How I Read and Study The Bible: Part 2

Earlier this week I started my 3 part series on studying the Bible. It was sort of the superficial part of it- which Bible I use, my favorite highlighters, journals, etc. 

Click here for How I Read and Study the Bible: Part 1

Today I'll be talking about where to get started.
I'm talking about the basics of what I do before, during, and after, and I'll share some helpful info and different books you can start with depending on what you want to learn or get out of it. Then in my next post I'll really walk you through my step by step process, my highlighting color system (I highlight different things with different colors), and how I take notes. If you're short on time and just want to get started, then scroll down and I have it broken into much shorter and easier steps. 

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Where Should I Start Reading First? 

The Bible is a BIG BOOK. In the past, if I'd get the urge to read my Bible, I'd just start at Genesis. That's the beginning of the Bible and just like most books, I assumed you should start at the beginning. Genesis IS a great book (its on my list so I'll get into that in a second) but the Old Testament can be TOUGH. Once I realized that you don't have to start at the beginning or read it chronologically, I started to enjoy it much more. For some reason I've felt this push to read through Psalms for a while now, so that's where I began. But it isn't where YOU have to start. Here are some of the books that would be a great place to start depending on what you want to read or learn. 

1. John

John is a GREAT book to start with. John was one of Jesus' disciples and witnessed many of His miracles. He wrote this book himself and if you’re new to Christianity or are unfamiliar with reading the Bible, you’ll get a lot out of John because he covers the entire life and ministry of Jesus on earth. It shows us who Jesus REALLY was/is. Its simple to read and easy to understand. Leon Morris, a New Testament scholar, said "The Gospel of John is like a swimming pool: shallow enough that a child may wade and deep enough that an elephant can swim."

2. Ephesians 

This book was written FOR believers, so it basically outlines exactly what the life of a Christian should look like. Some of the themes that Paul wrote about in Ephesians are: God's character, unity, being "in" Christ, maturity, God's plan/God's will, and basic instructions for living as a believer/Christian. This is a book where context and background are important. He's writing mainly to Gentiles (non-Jews) and there is some historical background that you'll learn while reading. But overall its great for Christians who want an outline of what their life and actions should look like. 

3. Genesis

Like I said, this is the very beginning of the Bible. I'm not going to lie- it has some boring parts. But it's also SUCH an important book because not only does it describe the very beginning of the WORLD and UNIVERSE, it also describes the beginning of sin and how it entered the world which is actually so important to fully grasp and understand, because then we can fully grasp and understand the sacrifice(s) that Jesus made. 

4. Psalms

Psalm covers literally every feeling and emotion you can feel as a Christian. The writer (which is usually David) describes feeling distant from God as he prays, he feels anguish, he feels lonely, sometimes he questions God; but he also feels thankful, he praises God, and he trusts in God. I personally have loved reading the Psalms because they are actually songs and poems written by an imperfect person going through a range of situations, but with each chapter I'm reminded to continue fixing my eyes on Him and continue praying to Him- even when he's silent, even when I'm sad, or even when things are going well. 

How Do I Start? 

Okay now that you know WHERE you want to start, here's what to do

Step one: grab your Bible

Step two: read 

Step three: pray

Its really that simple. But I'll elaborate a little bit. 

I try to get up earlier than my kids so that I can have some uninterrupted quiet time. I know that isn't always possible, and if I'm being honest, I sometimes choose sleeping a few extra minutes. But I find time regardless. I like to listen to music while I'm doing it because it really puts me in the right mindset. I usually listen to the "Acoustic Worship" station on Spotify or Apple Music. 

I open up my Bible, grab my highlighters, open up www.EnduringWord.com on my laptop, and get started. Tomorrow I will really get into specifics on my actual note taking and how I use different highlighters to mark things relating to the character of God, things I want to apply to my life, prayers, and more. 

My main two pieces of advice would be

1. Figure out the context

This is something I never did before. I would read a verse at face value and try to figure out what it meant but didn't go beyond that. When I first started reading the Psalms I read a little intro about who wrote it, what Psalms actually were and intended for, and some useful information on how to read it. SIMPLE stuff.. but it changed everything! Then, at the beginning of each chapter, I'd do a little digging on what this particular verse was about, what was happening during it, etc. and suddenly, the verse meant so much more to me because I knew why he was saying what he was saying.

