Tag Archives: Bible Reading

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Don’t Just Read It … Study The Bible In 2020

How To Gain A Deeper Understanding Of God And His Word

There are three different levels when it comes to reading the Bible, I think, and each has it’s place in our lives. So if Fox News is right, and 2020 is the “Year of the Bible,” then how do we gain the most from it? I think that comes primarily from good study habits.

Study The Bible In 2020

I think that there are three main ways that we should ingest the Bible into our lives, and all three have excellent benefits for us. Some people may break it down a little differently than I do, but I think this is a good, basic overview.

The first way is a simple reading of the Bible. I believe that every verse of Scripture has value for my life, and it’s worthwhile to expose myself to every bit of God’s Word on a regular basis. For many, that can come though a tool like an annual Bible Reading Plan. I use something that helps me read every passage more than once a year, which utilizes ten different sections of the Bible. It’s a bit more ambitious, but I have found it really useful.

The second way to use God’s Word is to study it, not just read it. That’s what this article is about, so more on that in a moment.

The third aspect is Bible memorization. Simply taking God’s Word and committing it to memory so that it can become a part of your mind and your thinking habits. Bible memorization is a discipline that I think we neglect more than we should, and have tried to incorporate it into my daily life for several years now, most recently tackling Psalm 119.

We may accomplish the first, perhaps employ the third occasionally, and completely overlook the second. The result of neglecting Bible study has created a culture of biblical illiteracy, and most of us know far less about God’s Word than we should. But I think that’s reversible, and all it takes are a few key study disciplines incorporated into our lives.

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2017 Bible Reading Plans

Because It Matters What You Read...

I believe that spending time in God’s Word is one of the most important pieces of our daily spiritual growth. God’s Word really has no way to impact our lives unless we are exposing ourselves to it consistently. Bible reading is perhaps the most critical of the spiritual disciplines.

2017 Bible Reading Plans

I’ve written several times in the past about this discipline:

This is an extremely critical element of our spiritual lives, and it seems to be occurring less and less in our culture. But when you begin to experience the many benefits of consistent, daily time spent in God’s Word, you’ll develop a craving for more.

God’s Word truly does change us.

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Classic Bible: My Favorite Passages From 2 Thessalonians

This is part of the Classic Bible: Favorite Stories & Passages series. Read more from the series!

Paul’s letters are generally very encouraging, but one of my very favorites is his second letter to the church in Thessalonica. Full of hope about the return of Christ, this letter, though short, is packed with encouragement.

2 Thessalonians

Many scholars question if Paul actually wrote this letter, or if it was a pseudepigraph, a letter composed after his death, modeled after the first letter to the Thessalonians. However, this is problematic, and nothing in this letter would require someone to usurp Paul’s apostolic authority in order to lend weight to this letter. Reading this with the understanding that Paul is the author is best.

Paul writes this letter to address the pressures of persecution that the Thessalonians are facing. Paul encourages these believers, who are suffering intensely, to remain confident in the Lord’s return. Until then, they are to live as responsible members of their culture and community, and strive to represent Jesus well.

In that light, this letter is highly encouraging to modern readers, just as it was to the people of Paul’s day.

Here are a few of my favorite passages from the book of 2 Thessalonians:

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2016 Bible Reading Plans

Spending time in God’s Word is one of the most important aspects of daily spiritual growth. Allowing God’s Word to impact your life will not happen unless you are exposing yourself to it consistently. Bible reading is perhaps the most critical of the spiritual disciplines.

Bible Reading Plans

I’ve written several times in the past about this discipline:

I firmly believe that this is a critical element of our spiritual lives. And it seems to be lacking in a lot of people’s lives. I think, when you experience the many benefits of consistent, daily time spent in God’s Word, you’ll develop a craving for more.

God’s Word truly does change us.

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Dealing With Discrepancies

Reconciling The Two Accounts Of The Sermon On The Mount

The Sermon on the Mount is recorded twice in the New Testament, both in Matthew and in Luke. But the two are significantly different accounts. Have you ever wondered why?

Mountain

This has always bothered me. These two accounts of the Sermon on the Mount have some major differences, too many to simply dismiss.

Matthew records the Sermon on the Mount in three different chapters, chapters 5-7. Luke records his account in a shorter version, in Luke 6. Of the two, most people are more familiar with the Matthew account. And when they get to Luke, the account is similar, yet not the same.

For example, Luke records the Beatitudes, as does Matthew, but Luke’s version is different, including a series of woes that Matthew does not record.

Luke also writes of Jesus’ statements concerning love for our enemies, about judging, and about the wise and foolish builders. But again, there are several key differences between the two gospels.

Why are these two accounts so different?

It is because these are two different sermons.

Wait. What?

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The Enmity Will Come To An End

I have been spending a lot of time recently in the book of Isaiah. Most people seem to be intimidated by this book of prophecy, simply because it is prophecy, and it can be hard to comprehend. But taking the time to understand it is worth it.

Snake

As you get to know this book, you frequently come across little nuggets of Bible knowledge that stun you in their connectedness to the rest of the Bible.

That happened to me this morning.

My favorite passages of Scripture are found in the early chapters of Genesis. I love creation science, and studying the earliest parts of biblical history is one of my favorite things to do.

As you know, the Curse found in Genesis three is where sin entered into the world, and mankind fell. As a result, God pronounces the Curse on Adam and all mankind, on woman and childbirth, and on the serpent. You can see a part of this in Genesis 3:14-15:

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A Beautiful Mess

We are studying through Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians at our church right now. Let me tell you, that church was a mess!

Beautiful Mess

A lot of times, I hear people say that they want to get back to the way the church was in the first century. And while the church in the book of Acts is a great model, and definitely something to strive for, the church in Corinth wasn’t living up to that image. In fact, it was pretty messed up.

The believers in the church in Corinth were not behaving as believers should. They were suing each other. They were arguing with each other over petty things. They were disrupting the flow of worship during their services. They were treating others with disregard and disrespect. They were divisive and not living in unity. They were tolerating immoral sexual relationships within their midst. They weren’t tithing. They were no longer preaching the gospel.

They were, simply, a mess.

But as you read Paul’s letter to this new, fledgling, church in Corinth, you see a few things that are stunning in their beauty. And by the end of the letter, it is amazing.