We all know that the Bible is good for the soul but there may be times when we find that reading it can be dry and uninteresting. Perhaps certain words and names have tripped you up, or maybe books such as Leviticus and Numbers have proven so difficult to get through that you simply decided to just put the Bible down. Don’t lose hope!
This 2013, you can overcome the boredom. Discover how you can delight in God’s Word more. As Psalm 19:10 says, God’s Word is “sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.”
- Tune in to God through prayer. The Bible is no ordinary book. It is God’s Word. We cannot understand it by willpower alone. Ask the Lord to speak to you and help you to change as you read His word.
- Read it thrice. Read and re-read at least twice. Don’t pause when you don’t understand something on your first read. Try to get a feel for the passage as a whole first. Read it two more times and you will have a greater appreciation of the text and notice details you didn’t get during your first read.
- Scribble down notes. Write down your observations and questions. Ask who the author was, who was his audience, who were the characters, and what events took place. Note down which parts you didn’t understand or would like to find out more about. If there is a word or phrase that struck you, jot that down too.
- Discover the tools. There are many tools to help enhance your Bible reading experience. You can begin with two Bible translations. Have one that is closer to the grammatical structure of the original language like NASB, then have another that is dynamic in form like the NIV, NLT and TEV which is a meaning-for-meaning translation. This will provide you greater understanding of the text. It’s also good to have a Bible handbook ready like Ryken’s Bible Handbook to give you an overview of the Bible per book. This way, you can keep passages within their proper context.
- Quiet down. Pause and meditate on what you have learned. Allow God to speak to you.
- Live The Word. The Bible is not just for reading but for obeying. Apply what God has taught you. As they say, you may be the only Bible some people will ever read.
Growing in God’s Word is a priority. Perhaps when you first read the Bible, it was easy. Words just popped out from the page and you highlighted verses that you learned for the first time. It was a time of exciting discoveries! But we’ve only scratched the surface. Now it’s time to dig deeper into God’s Word. Let it be not just something that nourishes you but something you crave for!
OMF Literature 