3. Read your Bible Prayerfully

 

Once you establish reading your Bible, spend time praying through it.  In fact, you can pray as you read.  Praying through the Scripture is a wonderful way to grow closer to God and is a wonderful way to pray God’s will!  As you read your chapter(s) of the day, pray over the material you just read.  For example, you are reading through 1 Thessalonians and you reach chapter five.  Verse 16 jumps out at you as you read “Rejoice always.”  Stop for a few seconds, and ask the Lord to help you rejoice always.  “Lord, help me to rejoice when I am driving to work early in the morning and don’t feel like going to work.  Help me to be thankful for my job.  Lord, help me to rejoice when I am tired, but must got to church to minister to someone.  Help me to rejoice in my family and in the friends you have given me.”  It’s as easy as that.  God’s Word reveals His will for us.  So why not pray God’s will?  You can’t go wrong praying scripture!

2.  Read your Bible Thoughtfully

 

This answers: How long do I read and how many chapters?

 

However much you decided to read…always always stop and think about what you are reading. Take time to meditate on scripture. 

 

If you want to make a hot cup of Tea, do you put the tea bag in the hot water for just a second?  No, you leave it in the water and let it permeate the entire cup.  The longer the tea bag is left in the water, the stronger the flavor and the more colorful it becomes.  The same applies to your mind.  Allow your mind to soak in a biblical idea and it begins to color your thinking and change your desires!  Jeremiah 23:29, says God’s word is like a “Fire” – kindling your desires.

 

One way to meditate is to re-read books or re-read chapters.  Did you forgot what you read yesterday?  Re-read it!  Did you not even pay attention to what you just read right now?  Re-read it!  I would even recommend at times not finishing your 2 to 5 chapters a day so that you can mediate on a specific passage or verse in the first chapter you read.  Meditation is much more important than getting through all the planned material.  Too many of us (including myself) have read what we were supposed to read, but gleaned nothing from it.  In fact, we don’t even recall what was read yesterday!

 

It’s like squeezing a fresh orange to make orange juice.  There’s a lot of juice in the orange, so keep squeezing it and more juice will come out.  Don’t just squeeze it once, but keep squeezing it!

Continuing How to Read Your Bible…

 

 In the next few blogs I will list 3 habits for reading your Bible.  I have found these three habits essential to getting the most from your reading.

  

Habit 1:  Read your Bible Purposefully

 

This answers the questions, “Where do I start?” and “Where do I go?”

 

Make sure you have a plan for your reading.  This is the biggest mistake people make – they read their Bibles randomly with no plan at all.  Have a plan or you will get lost.  It reminds me of someone trying to get in shape.  If you create a plan, knowing what exercises you need to do and what foods to eat and what foods to avoid for a good diet, and you stick with it -then you can be guaranteed that you will get in better shape.  However, even if you have high hopes to shape up, it will never happen if you don’t have plan.  No goals…no results.

 

It’s the same with reading your Bible.  If you don’t have a plan for your reading, you will be inconsistent and will probably only read familiar passages.  You may have favorite chapters or texts you will read, but you will fail to read the rest of the Bible, especially those portions that are not familiar with or that are more difficult (like Leviticus or Chronicles).  We should be responsible to read the entire counsel of God, as we are held responsible for all of it.  Unfortuantely many people who don’t have  plan eventually give up!

 

There is nothing as beneficial as reading the entire counsel of God.  I recommend periodically you read from cover to cover – from Genesis to Revelation.  2 Timothy 3:16 says every word of God is profitable.  We should make sure to read every last word.  It does not necessarily have to be once a year, but having a time frame like that will only serve to help you get through it all.  And if scripture is the best interpreter of scripture, you will begin to understand those more difficult passages (like Leviticus!) as other passages will help interpret them. 

  

Here are some ideas as a plan for reading…

 

Read one chapters of Proverbs a day. There are 31 chapters, so most months you will cover the entire book.

 

Read 4 to 5 chapters a day (Ex: 1 John), and read those same 4 to 5 chapters a day every day for 30 days.  So you would read all of 1 John every day for 30 days.  Or if you are going through a big book, like the Gospel of John, read the first 4 chapters a day for 30 days, and then the next month read the next 4 chapters each day for 30 days.  It may take you a few months to get the through the entire book, but you will know it in and out and get much more out of it!  You may even begin to memorize scripture!

 

Or, start small.  Set a goal to read one chapter a day.  Or read only two chapters a day.  Just make sure to read what you have committed to.  Or read a chapter in the N.T. and a chapter in the O.T.  One way to almost make it through the entire Bible a year is to read two from the Old and one from the New. 

 

Another tip: have a study Bible nearby.  This will help give you some quick answers to “speed bumps” along the way.

 

Donald Whitney in Simplify Your Spiritual Life recommends this following reading plan:

“My favorite plan takes the reader through five parts of Scripture per session. On the first of January I read in Genesis (the Law), then an equal amount in Joshua (History), Job (Poetry), Isaiah (the Prophets), and Matthew (the New Testament). I read consecutively through each section, and since each is approximately the same length, I finish them all about the same time. A variation on the plan is to read equal amounts daily in three sections, beginning in Genesis, Job, and Matthew.

The advantage of any plan that guides the reader through more than one book of the Bible per sitting is variety. On the days when part of your reading is in the more difficult passages, it’s easier to maintain the momentum when you know you’ll also be reading from other parts of the Bible as well.”

