 I get asked a lot of questions about the Bible. Which Bible is right for me? Which Bible is right for my 15-year-old son who doesn’t like sports, people or sunlight? In fact, he only likes dark rooms with large flat screen tv's with an attached Xbox…. You get the picture. Well, my responses vary quite a bit.
The Bible industry is a crazy industry for sure. There’s the metal Bible, Duct Tape Bible, pink camo Bible, pocket Bible and really big Bibles, I mean like really big Bibles! Just google it. It can be confusing as to which one might work for you. In our previous blog in this mini-series, we discussed briefly the comparison between paper Bible and digital Bible. To me, it doesn’t really matter. I enjoy the digital Bible more than a paper Bible. My wife prefers her leatherbound Bible. The mode doesn’t really matter. Another question I often hear is, “Should I just start reading anywhere or follow a Bible reading plan?” The Youversion Bible App is a great platform to use especially when just getting started. I enjoy reading through the various plans on the app. After a while, a person should be able to read the Bible on their own but you might also enjoy reading with a guided plan. In fact, if you only read with a guided plan, don’t feel bad or “less than” because of it. Another great option is That Christian Vlogger’s course. If someone is going to simply start reading the Bible, I recommend starting with the book of Mark. It’s a fast-paced book and covers the life of Jesus by describing His teachings and miracles. The second book I recommend reading is Acts. I always encourage an individual to read the Bible in a community like a small group, however. I think that’s one of the most beneficial ways of reading the Bible. The third most common question I receive is “How much of the Bible should I read each day?” The person who asks this question is usually a driven type A personality. He/she is probably used to getting a gold star in elementary school. Just kidding. Kind of. I know it’s a daunting question. I remember thinking I had to read chapter after chapter each day in order to belong, like really belong, to the "in group". My response is usually a combination of sarcasm and genuine concern. Here’s why. I’m not sure how much of the Bible the original disciples would have read each day. I don’t think that God measures our level of discipleship by the quantity of Bible we devour each day. I do believe that God measures our love for Him in regards to our daily obedience of what He writes to us in the Bible. If we follow Jesus’ command to “Love God with all of our heart, soul strength and mind”, we’ll be doing great. If we also follow His command to “love our neighbor as ourselves”, we’ll be doing even better!. Wonder how the world would be if Jesus’ followers were to only read the amount of the Bible we could actually live out? Another fact that influences my response to “How much should I read my Bible every day” is related to the fact that the chapters and verses haven’t been part of the Bible for very long. They were first introduced in the Geneva Bible which was published in 1560. I typically suggest reading enough of the Bible so that you learn something new about God and who He says you are and how it applies to your life. I always suggest journaling along with reading scripture. The method of journaling I suggest is called S.O.A.P. S.O.A.P. stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. We’ll cover S.O.A.P. in the next article of this series. Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash
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