13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching, and to teaching. 1 Tim 4:13
19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20 and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign for a long time over his kingdom in Israel. Deuteronomy 17: 19-20
The verses above encourage the Israelites, Timothy, and modern-day Christians to read God’s word diligently daily.
Suggestions for reading the Bible.
1. Pray before you start reading. It will surely be a battle. The enemy will do everything to hinder you from knowing the truth because the truth will set you free.
2. Read systematically and diligently. (Don’t jump from one book to another without finishing the former.)
3. In the Old Testament, start reading from Genesis down to Malachi, one book at a time to fully grasp the O. T. story chronologically.
4. In the New Testament, start with the book of John, then Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John is considered a general gospel because it’s not so much like the three gospels. On the other hand, the first three are called the synoptic (have remarkable similarities in form and structure) gospels.
5. Then don’t jump to the Pauline epistles right away. Read the book of Acts first because that book is the background of the Pauline epistles. Thus, you will understand the epistles better.
6. After the Pauline epistles, read the general epistles
7. Finally, read the book of Revelation. (You can read from O.T. and N.T. subsequently).
8. Try to record observations, similarities, and even seemingly conflicting verses in your reading. It is expected that you will not understand everything you have read.
9. Take note of verses or passages that are hard to understand if you have a chance to meet a Bible scholar, ask questions, and take note of the explanations.
10. Be realistic in your reading. Read only to the point where you can still grasp and understand. Stop when you’re tired.
11. Be consistent with your time and be sure to use reliable translation.
