Recently, I tried to read The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo. I got bored with all of the character details within the first 70 pages and set it down to wait for the movie. My husband, Lee, then picked it up and read the whole book while giving me a play-by-play of the events as they happened in the story. (It felt like I was cheating!!!)
Lee’s version of the book was concise, accurate and gave me exactly the information I needed for when we went to see the movie! Great way to muddle through a ‘wordy’ book…let someone else do the reading!
This is the way I read the Bible for years. ‘Read’ is not really the correct word to use. Instead, I listened to what other’s said and made their opinions my own. I would read books about what people thought about the Bible and think that I was reading God’s Word by reading someone else’s words. However, I didn’t actually pick up the Bible, even though I have no less than five in my house.
Don’t get me wrong. People have a lot of good things to say regarding God’s Word (case in point…GEM). However, it is not the same as reading the Bible yourself.
God gave me a good shove in the right direction a little over two years ago when a friend shared with me that she and her son (who was 10-years-old at the time) were going to read the entire New Testament in a year. Well, surely, if a child could do it, I could, too!
So, I struck out on the New Testament reading adventure and quite frankly, it has changed my life forever. When I finished the New Testament that year, I signed up to read the New Testament again AND added the Old Testament for the following year. Now, this year I’ve signed up to do them both AGAIN! I cannot get enough of God’s Word!!!
I find it exciting to see God working in my life through His Word. I have learned a TON, but I also have learned that I will never be finished learning about God. Sounds daunting, but I’ve come to understand that God is bigger than I ever imagined and that His Love for me is greater than I can fathom.
Reading His Word has given me a relationship with God beyond ‘talking the talk.’ He has captured me with His letters of love and revealed himself to me, while showing me who I really am. I encourage you to begin your own love affair with God through the Bible.
Here’s how:
- Find someone who actually reads the Bible to share with you what works for them to stay in God’s Word.
- Sign up for a reading plan that gives you specific verses or chapters to read each day.
- Pick a book of the Bible and start reading from the beginning to end. This will give you a better idea of what is being said then if you just open and read a verse out of the blue. Of course, just opening the Bible and reading anything is great!
Although, my faith has a tendency to become stagnate and die if I don’t continually feed it with God’s Word, prayer and worship, I have found that reading God’s word has solidified my confidence that faith can be real, alive and growing.
Reading the Bible has given me a security and knowledge that I was made for a purpose and that God broke the mold when He made each one of us. The Bible tells me over and over that I am loved immensely by the Maker of all things and He wants me to love, worship and praise only Him. What a love letter!!!!
I definitely get many more blessings out of reading the Bible than the work I put into it.
Do you read the Bible? If so, how do you do it? I’d love to hear what works for you!!
Some Wisdom for Today: Proverbs 3:1-2 – My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.
GREAT post!! Spending time in God’s Word has truly changed my life. I seem to thirst for more, the more time I spend in His Word. It makes me feel like I’m not alone. The old testament is better than any movie out there about love, heart ache, a hero, adventure and there is even some comedy in there! Love you Meg!! 🙂