“Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.”
Psalm 119:105
Reading the Bible can be a daunting task. The reasons are many, but range from (1) I don’t know what the text is saying, to (2) I don’t know where the text fits into history or in the order of the Bible. Many people–when they pick up their Bibles and start reading–feel like they’ve been dropped in an unfamiliar forest in the middle of the night without directions. As a result, many people stop reading their Bibles all together or just read it hit or miss. They don’t want to, but without help they just do what they can. I’ve been there, and that’s why I’ve put this article together.
There is a method that I’m going to suggest here that I believe will build a foundation for many years (of thoughtful, discerning, heart-changing, and enjoyable Bible reading and learning) to come. Moreover, this is a path to knowing and loving God more through knowing and loving His Word:
Begin with these basic principles:
- Recognizing that Bible reading takes TIME…
- MANAGE your time by establishing ROUTINES for each day…
- Focus your time through DISCERNMENT, which means prioritizing time to read your Bible and saying no to less important tasks and activities…
- Be HUMBLE in the journey of understanding your Bible…
- Be CONSISTENT…this is something you do everyday as a non-negotiable. And if you miss, you double up the next day…
- See the Bible as a WINDOW to God (a means to the end, which is to enjoy God and make Him known), not an end in and of itself. The Bible (and understanding the Bible) is not what we worship, but rather the One who gifted it to us. This is huge–simple–but huge as it pertains to avoiding self-righteousness (for doing, reading, or not doing and not reading)…
- GET A JOURNAL. Write regularly. Find a time, either morning or evening to write. Don’t write a novel for each entry, but rather make it a goal to write 1 or 2 sentences each day. For each journal entry, put as a heading the day, the date, and the time. You could simply write about something you witnessed in the day, something you’re praying about, something that moved you in the Word. It doesn’t matter, just write 1 or 2 sentences (if possible, everyday) with a heading that has day, date, and time above…
Let’s begin:
- The first step in the journey is a fundamental building of your foundation, which is knowing how your Bible fits together, and knowing your Torah (1st five books of the Bible backward and forward). This is key. Without a foundational knowledge of the Torah, your Bible is only going to be seen in pieces without seeing the entire puzzle…
- [Skip to point 3 below if you have already watched these videos or you have a good grasp on the meta-narrative of the Bible. These videos are also useful as a supplement to a daily Bible reading.]
- How the Bible fits together…
- Watch these videos.
- In addition, read through each book of the Torah 1x (Genesis through Deuteronomy). Focus on being disciplined and finishing, and not so much worrying about being distracted while you read or not remembering everything. Don’t forget, God is a God of order, and you’re not reading to gain His favor, but you’re reading because you have His favor–by grace through faith in Christ—and you want to know Him.
- Basic Torah…
- Watch these videos.
- In addition, now read through the each book of the Torah. Focus on being disciplined and finishing, and not so much worrying about being distracted while you read or not remembering everything. Don’t forget, God is a God of order, and you’re not reading to gain His favor, but you’re reading because you have His favor–by grace through faith in Christ—and you want to know Him.
- Detailed Torah…
- Watch only the first 9 videos of these videos.
- In addition, again read through each book of the Torah. Focus on being disciplined and finishing, and not so much worrying about being distracted while you read or not remembering everything. Don’t forget, God is a God of order, and you’re not reading to gain His favor, but you’re reading because you have His favor–by grace through faith in Christ—and you want to know Him.
- At this point, you will have a better handle on your Torah. Now move on to understanding how each book of the Bible after the Torah moves the story of the Bible along…
- Reading through the Old Testament…
- Start by watching these videos beginning with Joshua, and then read the book right after you finish the video. Try to read the book all the way through in one sitting or at most 3 sittings. Do this for each book of the OT. Again, at this point, you’re not so much concerned with remembering everything, but rather exposing yourself to everything.
- Reading through the New Testament…
- First, watch these videos to set the stage for the NT.
- Next, watch these videos beginning with Matthew, and then read the book right after you finished the video. Do this for each book of the NT. Again, at this point, you’re not so much concerned with remembering everything, but rather exposing yourself to everything.
- For fun…pick a theme of your choosing from…
- Any of these videos. This will encourage you and continue to supplement your understanding.
- For more fun…pick a word study from…
- Any of these videos.
- This will take you some time, but stay with it.
- Reading through the Old Testament…
- Next, refresh, rebuild, and reestablish your understanding of the Bible through reading the whole Bible each year…
- I recommend this reading plan because it keeps you in both the OT and NT everyday. This is keeping the whole counsel of God before your mind and heart.
- You could also buy this Bible reading plan (it’s the same plan as above). I have this one and use it everyday.
- REMINDER…journal everyday…!
- Finally, pray everyday before and after reading or watching a video.
- Buy this prayer book, and read it everyday alongside your prayers.