doesn’t measure how much wisdom you’ve absorbed. It doesn’t track how deeply the words have convicted you, how much they’ve changed you or how often they’ve made you uncomfortable. It only tells you that you’ve opened the app and scrolled through some words. If that’s where it stops, then the practice isn’t spiritual formation—it’s just another digital habit.
And when habits become about maintaining the streak rather than engaging the content, they become performative. Have you ever found yourself reading the Bible on autopilot just so you don’t break your streak? Have you ever rushed through a passage, barely processing the words, but feeling oddly satisfied when the app tells you your consistency is “on fire”?
At some point, we have to ask ourselves: Are we using Bible apps as tools for spiritual growth or as religious Fitbits, tracking our steps but never really going anywhere?
Most of us would agree that the Bible is a foundational part of our faith. We’d say we want to understand it, to know God better, to live according to its wisdom. But if we’re honest, the way we approach it often looks more like cramming for a test than meditating on eternal truth.
It’s not just a Bible app issue, either. It’s a modern attention span issue. We’re consuming more information than ever but retaining almost none of it. Studies show that the internet has rewired our brains, shortening our ability to focus and making deep, reflective reading harder. It’s why we struggle to get through books, why we skim headlines instead of reading articles, why our thoughts feel fragmented and scattered. The same thing happens with Scripture. If we’re not slowing down and actually wrestling with the words, they’re going to fade into the background noise of our already overstimulated minds.
Think about the last verse you read. Do you remember it? Do you know what it means in context? Did it challenge you in any real way? Or did it just become another piece of fleeting content, like an Instagram post you scrolled past five minutes ago?
If our Bible reading is little more than a digital box-checking exercise, then we have to rethink the way we engage with Scripture. Stop treating your quiet time like a chore. Approach it like you’re reading something that actually matters (because it does). Ask questions. Why was this written? Who was it written to? What’s the context? What does this say about God? What does this say about you? If you’re not engaging your mind, you’re missing the point.
There’s a reason people who take handwritten notes retain more information than those who type. Writing forces your brain to slow down and process. Get a journal, scribble in the margins of your Bible or even type out your thoughts in your phone’s notes app. Whatever works. Just don’t let the words pass through your eyes without stopping somewhere along the way.
More isn’t always better. You don’t have to speed through multiple chapters a day. Sometimes, one verse is enough—if you actually sit with it. The Bible isn’t a novel you’re trying to finish; it’s wisdom you’re meant to digest. Slow down. Meditate. Let the words linger.
Find people who are actually interested in discussing Scripture—not just regurgitating sermons, but wrestling with it. Push back on ideas. Ask questions that make people uncomfortable. Engage in real conversations about how this ancient text intersects with modern life.
If you’re reading just to maintain a streak, you’re missing the point. Seriously, let it break. One day off isn’t going to wreck your faith, but mindless reading might. Your spiritual growth isn’t measured by consecutive days in an app—it’s measured by actual transformation. And transformation doesn’t happen by skimming.
The Bible isn’t just a book; it’s meant to shape us. If we’re engaging with it like it’s just another thing on our phones, we’re selling ourselves short. It’s time to stop checking boxes and start letting Scripture challenge us the way it was meant to.
