How Reading Notes Can Help
Many people find it helpful to find a quiet and comfortable place to sit and read the Bible and make sure that they read it every day. Take time to digest what it says. You could say a quick prayer asking God to help you understand what you are reading and its relevance to you. Another letter in the New Testament notes how the Bible can touch the very heart of the issues we all face. The letter known as Hebrews calls the Bible the word of God and says it is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
There are plenty of tools around to help you read the Bible. You might like to use a daily reading plan, which gives you a structured way to navigate the Bible. These usually include portions of the Old Testament and the New Testament to read every day.
Continued below…
Aim For Quality And Consistency Over Quantity
Spending time with Jesus seven days a week is awesome, but it can be hard.
- If seven days isn’t possible, aim for three or four days out of seven and then work your way up
- I think its better to have three days where you make time with Jesus that are quality rather than rushing to check off a to-do box all seven days
- God isnt giving you gold stars for perfect attendance, his goal is that you are growing and learning
Pro-tip: Taking just a couple of seconds to ask God to teach you something as you read His word can make a huge difference in the quality of the time you spend with Him. It also preps your heart and mind to be on the lookout.
Learning How To Read The Bible Can Be Fun And Enjoyable
By the way, if youre truly interested in learning how to read the Bible daily, Id love to invite you to check out my brand new book: Fall in Love with Gods Word: Practical Strategies for Busy Women!
Practical, encouraging, and full of biblical truth, Fall in Love with Gods Word has everything you need to learn how to:
- Overcome 7 common obstacles preventing you from spending time in Scripture
- Discover the personalized Bible-reading routine that works for YOU
- Learn 15 easy ways to make reading the bible daily more meaningful and enjoyable
- Use Scripture to conquer sin, false beliefs, and negative thought patterns
- Experience fresh spiritual growth and passion for Gods Word.
Please visit Amazon.com or your local bookstore to learn more and grab your copy of Fall in Love with Gods Word today!
Also Check: What God Says About Loneliness
Why To Start Reading The Bible
The Bible is the Word of God, and just like we get to know people by their words, so we can get to know God by His Word.
The gospel of John says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God .
When we look into His Word, we are looking into God His heart and His desires.
Not only is the Bible about God, but it is also about who we are, and who were created to be. It is about a relationship between God and man, and what God did to restore that relationship. .
Heres a list of scriptures that show the importance of the Word.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
How can a young man cleanse his way?By taking heed according to Your word .
But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. .
As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby. .
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart .
How To Read The Bible: Pray Before You Begin
Pause before you open your Bible and ask God to speak to you. Remember, the Bible is Gods Word it is Gods love letter written to His people, which includes you.
Ask God to help you understand His Word. Ask God use His Word to teach you, to direct you and even to re-direct you, when necessary. Ask Him to use His Word to help you know Him and love Him.
Jeremiah 29:13 says, You will seek me and find Me, if you seek Me with all your heart. God loves to reveal himself to those who seek Him.
Also Check: Psalm 118.8
Scripture Is The Hope Of Heaven
And what I mean by this is that full understanding, full enjoyment of the truth of Scripture, will be experienced only in heaven.
Now I know in part then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
The knowledge of God all the fullness that a created being can properly comprehend and enjoy will not be withheld from us indefinitely. The frustrations of our present limitations of understanding and enjoyment will be removed. How fitting it is, then, that we be ever growing now in what will be our final joy in the age to come.
Jacob Returns To Bethel
35 Then God said to Jacob, Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.
2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.3 Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem.5 Then they set out, and the terror of God fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.
6 Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz in the land of Canaan.7 There he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel, because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.
8 Now Deborah, Rebekahs nurse, died and was buried under the oak outside Bethel. So it was named Allon Bakuth.
9 After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.10 God said to him, Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob your name will be Israel. So he named him Israel.
14 Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it he also poured oil on it.15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.
You May Like: What Does The Bible Say About Strong Woman
Learn Some Basics Of Language
Gods word being supernatural, and requiring supernatural help, doesnt mean the natural aspects of reading are unimportant. In fact, they are all the more important, since so much is at stake. Those most convinced of the supernatural power of Gods word will want to master what natural basics of reading they can.
Many basics of reading are intuitive and come to us inductively as we learn to read and make a practice of reading, but we also can be helped by some deductive principles about the basics, to hone our craft. Mortimer Adlers and Charles Van Dorens How to Read a Book is a good guide, among others, for learning and refreshing the basics.
Do unto Authors
One key principle for reading, for instance, that we love to highlight at Desiring God says, Do unto authors, as you would have them do unto you. In other words, read to discern the authors intention in his text, not your own preferences.
We dare not resign to reading Gods Book in our own human capacities.
Good reading requires effort to get into the authors head, not through speculation, but through his own words. We seek to discover his meaning in the actual text of what he has written. This happens through patient and thoughtful attention to the words and sentences the author himself has written, and in particular by seeing the relationships between his words and phrases and sentences and paragraphs.
Come to Terms
Make Sure You Have Everything You Need On Hand
You really dont *need* much to learn how to read the Bible daily Just a Bible will do. But there are plenty of Bible reading materials that can make reading the Scriptures daily that much easier.
For example, you might want:
- A good study Bible, in a translation you can understand
- A Daily Bible study or devotional that interests you
- Free Bible study worksheets and printables
- A pen, pencil, or highlighters, if you like underlining or taking notes
And of course, I highly recommend my book, Fall in Love with Gods Word: Practical Strategies for Busy Women for learning how to read the Bible daily.