 

 

 

Here is another idea… 

 

 

 

Something that I was forced to do in my first Bible class in college was to write a short chapter title after each chapter was read.  For example, after reading John 3 you may title it: Born Again.  This forces you to think about what you are reading.

 

What about an issue I am facing?  If I am going through a season in life wrestling with specific topics, how do I turn to those particular passages?

 

Here are some thoughts…

 

1.    Realize whatever God is telling you (as you read His Word) – that that is what you need to learn and apply in your life right then.  Don’t skip over sections because you are looking for one issue (that you happen see in your life). Remember your sight is limited and God really knows what you need to learn and apply at that moment.

2.    Begin recording chapter titles for issues.  Example, as I read John 11 (the death and resurrection of Lazarus) I see how Jesus is compassionate and how he handles death and mourning).  The Epistles are the easiest.  For example,  I learn how to handle worries and anxiety by “casting all my cares upon Him.”  So 1 Peter 5:6-7 is concerning worries and cares.  Write that in a journal, creating a topical reference for yourself in the future.

3.    Get a journal (Yes Guys, journals are not just for women!)  Jot your thoughts (especially practical ways to apply the scripture)  in a journal to go back to at times in your life.

4.    Grab yourself a Topical Bible (organized alphabetically by topic) to help find those specific passages that would benefit your situation.  Nav’s Topical Bible/MacArthur’s Topical Bible (but try to do the work yourself, it will profit you the most!)

 

Whatever you do, don’t start reading with no idea where you are going.  If you don’t know where you are going, you will never end up there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you find it difficult to read your Bible?   

 

 

 

If you are a “normal” Christian you probably do.  Probably all of us at some point have found it difficult to read the Bible.  You may have found certain portions of scripture more difficult than others.  I know many people who have started to read their Bibles in a year plan and get stuck in the Levitical offerings or never seem to come out of the Israelite wilderness wanderings.  Some find it difficult to just read on a consistent basis.  I spoke to my Sunday school class on this issue several weeks ago and have jotted down some thoughts from that morning. Since there are so many thoughts, I will have to post it in several portions.

 

No, you do not have to be a scholar to learn your Bible. You do not have to go to seminary and get a Master’s degree to find out what God’s will is for your life.  Isn’t that reassuring?  God has provided His Word in a fairly simple, logical format so that anyone can come to it and not only get saved by it, but grow by it daily. 

 

As we read we encounter what I like to call “speed bumps” in our “subdivision” of God’s Word.  There are different streets and different houses to view, but at times we can get lost and even discouraged.  As you drive across the pages of the Bible I want to give you some directions. 

 

What problems do you face when reading your Bible?

 

Here are some typical problems:

 

·       What version is best to read from?

·       Where do I start my reading?

·       How long do I read and how many verses or chapters do I read at a time?

·       If I am dealing with an issue in my life, where do I go?  Especially if I am in Leviticus!

·       Or simply, what do I do when I hit a difficult passage?  How do I discover what it is talking about?

 

 

For this first post, here are some quick thoughts on translations…

 

The Living Bible.

This is very popular version.  But please understand this is not a real translation. It is a paraphrase.  This version is good for beginning readers, young readers, or possibly as a help in your study.  I like to use it occasionally to get a different perspective on a verse (using it like a commentary).

 

The New International Version

This is a real translation and is also one of the more popular versions.  I used the NIV through junior high and high school and loved it.  However, this is translated with a “thought for thought” approach.  This means that the translaters took the overall idea in a verse or passage and translated that idea.  It flows nicely and is easy to read.  It is also a great translation to read aloud.

 

The verions that I use the most, and recommend the most are the following:

 

The King James Version or the New King James Version.

These two are word for word translations (not thought for thought like the NIV).  The King James has old English which thy reader will thus find thou to be much more difficult for thy reading.  The New King James has the modern spin on the English language and is much easier to read, but still captures the KJV translation.  You avoid all the “thou’s” and “thy’s.”  Wouldn’t thou be nice?

 

…by the way, just to get it out there, nowhere in the Bible itself or church history do we have a heavenly confirmation that the 1600 Old English translation was the only inspired English translation. 

 

The two I use the most and recommend the most are the New American Standard Version and the English Standard Version.

Both are translated from Greek and Hebrew texts which were more accurate than other original texts used by versions such as the KJV’s. 

 

The NASB is a word for word translation and is extremely accurate to the text.  However it is so accurate to the original languages that in the English it can be a bit choppy and confusing.  Its a fantastic translation with rough edges!  

 

I personally use the ESV because it is also a word for word translation.  It flows smoother and is easier to read and understand – still keeping the accuracy of the translation method (word for word).

 

Overall I personally think the ESV is the best translation we have.  And it is completely fine to disagree with me!  I have not listed all versions and translations, but these are the most widely used. 

 

My advice?  Pick a version that is word for word (KJV, NKJV, NASB, ESV) and use that for most of your reading and memorizing, and from those four – pick the one that you enjoy reading the most and stick to it!

 

 

 

 

     1.     Knowing God, by J.I. Packer

     2.     The Knowledge of the Holy, by A.W. Tozer

     3.     Desiring God, by John Piper

     4.     The Pursuit of Holiness, by Jerry Bridges

     5.     Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, by Donald Whitney

     6.     Trusting God, by Jerry Bridges

     7.     Shadow of the Almighty, by Elisabeth Elliot

     8.     The Master’s Plan for the Church, by John MacArthur

     9.     Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem

     10. The MacArthur Study Bible (Commentary by John MacArthur)