Articles
I love this kind of practical challenge. It’s far, far better than the ‘I don’t get it so I’ll just ignore it’ approach. But practical challenges need practical replies, and that puts the pressure on me to be just as practical in responding. I’ll start by giving you two options and then fill them in with some more details…
Trying to build daily bible reading into our schedules can be a challenge, but I can assure you that it will be well worth it. Most of us timewise don’t see a bible reading-shaped gap in our lives that is crying out to be filled. But while we scurry around to fulfil our packed timetables, perhaps we secretly wish there could be some stabilising and inspirational input regularly going into our lives…
Most people who read the bible don’t notice how full of poetry it is. They know that the Psalms are poetic, as psalms were written to be sung, but unless they have a bible where the typesetters have gone to the trouble of indenting whole sections, they may have missed the poetry in chapter after chapter of the prophetic books, to say nothing of Job, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs, and even parts of Genesis…
Some people think the book of Revelation deserves the subtitle, ‘handle with care’, but I suspect that those who would recommend such a subtitle would probably prefer that we avoid reading Revelation altogether without their specific guidance. But 1 Timothy 3:16 says ‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness’ so let’s be bold and read it...
In some ways, because the Bible works as a whole document, you can start wherever you like, as long as you are prepared to ask questions and keep reading until you get the answers. I know that this is not a usual response to the ‘where to start?’ question but I am thinking of a certain Ethiopian official who had attended a Jewish feast and according to Acts 8 was returning from Jerusalem, riding in a chariot and reading the writings of Isaiah…
To be honest there are loads of different things I see when I read my Bible, and I am sure that everyone who regularly reads their Bible cover to cover would agree. The story constantly moves on and there are always fresh things to look into. So what are the three things I always see wherever I look in the Bible?
