…about Bible reading

I can remember as a child looking a books and seeing only lines on the page.  Then I started school and suddenly (or so it seemed to me) those lines started to make sense and I could read.  Early on, I fell in love with books.  I have never been focused on one genre - I just loved reading.  The characters became my friends with whom I went on great adventures.  I learned about foreign countries and about places within my own country to which I have still never been.  Books fueled my imagination and helped me to understand the world around me.  The ability to read is one of the most valuable skills I have ever acquired.

I am leading a Bible Study about the History of Redemption.  We are reading the Bible in chronological order.  There is no guidebook  or video so it is my responsibility to keep the discussions focused.  The trouble with that is that no one else is talking about the History of Redemption!  I was talking with a friend who said that I needed to remember my main task (which is the same for all Christians) is to make disciples - to make people hungry and thirsty for God and His Word.  So, I began to think about that and to ask God what His will in this matter is.

The Bible is a book.  Actually, it is a compilation of 66 books written by at least 40 different people over a period of about 1500 years!  Paul told Timothy “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV).  God has placed all that within true stories of creation, disasters, wars, conquests, triumphs, failures, captivity, and restoration. The Bible contains poetry, wisdom, history, prophecy, biographies, parables, and instruction manuals.

Falling in love with the Word of God should be second only to falling in love with God Himself and should be read with the attitude of, “what can I learn from the successes and failures of these people?”  And, by the way, those people are just like you and I.  The primary difference between them and us is that we have their stories written down for us to learn from!

I encourage everyone to read the Bible again.  Read it as books are meant to be read - from beginning to end.  I am praying that you see something new about God and about yourself.