How Do I Read The Bible? Part 1
Dave Scholes
In short, there are two major ways to engage with the Bible in your life. The first is to do it by yourself in a time set aside when you open the Bible and ask God to speak to you through it as you read it. A Christian is someone who understands that God has revealed Himself through the Bible, and therefore values the Bible greatly, for what greater pursuit in life could there be than getting to know God Himself? This method requires patience, discipline and a lot of self-forgiveness! There will be many days when you don’t feel like reading the Bible. That’s ok! You must not beat yourself up about it or feel condemned because of it. The ability to get to know God through the Bible is a gift not a requirement. And when you do forget to read it, you mustn’t give up! Just resolve to pick up where you left off at the next available moment.
The second way to engage with reading the Bible is to do it in community. Every Christian, if they are to live a fulfilled Christian life, needs to engage at both levels – personally and in community, as they are both vital to your life as a Christian. This is why we have preaching in church, to explain what the Bible says and how it relates to our lives. That is why we operate small groups mid-week, where we can come together and read, study and pray through the Bible together, asking questions and exploring the truth of God together. Together, we get a more complete view of what the Bible says.
As a Christian, you will grow more and more to learn and see that the Bible is a great gift, and like all other gifts, it just needs to be opened.