Recently I published a video on the Flourishing Life YouTube Channel titled Bible Reading 101. That video was intended to help you jumpstart or reboot a daily Bible reading habit. The outline of that advice is: Make a Plan, Share your Plan, Work Your Plan. Few habits in life stick if you don’t have a plan. It’s also important to remember that starting a new habit is like riding a bike, if you fall off the bike, jump right back on. Think of reading the Bible like eating, you’re taking in spiritual nourishment from God’s Word. If you skipped a meal, you wouldn’t quit eating, would you? No. So, if you miss a day or two in reading the Bible, jump back in, you’ll be glad you did!
In this post I want to offer some practical advice about getting the most from your Bible reading, especially if you’re new to this.
First, you want to pick a translation. The Bible was written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, so, if you’re a normal English speaker, you’ll want a good English translation. You’ll want one you both understand and enjoy reading. No translation is perfect, but for devotional Bible reading it’s best to pick one and stick with it. For in-depth Bible Study, it’s good to consult multiple translations.
Here’s a list of a few of the most popular English Translations:
The King James Version (KJV) is a beautiful translation and probably most influential document in English on the English language. However, it’s quite challenging for twenty-first century readers. Also, advances in the quality and numbers of Biblical texts and translation practice, make modern translations a better choice.
The English Standard Version (ESV) is my go-to translation. It’s written on about a tenth grade reading level and maintains much of the poetic language of the KJV. It’s actually the updated Revised Standard Version which is in the KJV family of translations.
The New International Version (NIV) is the most popular English translation. It’s written on the seventh grade reading level, so is accessible to more people. It is a solid, easy to read, good translation.
The New Living Translation (NLT) is an update of the Living Bible, which was a paraphrase. It’s an easy to read, highly dynamic translation that’s close to a paraphrase and is written on the sixth-grade reading level.
The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) is an update and re-branding of the Holman Christian Standard Version. I find it to be a good, easy-to-read, reliable translation that’s written on the seventh-grade reading level.
The Common English Bible (CEB) is a very dynamic, newer translation. It’s written on the seventh-grade reading level. I really like this one and the choices they’ve made to make it closer to the vernacular of the time. Not sure, however, how well it will age. Perhaps they’ll keep updating it, like other translations.
The Message is a paraphrase by the late Eugene Peterson. It is an excellent paraphrase. It’s written on about the fourth to fifth-grade level. Peterson was gifted at getting to the meaning of the text and communicating it in an approachable manner. Because it’s a paraphrase, I wouldn’t use it as my primary text, but it’s a wonderful tool for devotional purposes.
There are many more translations, but you won’t go wrong with any of the above. Pick one and stick with it as it will be helpful for scripture memorization and also getting a consistent feel for the whole story of God.
One of the reasons people fail to maintain a daily Bible reading habit is that the text can be so foreign to our ways of communicating and thinking today. There’s a wide gulf of time and a significant cultural gap between us and the Ancient Near Eastern world, where the Bible was written. When I was just starting out, and even today, I found a study bible to be a helpful tool. Study bibles contain notes that accompany the text to tease out meanings and offer contextual background, assisting you to understand what’s written and apply it to your life. If you understand what you’re reading, you’re much more likely to stick with it. So, below I’ve listed a few study bibles for your consideration.
The NIV Study Bible. I cut my teeth on the original version. It was a gift from my Dad when I showed a greater interest in discipleship and reading God’s Word. The current NIV Study Bible is an updated version and is probably the most popular study bible ever produced. It’s an excellent resource. It has amazing charts, maps, and illustrations in addition to it’s thorough study notes.
The ESV Study Bible is also excellent. From my perspective the notes seem to be a little more in-depth or scholarly, but it’s still very, very approachable for anyone just starting out reading the Bible. Like the NIV, it has maps, illustrations, etc. that are all helpful.
The Spirit-filled Life Study Bible (3rd Edition) shares the Charismatic/Pentecostal perspective. A favorite Bible teacher of mine, Jack Hayford, is the editor. I find it’s notes, etc. to be encouraging, informative, and uplifting.
The Life Application Study Bible (3rd Edition) is just that, it supplies application notes more than information notes. It’s another wonderful resource for the growing Christian.
Like the translations above, you’ll not go wrong with any of these study bibles. I highly recommend any of them if you want to understand the Bible and apply it’s truths to your everyday life, which is the goal of devotional Bible reading. You can find these on Amazon, Christianbook.com or on their publisher websites which you can find by searching in an internet search engine.
Another couple of great resources online are BibleProject.com and BibleGateway.com. BibleProject produces videos and classes and a bunch of different resources that help you understand the story of the Bible. I can’t recommend it highly enough. All their resources are free. They also have a great YouTube Channel. BibleGateway is a terrific website with dozens of English translations, commentaries, and study bibles. To get the most out of it, you’ll want to subscribe to their premium service.
Many of these resources are modern, available on the internet or electronically. You can obviously purchase the physical Bibles, as well. But, I want to share with you something a bit older, but still applicable today:
John Wesley’s Advice for Reading the Bible:
Although Wesley was widely read in both theological and secular sources, he claimed to be homo unius libri, “a man of one book.” He even called himself a Bible Bigot.
In his preface to his Explanatory Notes on the Old Testament he shared seven guidelines for daily, personal, Bible reading. These are as useful today as they were in 1765 when he first wrote them:
To grow in the love of God and Christian maturity:
1. Set apart a little time, if you can, every morning and evening for that purpose
2. At each time if you have leisure, to read a chapter out of the Old, and one out of the New Testament: is you cannot do this, to take a single chapter, or a part of one
3. To read this with a single eye, to know the whole will of God, and a fixt resolution to do it In order to know his will, you should,
4. Have a constant eye to the analogy of faith; the connexion and harmony there is between those grand, fundamental doctrines, Original Sin, Justification by Faith, the New Birth, Inward and Outward Holiness.
5. Serious and earnest prayer should be constantly used, before we consult the oracles of God, seeing "scripture can only be understood thro' the same Spirit whereby "it was given." Our reading should likewise be closed with prayer, that what we read may be written on our hearts.
6. It might also be of use, if while we read, we were frequently to pause, and examine ourselves by what we read, both with regard to our hearts, and lives. This would furnish us with matter of praise, where we found God had enabled us to conform to his blessed will, and matter of humiliation and prayer, where we were conscious of having fallen short.
(7.) And whatever light you then receive, should be used to the uttermost, and that i mmediately. Let there be no delay. Whatever you resolve, begin to execute the first moment you can. So shall you find this word to be indeed the power of God unto present and eternal salvation.
We who live in the twenty-first century are blessed to have the resources we have to help us read, comprehend, and apply God’s Word. God revealed himself through the Scripture. He also revealed who we are and what we need for salvation. If you’re a Christian and want to grow closer to God, read his Word. If you’re a seeker and want to learn more about God, read his Word. You’ll be glad and blessed.
___________________
Link to Video: https://youtu.be/jKC5fN6hFlM
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.