Gearing Up To READ!

Does the thought of reading excite you or bore you? You may be among those who don't salivate when they walk into a library. Then it may depend on the type of book as to your level of excitement. I have a close friend who is an avid reader, but she mainly reads fiction. I should say, she DEVOURS fiction. But when it comes to things like self-help books, non-fiction, and the Bible, she slows way down. I have another friend who reads self-help books exclusively.

There are several obstacles to overcome when starting to read the Bible. I'd like to share three with you. Perhaps some of these are holding you back. I'll also offer some encouragement on how to overcome each obstacle.

1. I don't know where to start reading the Bible. This is daunting, to be sure. There are 66 books in the Bible. There's an Old Testament with 39 books and a New Testament with 27 books. Do I start in the Old or the New? Do I start in the beginning and work forward from there? Since I can't figure out where to start, I'll just throw up my hands and wait until later...I'll wait until I receive some sort of epiphany, that eureka! moment that tells me the best launching point. "One day..." And I never get around to reading the Bible. Well, my friends, I'm hoping to help with this question by presenting the attached "Reading through the New Testament in three months" schedule. I can't say there is any ONE perfect starting point in reading the Bible, but starting in the New Testament is often a good idea, especially for those who don't have a habit of reading. Please take the time to look over the reading schedule. We will not be reading from Matthew through Revelation in that order, but we will cover every verse in the New Testament over the next three months STARTING ON WEDNESDAY. Who is with me?

2. I don't understand what I read in the Bible. This presents a basic obstacle as to the PURPOSE of reading the Bible. If you have ever finished a chapter of the Bible and had that "HUH?" moment where you looked back and realized yo had no clue as to what was going on there - you know what I mean. The temptation is to set the book down and say, "If I can't understand this stuff, why am I spending so much time reading it?" That's where this discussion group will come in handy. I plan to post comments on verses we come across in our daily readings. Anyone can post questions or comments at any time, which the whole group can consider and answer, if they wish. This will facilitate a greater understanding of what we read. God INTENDS for us to understand His word (Ephesians 3:4: "when you read you can understand").

3. I don't see how the Bible is useful to me today. Even when I understand what was going on, sometimes I don't know how to APPLY it to my life. This is the highest level of study - translating what we read to daily life application. Again, I hope this e-mail group to be useful in discussion those applications, as well. Just know the Bible is USEFUL to us. "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correcting, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

I hope the next three months will be a wonderful growing process for all of us! I look forward to STARTING ON WEDNESDAY :-)

God bless,
Nathan

P.S. Let me know if you have any questions about this.