How often do you read the Bible or?

Question

your faiths equivelant Holy Book?

Any tips on reading the bible any body can pass on to me?

Answer 1

The Bible says, "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2nd Peter 3:18). We are commanded to grow in our walk with Christ. And there's no time like the present to do so. God has never commanded us to do anything that we cannot do; so the fact that we are commanded to grow in our relationship with God should excite us. But just how do we grow in our walk with the Lord?
How do you develop and strengthen any relationship? You do so by spending time with that person; by walking with them; by talking to them; by listening to them. The more time you spend with someone, the more that person will influence your thoughts, words, attitudes, and actions; and the closer the two of you will become. In fact, it's impossible to spend quality time with someone, and then not start to resemble them in some way.
The same holds true for your relationship with God. If we want to grow closer to God, we have got to spend time with Him. We've got to talk to God through prayer; and listen to Him to talk to us through His Word. This is, of course, in addition to regular church attendance and witnessing. But, like any relationship, the most important ingredient to your relationship with Christ is communication. After all, we can't trust God if we don't know what He says. We can't trust God if we aren't bringing our requests before Him, seeking His wisdom, etc,; we can't obey God if we don't know what He commands. Most of all, we can't enjoy--to the fullest extent--His love for us if we aren't reading His love letter that He wrote to us---the Bible.
The Bible says that God is Light (see 1st John 1:5). When you're spending time in the Word and prayer daily, you're spending time in the Light. I have found that the more time I spend in the Light, the more noticeable the darkness is in my own life; and the more time I spend with the Light of the world, the less time I want to spend in the darkness. The more time I spend fellowshipping with God, the less the Christian life is a bunch of do's and don’ts and can's and cant’s, and the more the Christian life takes on a matter of LOVE and DESIRE. As I'm walking close with Jesus, I WANT to do such and such. As I walk close with Jesus, I don't DESIRE to do this or that. Instead, I DESIRE to please Him, because I LOVE Him, and He LOVES me! Isn't that how we're to view our Christian life, as a relationship, and not as a religion? In religion, you do what you do out of a sense of obligation. As a Christian, even though God is worthy of being obeyed simply because He is God, we should do what we do out of love and desire. If that's our motivation, then a walk with Christ will produce peace and joy indescribable.
If you are not currently having a daily devotion, I urge you to do so. A daily devotion is simply setting aside a certain amount of time, usually in a certain place, to spend quality time reading a portion of Scripture, and talking with your Lord and Father. Some people get hung up on insisting you have your devotion first thing in the morning. I'm not as concerned about when or where in the day we have our devotion as I am THAT we have our daily devotion. Now I will say that I love starting off my day by going to Starbucks, and having about a 30-40 minute devotion over a double-shot espresso--or two LOL! It just seems to start my day off on the right foot, and get my spirit in tune with the Spirit.
We would never even think of going a day without physical food. So why should we be any different when it comes to feeding our spirits? Jesus said, "'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4) If you aren't already doing so, make God's Word a part of your daily "diet." You may already be very familiar with the Bible. If you are, I don't need to tell you what to read. If you are not already familiar with the Bible, the Gospel of John is an excellent place to start. Of all the books in the New Testament, the Gospel of John best explains who Jesus is, and what a relationship with Him is all about. The New Testament is the best place for a young believer to be spending most of her time. I do enjoy starting my devotion off with 5 chapters of Psalms and a chapter of Proverbs, and then I get into whatever New Testament book I am reading that week. There are 150 Psalms. If you read 5 a day, you will read through the book of Psalms once a month, 12 times a year. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs. If you read a chapter of Proverbs a day to coincide with that day of the month, you'll read the whole book of Proverbs once a month, 12 times a year. Just a lil bit of advice there for ya.
It's important to note that having a daily devotion will not cause God to love you anymore than He already does. He already loves you with perfect love. By the same token, not having a daily devotion will not cause God to love you any less. Again, God loves you with perfect, unconditional love. His love does not change with performance or lack thereof.
I believe though, that if you will get in the habit of having a "date" with God everyday, you will start to grow in your relationship with the Lord, and you will see Him begin to change you BIG TIME! I hope you found this e-mail encouraging. You are in my prayers.


Jesus Freak 4 Life,
David J. Stynchcombe

Answer 2

Greetings dear one.
I read a little every day - wherever I happen to be. With many elderly family members - I've had the opportunity to read in a LOT of hospitals and doctors offices lately.