Practical, encouraging, and full of biblical truth, Fall in Love with Gods Word has everything you need to learn how to:
- Overcome 7 common obstacles preventing you from spending time in Scripture
- Discover the personalized Bible-reading routine that works for YOU
- Learn 15 easy ways to make reading the bible for beginners more meaningful and enjoyable
- Use Scripture to conquer sin, false beliefs, and negative thought patterns
- Experience fresh spiritual growth and passion for Gods Word.
You can grab your copy of Fall in Love with Gods Word both on Amazon.com or by asking at your local Christian bookstore.
Also Check: In The Last Days There Will Be Scoffers Kjv
Want A Way To Keep Track Of Your Daily Bible Reading Progress
When I was learning how to read the Bible daily, I loved checking off each book and chapter as I read them, so I could easily see my progress.
My NIV study Bible came with a built-in reading plan checklist right in the front. If yours doesnt, youre welcome to print off this Bible Reading Checklist to keep track of your progress.
It comes straight out of my Fall in Love with Gods Word WORKBOOK, but youre welcome to have it for free.
Print it out and stick it in your Bible, or hang it on your fridge where youll see it often as you work your way through your daily Bible reading plan.
Tips To Build Up A Habit Of Reading The Bible Daily
In a previous post, we saw that the first step in understanding the Bible is to read it for ourselves, cover to cover. This is how we begin to acquire the building blocks of Scripture that are the foundation for our understanding of Gods Word. But how do we get started? What can we do to develop this healthy and necessary habit of regularly reading the Bible?
In this post, well go over seven practical tips that will help you build up a daily habit of reading the Bible.
Don’t Miss: Examples Of Loneliness In The Bible
How To Read And Understand The Bible
Reading the Bible on your own is a great start to growing in your walk with Christ.
However, if you want to understand the Bible, you have to learn how to study the Bible.
Attending your local churches weekly bible study is a great place to start.
Bible studies are less formal than Sunday service. Usually, you can ask the Pastor or group leader questions and gain insight from other members of the congregation.
There are also ways to study the Bible on your own, but thats a topic for another day.
I hope answered all of your questions about the Bible and how to read it.
Dont forget to download a copy of my Bible Reading Plan for Beginners!
As always, remember to keep Jesus in the center of everything you do.
Your Sister in Christ,
Keep Track Of Your Bible Reading
Its good to keep track of what youve read, and there are many ways to do so. You can mark the date you finish a chapter or book in your physical Bible. You can check off each book in the table of contents as you read it. You can also tally the number of times youve read the entire Old and New Testaments.
Keeping track of our progress encourages us in developing a Bible reading habit. For example, you may think youre going too slowly if you read one chapter per day. But youll finish the whole New Testament in less than a year by reading just one chapter every day. After five years, you might look at your record and find youve read through the New Testament seven times! Seeing this kind of progress encourages us to continue on.
You May Like: We Are Born Sinners Bible Verse
What Are The Benefits Of Reading The Bible Daily
Why should we read the Bible? I have found that amazing things happen when you read the Bible daily. There are so many benefits Now there is no way that this is a comprehensive list, and I would love to hear what other benefits you have noticed, however, I feel that this list will be quite encouraging when you read through it. My prayer is that you will be inspired to make reading the Bible daily a priority in your own life. Even as busy moms, we can take some time to read Gods Word. Now, check out these benefits!
Turn Your Heart To The Lord
Every time we come to the Word, its good to first turn our heart to the Lord Jesus. Before we start our Bible reading, we can pray a simple prayer like this:
Lord Jesus, I turn my heart to you right now. I open to You. Speak to me and wash me in Your Word today. Dear Lord, there is so much more for me to see in Your Word. Enlighten me more as I read today.
Praying a simple prayer like this will help us be open to anything the Lord would like to speak to us through His Word.
Also Check: What Does Sanctification Mean In The Bible
Ready To Fall In Love With Gods Word
Reading Gods Word truly CAN be fun, enjoyable, encouraging, inspiring, and so much more.
If youre truly interested in learning how to read the Bible daily, Id love to invite you to check out my brand new book: Fall in Love with Gods Word: Practical Strategies for Busy Women!
Practical, encouraging, and full of biblical truth, Fall in Love with Gods Word has everything you need to learn how to:
- Overcome 7 common obstacles preventing you from spending time in Scripture
- Discover the personalized Bible-reading routine that works for YOU
- Learn 15 easy ways to make reading the bible daily more meaningful and enjoyable
- Use Scripture to conquer sin, false beliefs, and negative thought patterns
- Experience fresh spiritual growh and passion for Gods Word.
Please visit Amazon.com or your local bookstore to learn more and grab your copy of Fall in Love with Gods Word today!
Look Carefully At Particular Details
In some sense, this point only makes explicit what was implicit in the previous, but presses it further. Clearly the kind of care with language were advocating for requires a kind of active reading that demands emotional energy and effort.
Adler and Van Doren lament , Most of us are addicted to non-active reading. The outstanding fault of the non-active or undemanding reader is his inattention to words, and his consequent failure to come to terms with the author . Most people read half asleep, writes John Piper in Reading the Bible Supernaturally . We read the Bible pretty much like we watch television passively.
Aggressive Attentiveness
Christians, however, because we have found our life is in this Book, will pray, Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law . Then we will read with the expectation of seeing wonders, and with the energy, like Ezra, to study them .
Bible reading, of all reading, rewards careful, relentless observation of details in the text the kind of observation that keeps looking even after it has become uncomfortable, especially in our modern pace of life, which does not encourage the pace of fruitful Bible reading and study. Slowing down is a skill we desperately need to acquire. One practical way to slow down is to take a pencil in hand, or put fingers on a keyboard, in order to process and share what we are seeing.
You will never read a better book, but you can learn to read the Book better.
Divine Author
You May Like: Everyone Is Born A Sinner Bible Verse