In
this Study, we introduce the Bible Reading Planner to help
you read systematically through the Bible and provide some
tips to successful Bible reading. We also look at two common
problems new Bible readers have: strange words and strange
customs. Finally we consider the use of cross references
and footnotes to help you understand the Bible better.
We
recommend regular intake of God's Word. Just as we have
regular meals of physical food, we need regular meals of
spiritual food to he in good health. A fundamental principle
of Bible reading is to have a steady, consistent diet of
the Word of God.
Because your Bible is a big book, and because it is so important,
it pays to be systematic in reading it. After all, it is
a textbook, your textbook for life, and if it is worth reading
at all, it is worth reading well. In other words, don't
just open your Bible at random each day and read a little;
you wouldn't do that to a textbook on an unfamiliar topic.
However, you are not advised to open the Bible to page one,
start, and keep reading day by day till it's finished. Some
people have read the Bible that way, with success. But some
of the difficulties experienced by first readers lead us
to recommend a step by step approach which gives important
and useful ideas quite early in your reading, then progressively
consolidates them.
There are several ways of achieving this, but we have chosen
a reading course that has been widely used and well tested.
The reading planner we are using gives daily readings for
one year, each day's readings consist of one chapter. Through
the year, you will read from many different parts of the
Bible. You will cover many different parts of the Bible
and have a good grasp of the overall plan of God. You might
like to visit Daily Bible Readings
to find out what readings you can do each day.
You will also find Family Bible Readings over here.
These are a little shorter and and have study notes. You
might like to try this first.
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Preparing
to read the Bible
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There
are a number of things which need to be considered when
reading the Bible.
To
properly concentrate on the Bible, you will need to find
a comfortable, quiet place in which to read. Try to avoid
places where there is a lot of background noise from the
television or other people talking. In the Bible, God speaks
to us. It is worth listening carefully.
Bible
reading is most effective if you are not rushed. Set aside
20-30 minutes each day to read the chapter and think about
what it means. It also takes time to become familiar with
the Bible message and the background in which it is set.
Be patient and over time it will all start to fit together
like a beautiful jigsaw.
The
people from Berea (in Greece) are described as being
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of
more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for
they received the message with great eagerness and
examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul
said was true.
Acts 17: 11
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If
we are to gain as much as we can from Bible reading and
study, we need to approach it with the right attitudes.
We need an openness to new ideas. If we approach all ideas
with a "fortress mentality" -thinking that our
main job is to defend the walls that make up the fortress
of Christianity -we have very little space for growth.
The
Bible is a book of strength that has withstood all kinds
of attacks during its history. As in all other areas of
study, scholars build upon and re-evaluate the work of earlier
scholars. We need not fear examining new ideas and evaluating
them carefully in the light of all the teachings of the
Bible.
God
told Joshua
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Do
not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth;
meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful
to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous
and successful.
Joshua 1:8
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To
successfully understand the message of the Bible, we must
spend time thinking about it carefully. So important is
this that God said to the nation of Israel:
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Fix
these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie
them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your
foreheads, Teach them to your children, talking about
them when you sit at home and when you walk along
the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write
them on the doorframes of your houses and on your
gates, so that your days and the days of your children
may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give
your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens
are above the earth.
Deuteronomy 11:18-21
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You
will inevitably have questions about what you read. Write
them down. You can then take your questions to a more experienced
Bible reader to see if he or she can help. Or you might
discover the answer yourself through further reading.
We
need an attitude of willingness to meditate on what we are
learning and to think through for ourselves how our learning
can and should be applied in our own lives. To do this,
it is usually helpful to share our ideas and interpretations
with other Bible students for discussion and evaluation.
We can learn from each other.
Bible
study is trying work. It is also exciting and life changing.
Study of the Bible can enrich us as no other study can.
You will experience a new energy as you learn to make your
own judgements based on firm principles, and the Bible will
become more alive and powerful in your life. Remember, you
are intended to understand this remarkable book and to meet
God in its pages.
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