Oft nosotros simply read scripture for information, to follow a dominion, or equally an bookish pursuit. Reading to come across God sounds like a great idea and the ideal for a Christian, but how practise we really practise it? How tin nosotros change our mind-sets to view Scripture as a living, rich revelation instead of a religious tome of instructions and history?
Here are seven ways.
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1. Read the whole story of the Bible.
Many of us learned to read the Bible from children'due south Bible storybooks made upward of individual stories—Adam and Eve, David and Goliath, Jonah and the big fish (of class it was Jonah and the whale dorsum so), the male child's five loaves and two fish, and so on. We learned to look for stories, snippets of Scripture. And usually these came with a moral lesson about trusting God, making the right decisions, existence honest, serving others, or something else.
The other main fashion nosotros heard the Bible taught was character centric, similar a series of mini-bios. Nosotros studied the lives of Abraham, Joseph, Ruth, Saul, Solomon, Esther, Peter, and Paul. Nosotros were taught almost their shortcomings and their faithfulness. We learned that they were examples for us to follow, just non perfect ones.
We must larn to read the whole story of Scripture from beginning to stop. The Bible is God's story of redemption, the revelation of Himself and His plan for the world. All those stories and all those characters are parts of the whole, characters in the drama, just none of them are the point. They all point to the betoken: Jesus Christ came, lived a perfect life, died an innocent death to relieve sinners and impale expiry and sin, and volition one day return to right all the wrongs. Sure, some parts of the Bible are disruptive and dry out, but they fit in the whole likewise. And when nosotros understand that in that location is a whole narrative, fifty-fifty those parts get-go to make sense in their context. When y'all're wondering how to read the Bible, it'southward un understanding the greater story being told.
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2. Await for Jesus in all parts of reading the Bible.
This is the communication I would suggest to any Christian who finds the Bible to be stale and lifeless: look for Jesus. And so much of what we miss in Scripture is because we look for characters and themes and lessons other than Jesus. Merely He is both the main grapheme and the primary plotline of the entire Bible. To look for annihilation else first is to rip out the heart of God's Word. Considering Jesus, as John 1 tells the states, is the Give-and-take fabricated flesh.
Every page of Scripture points to Jesus. It all fits together to point to Him and to glorify Him and describe Him and reveal Him. When we read the whole story and see Jesus throughout the pages, we see Him anew, not as any preconceived notions we had. We come across Him as more a teacher, more than a healer, more than than a model character. Nosotros see the breadth of Jesus from the human who sat with children and loved widows to the sword-wielding King of justice and glory. Read the Bible to meet more of Jesus in everything.
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3. As you lot read the Bible, get to know Jesus.
In the Bible we have the means to get to know Jesus. Nosotros have the means to move by observation and sensation and fact finding to a real, personal connexion with Him. How? Like we practice in any relationship.
Make it a regular affair. Go back to those Gospels over and over once again. God's word is inexhaustible and tin can ever deepen your understanding and conventionalities. We don't limit ourselves in conversation with our loved ones because we "talked to them already" and neither should we limit ourselves in the reading of the Bible because we "read information technology already."
Ask questions of Jesus in Scripture. Ask about His grapheme. Ask about His values. Ask about His life. Ask about His priorities. Ask nearly His weaknesses. And permit Scripture reply to yous. As yous read the Bible and learn more about Jesus, y'all volition discover your ain priorities and focus changing.
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4. As y'all read the Bible, don't shy away from the difficult stuff.
One of the most significant weaknesses of almost Bible instruction in the traditional church is the void where all the hard stuff in the Bible happens. Pretending the difficult portions of scripture don't exist doesn't delete it from the Bible. If God hadn't wanted the states to meet it, know it, and think on it, He wouldn't accept filled upwardly His self-revelation with it.
How do we read and understand the hard stuff in the Bible? We must read information technology and consider it. We must be willing to wrestle with it. Nosotros accept to look at it non as a agglomeration of isolated incidents and texts that might be problematic simply as part of the whole. If nosotros are going to read the whole story of the Bible and look for how it all points to Jesus, then nosotros need to see how the difficult stuff fits in. It is all there on purpose because it all paints a picture of God. And just because we don't understand all parts of the Bible doesn't hateful we tin can reject it.
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5. When you feel overwhelmed with how to read the Bible, first small.
The Bible is the foundation on which our faith is built. But it does not hateful we read only the Bible. Other books past godly writers can serve to open up our minds and hearts to Scripture.
Some of the best materials on how to read the Bible are those written for children. After graduating from college and gaining a theology degree, after working in Christian publishing for several years and reading mountains of biblical educational activity books, I even so notice these the freshest, best entry points into the message of the Bible. They brand information technology fun by bringing out the story, and they make their points with clarity and gentleness.
Additional resources and books are helpful too. Some will prefer commentaries; others will gravitate to Bible report curriculum. Each serves a great purpose in helping us dig in and empathise more. Don't shy away from them. Find the ones that fit your learning way and accept full advantage of them.
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6. Don't read the Bible as a prepare of rules, but rather, equally a book.
So many Christians lose affect with the heart of Scripture considering for so long they have approached it under the rule of law. "You must read your Bible every mean solar day." Reading your Bible every mean solar day is a dandy thing, only within its very pages it describes how the police introduces us to sin. When we make rules out of things, we tend to accept the life out of them, no matter how proficient they are.
We demand to arroyo the Bible as a book. Subsequently all, that is the form in which God gave it to us. For those who beloved to read, this means conscientiously moving it to the category of great literature in our minds, a great story, deep philosophy, a rich biography. When we call up of it that way, we will run across unlike things in its pages, yes, but more importantly we will practically be able to overcome the greatest mental block to reading it at all.
Distance yourself from the legalistic guilt of reading the Bible as law. That robs it of its wonder and steals the joy from your heart. It is so rich and deep; read it to discover and wonder!
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7. Pray for the Spirit's help when you read the Bible.
We have a helper and a teacher. Jesus even said nosotros would be better off if He left because this helper is so astonishing. Really? We're better off without Jesus on world with u.s.? Yes! Because the Holy Spirit dwells in every Christian, moving us toward existence more like Jesus, didactics our minds, and softening and convicting our hearts.
If you lot seek to practise annihilation I've written in your own ability, you will dry up, run out of motivation, go bored, get arrogant, lose faith, get confused, and turn from God. It is inevitable.
To connect with God through His Word is a miracle of the Spirit and not something that tin be formulated. All the suggestions I only fabricated for how to read the Bible are not the equation that adds up to relationship with God. They are ingredients that must exist present, but merely the Spirit tin mix and ready them in such a way that we see God in His glory and are moved to follow and laurels Him. Then beg the Spirit to open your eyes when you read. Plead with the Spirit to give you the inspiration to read. And He will. Maybe non in a flash, but He volition. And equally you begin reading the Bible, delving deeper into God's Word, you will find that the Spirit and God's bulletin in the Bible will modify you.
Barnabas Piper is the author of iii books and co-hosts the popular Happy Bluster podcast. He blogs at BarnabasPiper.com, and writes forHe Reads Truth besides as contributing to numerous other websites and publications. Piper also speaks regularly at churches and conferences around the state and lives in Nashville where he works in publishing.
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Source: https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/7-ways-to-read-your-bible-to-meet-god.html
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