~ Isaiah 40:8 ~
As you know, if you follow my blog regularly, Bible Study is kind of my thing.
In fact, it’s the whole point of my blog. I want everyone to Join the Journey with me into God’s Word.
In today’s journey, I’m sharing a Bible Study Tip — one simple way to get more out of the Bible.
It’s a tip I stumbled upon years ago when I decided to read the Bible in a year.
All through the month of December, the local radio station WMHK had been announcing their free Bible Reading Guide for reading through the Bible in a year. I’d done it before, but it had been a struggle for me to stay on track. The reading guide made it easy — I just wasn’t faithful to the reading guide.
As I thought back on my previous experience, I wasn’t sure I wanted to rejoin the I-Read-the-Whole-Bible-in-a-Year-Club. That’s when I stumbled upon this great tip.
Since The Message paraphrase of the Bible is written in somewhat of a novel form, I thought that might help make it easier to accomplish my goal. I picked up a copy and started reading on January 1.
Before I realized it, I discovered I was reading the Bible like a novel.
I finished it in September.
And that’s my Bible Study Tip for today — one simple way to get more out of the Bible:
Read the Bible like a novel.
I was shocked by how fast I read through the Bible when I read it like a novel, but more importantly was that I now had a better feel for the entire text. It stopped being a collection of individual books and chapters, and became one exciting adventure.
Other than that one difficult year, I’d only ever read through the Bible over an extended time. In fact, the first time it took me three years to finish it.
Reading through the Bible thoughtfully and slowly is life-changing, but so is reading the Bible quickly, like a novel.
Getting large chunks of the Bible at one time helps give a fuller, more cohesive picture of the whole Bible than did my reading a chapter or two each day. It makes sense. Imagine how hard it would be to keep up with the themes and plot of a novel if it took you a year or two (or three) to read it.
I will always advocate careful study of the Bible using a good translation like the New American Standard, New International Version, or English Standard Version, but I also advocate rapid reading.
This novel approach won’t give you all you need. It can’t take you deep enough, but reading the Bible like a novel will bring it to life in a way you can’t experience reading it slowly. Plus, if you’ve ever felt that reading the entire Bible is too much, you’ll discover it’s not.
You don’t have to read The Message translation. This works with any translation. And you don’t have to wait until the New Year. Get started today.
What could be better for your Summer Reading than the #1 best seller in history?
Check out my post which includes printable book marks to help you keep your place. Mark off each book as you finish it.
Great Bible Study Tip: Read the Bible Like a Novel
By the way, unlike these three novels in the picture above (which I highly recommend), the Bible is not fiction nor is it based on a true story. It’s the truest story ever told.
Have you ever read the Bible like a novel? Share your experience in the comments, and if you enjoyed this post, I hope you’ll share it with others.
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