Reading the Bible: Tips on Where to Start!
posted on December 4, 2011 at 11:47 am
Does this ever happen to you?
I think to myself, “I’m going to spend some time reading my Bible.” I sit down at my desk, pick up my Bible and suddenly I have no idea where to start. I sit for a few minutes trying to decide which Scripture I should read that day, and most times I give up in frustration and move on to another activity.
Sound familiar? It happens to me more often than I care to admit, so today I’m going to give you three ideas to help make starting to read your Bible a little easier.
- Do you have a favorite worship song? Most of us do. Try this: Pick a line from your favorite worship song and Google it. I’ve found that putting the word “Bible” in front of whatever else I’m searching for returns more specific results. If your “lyric” search returns a specific Scripture, read that!
- Are you struggling with a specific issue in your life? First, turn to the back of your Bible to see if you have a concordance (concordance is a fancy word for an index that’s organized by topics or specific words). Find the issue that you’re struggling with, then start looking up the Scriptures listed that contain that word. This will help you learn how God wants you to deal with those issues. *Note – if you don’t have a concordance or can’t find the word you’re looking for, head over to BibleGateway.com and enter your word in the search box at the top (it’s free)! Alternatively, you can Google the word you’re looking for.
- Read a Bible story that you’ve been told but have never read for yourself. You’ve probably heard the story of Daniel in the lion’s den, but have you ever read it? I knew the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, but until this year, I’d never spent time reading it for myself. When I did read it, God showed me many things that I’d never realized before. Read an old story and let God breathe new life and understanding into your heart.
It’s not a coincidence that the Bible is called the Word of God. The Holy Spirit inspired every word of the Bible. If you want to hear from God, reading your Bible is the best and most direct way to do it.
This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. – Joshua 1:8
Image: Brand X Pictures | Thinkstock
ALL COMMENTS 9
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Loading ...
I heard JOHN is a good place to start!!
John is an awesome book, but some people can find it a little bit more difficult to understand than Matthew, Mark, or Luke because John talks a lot of the divinity of Jesus. It can be a little confusing for some, but it is a GREAT book, I would encourage everyone to read it!
Wow! These are great tips! I just tried some of them today,and I found reading my Bible even more interesting than before, where I would just flip to a random page!
Yay!! I’m so glad that these helped you really get into reading your Bible. That’s great!
I just decided to Read from The Old Testament, and Read it like I’m reading a history book; I try to understand what was it like back then, to understand why they did things the way they did, and their emotions, etc. I also Read and Remind myself while Reading From the Old Testament, that everything that happened, God Loved everyone no matter what happened in those Holy Papers. Basically, Allow my imagination put flesh, blood, bone and thought between the rows of black print on white paper. This is how I come to Know Him. This is how I Come To Understand the Depth of our Father’s Love for us. It’s pretty much a Blessing to Watch your heart and mind grow as you Create an Understanding of God’s Love Story.
Thanks for this article, I really needed it. I haven’t been reading my Bible as faithfully as I should have. I recently started reading the book of Hosea. I had heard the story before, but never had actually read it for myself. After I read the book Redeeming Love which is based off of it, I decided to actually read it for myself
This is what I personally did: started in James and read all the way through to Revalations. I then went back to Matthew and read up until James. THen I went to tackle the OT, beginning with Genesis and now I am in Joshua! It has taken me a long time, but I think it is SO worth it to read our Lover’s Love Letter through and through!!!
I’m just reading straight through; I’m currently in Judges. I find that even if what I’m reading doesn’t remotely relate to what I’m going through, just reading the living word upllifts me so much
I was needing help in this area! Thanks for this article