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Back to the Book
Seven ways to ignite a passion for reading the Bible.
By Kathy Widenhouse
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"Half the books of the Bible can be read in 10 to 45 minutes each, and many of them can be read in less than 20," says Nashville-based pastor and author Robert Morgan. "The entire Old and New Testaments can be read aloud slowly and with expression in less than 71 hours."
Read just one chapter of the Bible each day, and in a month you will have completed the book of Proverbs (31 chapters) once or the epistle of James (five chapters) six times.
2 "I don't know where to begin."
If starting "In the beginning" with Genesis seems too daunting, flip to the Psalms or Proverbs and start there. Or begin your journey in the New Testament with Matthew. You can also poll Bible-reading friends and ask them what their favorite book is—then try reading it. Or use a Bible with a built-in reading plan, such as The One-Year Bible (Tyndale House) or The Daily Bible (Harvest House). These devotional Bibles present Scripture in manageable portions and work through it in logical sequences.
3 "I just don't get it."
Many of us think of the Bible as a technical manual written in Christian-ese. But there are "biblical help" buttons a reader can push to get some quick guidance:
Translations. Choose an easy-to-read translation, like the New International Reader's Version (NIrV; written at a third-grade level) or a paraphrase, like The New Living Translation (NLT) .
Reference tools. Invest in a few basic references, such as a Bible dictionary(an index of biblical-word definitions) a Bible atlas (a collection of maps of biblical lands), and a concordance (a biblical word locator) to bring clarity to the text.
4 "The Bible is so dull."
Not if you enjoy romance (Ruth), adventure (Jonah, Acts), or conflict (Judges). There are tales of conquest and war (Joshua), scandal and suspense (David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel), and deceit and corruption (Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5).
God stocked his library with a variety of genres: narrative, letters, poetry, history, and prophecy. If you naturally gravitate to the biography section in a bookstore, start with the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). If you love poetry, spend some time exploring Psalms or Song of Solomon.
5 "I don't see how the Bible applies to my life."
The Bible offers practical advice on issues we face every day: love (1 Corinthians 13), leadership (Nehemiah), marital bliss (Song of Solomon), courage (Esther), and investments (Matthew 25). It has how-to articles (Proverbs 31) and time-management models (Matthew 6:33).
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