Wednesday, October 19, 2005

How to Approach Reading the Bible (Part 2)

I make attempts at playing golf. People in the know tell me that how you approach the ball has alot to do with how well you will hit it. I'm not talking about how you walk up to the ball but how you position your body in relation to the ball...the distance between you and the ball, where the ball is in relation to your left or right foot, your posture, etc.

I think the same can be said about approaching the Bible. What you get out of it has a lot to do with the attitudes that you bring to it. Here are my next two points (out of ten)...

3.
Read for quality, not quantity.
I think it’s great when people get ambitious and decide to read the whole Bible in a year. Or they decide to read a chapter a day. That can be good to give you the big picture of what’s going on. But it can also make you miss the point of why you are reading the Bible in the first place. Our goal is to hear from God so don’t be afraid to just read a few words or sentences and meditate on them until they become relevant to your life. Let the words be a mirror, giving you insight into your own heart and then ask God what he wants to tell you about what you see. (Hint: God's voice is encouraging, not condemning.)

4.
Read for questions, not just answers.
Some times people say things like: The Bible will answer all your questions about God and life. No it won’t. If it could then it would only prove that either the Bible is false or God doesn’t exist! Nothing can answer all your questions about God because God is too big to be reduced to words. So, when you read the Bible, expect to have questions and don’t worry if you don’t get them answered right away. Questions stimulate us to want to know more about God while too many answers tend to make us think that we’ve got God all figured out.


part three to follow...

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