They keep going in and out of availability - but I obained a miniature Bible that was Genesis to Revelation and small enough to fit in my purse next to my checkbook. This way - any time I'm trapped waiting somewhere - I have it to read. I've even seen some that were slim and designed to fit in a man's suit or coat wallet pocket.

I read a little everyday - usually using my favorite Regular sized Study Bible. I also occasionally participate in Christian forums (ChurchUSA) - and so I find myself in the scriptures most days to find verses seeking to edify people dealing with questions or problems.

The Word says that "Faith comes by hearing - and hearing by the Word of God." Romans 10:17 So it is necessary for our faith to remain strong to feed our souls on the Word.

To begin making it a habit:
--Pick a time of day that you can always spend 15-20 minutes or more alone reading the Bible. I like morning best.
--Get a little notebook or journal where you can notate any insights you may come across.
--Using a base of 30 days, Read a Psalm a day to begin with. Start on the Psalm that is the same as the date. Today is the 24th - so start on the 24th Psalm.
When you have a month that has 31 days - read a chapter in Proverbs on the 31st day ... or anywhere else you like. When it's the month of February - a chapter a day elsewhere again until March 1st.
--There are 150 Psalms... so you will pass through the book in 5 months. Repeat as you like.

Go obtain a Bible that has study guides that meet you where you are in life today. There are those with study guides geared toward men, women and children - students and teachers - theologians and new Christians... and in many different translations. Amplified is cool.

Try to participate in Bible Studies in the Church of your choice. They sometimes spark your interest on a subject and God can really light a fire in your heart while you pursue it's study.

I have also found a magnificent down-loadable Bible Study help for free on the web - at http://www.e-sword.com It helps look up subjects and even helps get back to the original text the scripture was written in.

Make sure you have a Bible with a great Dictionay/Concordance. My favorite is "The Open Bible, Expanded Edition - New American Standard Version."

Take your time, hon...
Begin a little at a time, and grow as The Spirit leads you.
I hope I've helped you dear one.
Peace.

Answer 3

I am an atheist, but I have read the bible, right through. The Chronicles are so boring I would rather watch paint dry. Kings is not much better. The people who wrote Psalms must have been high on something and as for Revelation, who needs it? The whole book is fit only show the ignorance of past generations. Find yourself something interesting to read. I recommend a visit to the library.

Answer 4

The bible is an answer to all your questions about human beings as well as God's creation. When you buy a new cellphone you always read the manual fully and once you start operating the phone and get stuck you definitely refer to the manual. Taking the bible as a manual for the day to day lives of man you will find it definitely important to read it on a daily basis to get more spiritual knowledge, comfort and guideline of your life.

Answer 5

I read it when I feel the need. Some recommend once a day. Some people read them once every couple of days. You should choose how often you read them.
And when you read, you should try to do it in a quiet place where you can concentrate on what you read and so you can think about what it is saying without any distractions. Also, you could think about what you read after you finished reading so it can better stay in your memory.

Answer 6

i think of analyzing the Bible each of ways as quickly as is adequate for me. in any different case I examine it daily, fairly while i'm doing what I do right here and someplace else on the internet. I certainly have my commentaries, and my Bible dictionary, additionally with Biblical encyclopedias. i like to proceed to be of the reducing fringe of prepare with the scriptures, so as that i could have the flexibility to respond to as many questions as i will.

Answer 7

Well... Wicca doesn't really have a "Holy Book", but I'm constantly reading or rereading books based upon the religion. It's always good to get fresh insight, and reaffirm long-standing beliefs. I recently went through a book I've had for 6 years (and have read numerous times) and highlighted it. :)

Answer 8

I think you should read the New Testament. Or the Revelation chapter. It has the Acopolypse and stuff. You know, the end of the world things. It's really interesting.

Answer 9

My faith doesn't have a holy book but I pray to the Gods and meditate daily.

Answer 10

To be honest not as much as I should! Mind I do look at the website called: http://www.biblegateway.com/ as and when i need to look up verses & I get a daily bible verse sent to me Monday to Friday from people who I work with.

Answer 11

Joyce Meyer has a new adapted version for those of us that do not get the versus from the original too easily. My husband bought it as a Christmas gift. Her show is wonderful too, really uplifting.