Gypsy Camp Blog

Countless people pick up their Bible because they know they are supposed to read it, but they just don’t get much out of it. You may be one of them. Are there large portions of the Bible that you just don’t seem to understand, or just aren’t interesting to you? Do you try to read the Bible but get stuck or bored? Are you in an endless cycle of trying to begin reading the Bible consistently, but failing over and over? Don’t worry. In this article I am going to provide you with a few simple tips that will allow you to read the Bible with understanding instead of frustration.

First, remember that there are different rules for each type of literature found in the Bible. For instance, you wouldn’t read the New York Times the same way you would read a love poem by your spouse would you? This is exactly how it works with the Bible. As an example, the Psalms are songs of ancient praise to God. They are like song or poetry. They are meant to be read with emotion. However, the book of I Kings is a book about the historical kingdom of the ancient Israelites. Read the former like a love poem and the later like history. It’s really that simple. Everything in Scripture is true, but the way it is written can differ drastically.

Next, make sure that you read everything in context. the Bible often answers a lot of its own questions for you. Especially in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark Luke and John. If something confuses you, just keep reading. A solution or clue will usually be mentioned by the author of the book within the same chapter or section.

It is also important to make sure that you have a very readable vesion of the Bible. You can’t be constantly working to understand the terms and language. That will only slow you down. The NIV, New International Version, or the NLT, New Living Translation, are both very reliable, modern translations of the scriptures.

Ok, now begin to read. Pick one of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, it doesn’t really matter which one. As you begin to read it, ask yourself these simple questions.

1) What is God communicating to the people in the story?

2) How are the people responding to him?

3) How is God responding to how the are reacting toward him?

4) Am I like or dislike the people in the passage?

As you consider your answers, have a journal or pad of paper to write on and a pen handy. Write down your thoughts, questions and comments about these questions. When you do this, you will find yourself digging into the story in brand new ways. This will lead you to thinking about your life situation and whether you are obeying God.

Once you have accomplished this, in order to mix it up a bit, turn to the book of Proverbs, near the middle of your Bible. Begin to read just one chapter of Proverbs a day, whatever chapter corresponds to that day of the month. As an example, if the day is the 16th of the month, read Proverbs chapter 16. Each Proverb gives us many nuggets of great wisdom for today. But be careful, the Proverbs weren’t written to give us specific life promises that must come true for us. They were written as general life wisdom that usually turns out to be right under equal circumstances. If you see the general truth and wisdom of each specific Proverb, you will start to grow in your own wisdom.

As you begin to incorporate these couple of steps, you will be suprised at how quickly you are beginning to understand the flow and meaning of the Bible. Try it for thirty days and just wait and see what happens.

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