For example. In Psalm 3, David is talking about his anguish, the people who hated him, his "enemies", etc. Once I read some info on what was going on in David's life (he had done some pretty awful things so his son decided to come back, overthrow him as king, and turn his entire country against him) all of a sudden, his "enemies" and "foes" hating him made so much more sense. All of a sudden I was able to paint a picture of what his sadness and loneliness really meant and why he was calling out to God. 

Once I get a little background info I write a brief description at the very top of my notes, or in my Bible itself, as a reminder of why the verse says what it does. Context is so important! 

2. If you don't understand, dig a little deeper

Another thing I'm guilty of doing is just reading a scripture or chapter and just taking from it the parts that I understand. But the whole point of studying is to observe, read, gain some knowledge or clarity, etc. So if your goal is to truly read and study and understand the Bible, then you need to spend time really trying to grasp what you're reading. This means taking it verse by verse, sentence by sentence, or line by line. 

The first thing I do is define words. Even words that I think I know the meaning to. It helps me when I look up words like "blessed" or "righteous" or "inequities" and then define them in my notes or even directly in my Bible. Reading about God being "righteous" takes on a bit more meaning when I write it out as God being perfect, holy, and faithful. And reading that something will make me "blessed" means so much more when I think of it as giving me spiritual happiness or having the favor of God. I use a free Bible dictionary app. You could use Google as well just make sure you look up the Biblical definition not just the literal definition. 

And here's where I cheat- the EnduringWord website that I've mentioned multiple times now? Yeah, that's my cheat sheet. I try my hardest to try to interpret what I read in some of the tougher verses but usually its just over my head or I'm way off. So this is why I keep the EnduringWord commentary up on my computer ready to go. I look at the chapter I'm reading, verse by verse, and read their explanation, context, extra information, opinion, quotes from other scholars and pastors, etc. THIS is truly how I'm learning and studying and growing. I then like to take that commentary, and in my own words, jot it down in my Bible and/or in my notes. 

To break it down in a much simpler way:

1. Open Bible

2. Read Scripture (I do 1 chapter a day)

3. Look up any words you don't understand in a Bible dictionary and write their definitions 

4. Open up EnduringWord Commentary and find the chapter you're on

5. Take notes- whether your own personal notes and thoughts, or notes directly from the EnduringWord commentary

6. Highlight key parts (I'll elaborate on that in part 3)

7. Write things in your Bible that stood out to you

8. Write explanations or key points in your Bible

9. Write out the characteristics of God + ways to apply to your life (this will be in part 3 as well)

10. Pray 

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This seems like a lot but I promise its actually really simple, and the more you do it, the more you'll get into your own rhythm and hopefully tweak it to find a system of your own. 

The most important part is just to GET STARTED. 

I want to emphasize that you do not have to do what I do. You don't have to have highlighters or a fancy journal or even use a website. You just need to open up your Bible, ask God to help you understand or to use His Word to speak to you, and then read it. Everything I've written about so far is just what has helped ME learn, study, understand and grow closer to God. That's the important part. 

I have felt God more in the last few weeks reading and studying his Word and then spending time in prayer, than I ever have in my entire life. I've learned more about God. I've understood Him more. I've felt a sense of peace, security and confidence, and I've felt Him speak to me and call on me in ways that I never have. So what I REALLY want to do is encourage you to do something to get started. Even if that means just reading the Bible app on your phone in the morning. Do something. I promise you, you will NOT regret reading your Bible. 

I also want to encourage you to reach out to me, a pastor (they definitely know more than me lol), or anyone in your life who you feel could help you in this journey. If you have ANY questions, don't feel dumb, don't feel nervous or embarrassed, just ask. I would love to try to help or point you in the right direction and I would love to PRAY FOR YOU!! 

Thank you guys so much for encouraging me along the way and listening to me. I'm choosing to obey God in sharing this so it means a lot to know I'm doing the right thing.

xox, Katie