How to Study the Bible

Melinda got me to thinking about how I study the Bible with one of her comments this week. After so many years of Bible studies, it’s hard to think about how I got started and how would be the easiest way to get into a routine of daily Bible study (not just reading but really studying the Bible).

I’m just one of those crazy folks that love to read all the time and if I’m going to be reading, I want to be learning how to live more like Christ. The Bible is the best resource for this. So I keep my Bible (okay Biblessss) handy, around me all day long. Usually one goes with me everywhere and then in the places where I might settle, there is another one, usually a different version than my main one, which at the moment is HCSB.

I have to read something from it everyday, if I don’t…well, I get “parched”, thirsty for it. I lose my focus and my thoughts tend to wander toward more earthly desires. If I miss a day, I find that I miss two days…three days…and so on. Before long I have to hunt for my Bible because I can’t remember where I left it.

It really is my lifeline. Sometimes just touching it brings me into a worshipful attitude. I mean, who can really think evil thoughts with your hand on a Bible or your heart in it?

Being raised in a godly home meant that the Bible was present in our lives every day. My parents taught us to prayer before every meal and at bedtime and we had a family devotion time reading from the Bible every night. As I got older, the devotion times as a family did dwindle, but we were encouraged to study on our own. When we didn’t know what to study, we simply picked up our Sunday School literature and studied for that week’s lesson.

Scripture memorization began early for me, but I’m still not very good at it. I have trouble learning word for word, but I can tell you what the verse says or which side of the page to find it on in my Bible! I use my concordances a lot because when I switch Bibles, the pages change and that really messes with my mind.

My grandmother gave me the best example of how to study my Bible. Every year, sometimes twice a year, she would get a new Bible and read through it front to back. She would take our Bibles and read through them putting her notes in the margins and then give them back after a year. I still treasure my Bible she did that in, it’s like having her study with me, still speaking her words of wisdom and counsel. I haven’t done that for my children yet, but they know that my Bibles contain my study notes and bits of our history recorded in the margins. Sometimes, as they see me taking notes in church, they will take my Bible and see what I wrote, even adding their own thoughts if they had any on the topic.

So….where to begin? Here’s some ideas and links to help get you started.

Read through the Bible – Chronologically, based on the HCSB translation. Read the events in the order it happens. It really sheds light on some of the passages when put into context of what was going on in the world at that time. This plan would take you a year to go through the Bible.

Read through the Bible – a book a month. Proverbs is a good one to start with because you can do one chapter a day and have it done by the end of the month. I like this link because it shows you how many chapters are in each book. You could actually read 2 or 3 books in a month by choosing some of the shorter books and some you might have to double up and read 2 chapters a day to get through them in a month. This plan would probably take a couple of years to go through the Bible completely.

Read through the Bible – in a year. This plan has you reading a selection from the Old and New Testaments, Psalms and Proverbs every day. I’ve done this one many times and it always amazes me how something in the OT will line up with that days reading of the NT.

Each one of these are really for your personal Bible study. You might get someone to do the reading with you for accountability and discussion. You might wonder how God can speak through a systemic reading of the Bible, but He can. Just remember that when God wants you to receive a Word from Him, He will use His Word and where you are in His Word to speak. Be open and pray for insight, understanding, and wisdom before each reading.

Now…if you want to go deeper, there are about a million Bible studies out there. You can study a topic, theme, or character. Of course, my favorite teacher is Beth Moore, but I have done other studies and there are some great teachers out there. Since there are too many to even begin to recommend (except for all the Beth Moore studies!), here’s a link where you can start your search.

As I mentioned, I’m doing the Daniel study with a church group right now and Return to the Garden on my own.

Please take a moment and share how you study your Bible and what studies you would recommend. These links are ones I’ve Googled and they may be many more that you find useful. Oh, how I would love to get some Biblical discussions going.