Happy New Year to you and yours!
Today I’d like to offer resources that can enrich your reading of Scripture in 2022. Oh what a treasure chest of spiritual riches God has placed at our fingertips!
Now more than ever, may the Word be sweeter than honey and more precious than gold.
Here are 7 tips to help you read the Bible this year.
TIP #1: Read the Bible Like Any Other Book
To that end, my first suggestion is to embrace “A Better Way to Read the Bible.” Simply put, a better way to read the Bible is to read it like any other book, which means we read the whole thing. For more thoughts on this, please Click Here.
TIP #2: Read the Bible Like No Other Book
My second suggestion is to pray . . . before, during and after you read the Bible. Here’s one of my favorite Bible reading prayers: “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” (Psalm 119:18). The word “law” can mean “instruction” or “teaching.” The Word of God, like no other book, contains the instruction and teaching of God. While the Bible is to be read like any other book, it is also to be read like no other book, because there is no other book like the Bible. It is the only book written by God, and we need His supernatural help to understand it. Click Here for “3 Great Prayers to Pray When Reading the Bible.”
TIP #3: Get the Big Picture
When reading the Bible, always keep in mind what Jen Wilkin states so succinctly, “The Bible is a book about God.” I take this to mean that the Bible is primarily or mainly about God. It is His autobiography. Until just a few years ago, this was a new idea for me and a hard pill to swallow, so I know it can come as a surprise to some. But like life itself, the Bible is not primarily about us. Sure, we are in there, and the Bible has much to say about you and me. But we’re not the focus. God is. Therefore, every time you read the Bible, ask the question, “What does this passage teach about God (Father, Son and/or Spirit)?” And then ask, “What is my response to this teaching about God?” You can learn more about the main theme of the Bible, aka “The Bible’s One Big Story” by Clicking Here.
TIP #4: Write Down Your Thoughts
Write down your answers to those two questions in Tip #3. Maintain a Bible Reading Journal. This doesn’t have to be fancy. Record your thoughts in a word processing document or a spiral notebook. I always learn and retain more when I interact with the material I’m reading. Don’t just read and pray. Whenever possible: Read, pray and write. Even better: Pray, Read, Pray, Write, and Pray.
TIP #5: Make a Commitment to Read the Whole Bible (or at least the New Testament)
Yes, I’m circling back to Tip #1 – to understand any book, it is best to read the whole thing. Resources abound to help you do this. Bible Reading Plans are a good place to start, so Click Here to find one that you like. Then . . . Go For It! By the grace of God and for the glory of God, it can be done.
Here’s how I’ve been approaching the task to read the whole Bible. For several years I’ve been reading the entire New Testament in a year. This can be done by reading 1 chapter a day, 5 days a week. The Navigators ministry has put together a nice resource for this called the 5 x 5 x 5 New Testament Reading Plan. You can Click Here to download the PDF.
Then, every 2 or 3 years, I read both the Old Testament and the New Testament in a year. This is how I’ve been doing it for the past 15 years, and it has worked well for me.
If you’re new to the Bible or if reading the entire Book seems too intimidating right now, why not start with the New Testament? Eventually, though, you’ll want to read both Testaments; your understanding of the New Testament will skyrocket to a new level when you read and understand the Old Testament. And when was the last time you read only the last 25% of a book?
TIP #6: Get Help to Understand What You Read
Regardless of how you read it, please take advantage of the many wonderful resources that can aid in your understanding of the Bible. God has given the Church many gifts. One of those gifts is knowledgeable Bible teachers who have spent years studying the Bible so they can help God’s people to comprehend it. “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13).
The Bible is both one Book and a Book of Books. As you read through the Bible, take time to get the big picture of each individual book. A good study Bible should have an introduction and an outline of each book, which you would do well to read and use to navigate that particular book. Another important aspect of the Bible is the variety of literary genres which are found in Scripture. With that in mind, here are my recommended resources for getting help.
Two Great Books:
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
How to Read the Bible Book by Book
These two books, written by the team of Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, go together quite well. I recommend that you get them both, and read them in conjunction with your Bible reading, one bite at a time. They are a valuable resource I use over and over. (Sorry, you’ll have to buy these books. If money is tight, check with your with your local library or look for used copies online.)
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth will teach you how to understand the many genres (types of literature) in the Bible, such as narrative, Law, poetry, wisdom and prophecy (in the Old Testament), along with the Gospels, Acts, the Epistles and Revelation (in the New Testament).
How to Read the Bible Book by Book is similar to a study Bible, providing the following information about each of the 66 books: an overview and outline of the content, an explanation of the historical background and emphases, “specific advice” for reading, and a thorough yet insight-packed summary of each section of every book.
One Great Website
The Bible Project has a plethora of great no-cost resources. If you are a visual learner, you’ll love their videos, especially the “Book Overviews.” In just a few minutes you can literally see the shape and themes of every book in the Bible in a way you’ll not soon forget. So, before reading any book of the Bible, I highly recommend you watch the “Book Overview” at least once, if not multiple times. It will set the stage so you can then read the individual books with greater understanding. Did I mention that everything on this website will not cost you a penny?
TIP #7: Search Your Heart for the Answer to This Question
Finally, let’s not forget the “Why” question. You’re reading this because you want to read the Bible. That is such a good thing, or so it would seem. But why? What is your motive? That is such an important question. I think about this a lot, because I know that my reasons for reading the Bible have not always been good ones.
How about you? How do you answer the question, “Why do I want to read the Bible?”
For more thoughts on this all-important question, please read this:
What Is Your Motive for Reading the Bible?
And then I recommend you read this:
Be Not Deceived: Knowing about God and Knowing God Are Worlds Apart
Here’s to a grace-filled, God-blessed New Year, and may you know God better in 2022 through the reading of His Word.
- Am I Really A Christian? (Part 4) - November 13, 2024
- The Greatest Knowledge of All - November 8, 2024
- How to Pray Like David (Volume 3) - October 30, 2024
Happy Blessed New Year to you Wayne and yours!
I was cleaning up my e-mails from days past and I came across yours and started to read it again. I really enjoy reading them. In the last few years, I haven’t kept up on my E-mails so I haven’t been ignoring just yours.
You asked the question about our motive for reading the Word and my answer is I want to spend time getting to know Him, and to experience and enjoy intimacy with Him as you stated in your newsletter. I am involved with the Time to Revive School which is a 2 year bible reading. I am doing it with several people on Zoom. Another reason I am reading and studying the Bible is because I don’t want to be deceived in these last days. There is so much deception out there even in the Church so I want to be able to discern what is true and false teachings.
Thank you. Don’t be discouraged in sending out these e-mails. They are and do make a difference. The Lord Jesus bless you and His ministry thru you!
Thank you, Mary Beth, for your encouraging words. So glad to hear of your passion for the Word, and for your desire to read the Word in order to experience intimacy with Jesus. Amen to that! And Happy New Year to you, too.