Tips on Reading Your Bible

The past two weeks at Youth Group I’ve been teaching the middle school, and we’ve been looking at the topic of Scripture. (I’ll be with high school the next couple weeks doing the same subject.) First, we looked at the why of Scripture. Why do we read it? Why do we call it God’s Word? This past week we looked at the how of Scripture. How should I read it? I wanted to be practical and give some tips on reading your Bible. Each student was sent home with a folder, so they could review as they read their Bible on their own. I wanted to post some of what was in that folder on the blog. It might be a good exercise for youth and parents to read through this together. I’m far from possessing a ton of wisdom on this subject, so parents might want to inject things that help them as they read the Bible on their own. Also, these tips are by no means exhaustive. There are a ton of other resources, thoughts, etc. Out there. If you have 4 hours, check out –http://www.disciplemakingintl.org/media/schurch/series_list/?id=53
(It’s really great stuff from a Pastor named David Platt.)

Stuff that helps (Most of it stolen from Matt Chandler. Remember, these are tools not rules):
1. Find a consistent time and place to read (it doesn’t have to be the AM)

2. You need a Bible (We weren’t breaking new ground with this one)
If your youth doesn’t have a Bible or the one they have is for 2nd graders, here’s one I recommend – ESV Teen Study Bible (http://www.crossway.org/bibles/esv-student-study-bible-hconly/ or look on amazon, etc.) Study Bibles are very helpful when it comes to harder to understand passages. Also, they usually include great resources, such as maps, timelines, backgrounds, appendices, etc.

3. Grab a pen and highlighter
Write down notes in your Bible, in a journal, on your fancy phone or ipod touch.

4. Reading plans help guide you.
I included some examples in their packet. If they lost it, let me know and I’ll resend them. For smaller goals, pick a book of the Bible and read through it. Jonah is 4 short chapters. The Gospel of Mark is the shortest Gospel and takes a close look at the life of Jesus.

Have a friend encourage you and hold you accountable. It helps having somebody else reading through the same stuff on their own. It makes it more fun, challenging, and you get to discuss what you’re reading.

5. If you think it’d help you, get a journal.
I’m no good at this, but it’s a great way to think through God’s Word, write down things to pray for, see how you’ve grown, etc.

Questions to ask when reading (stolen from Tim Keller):
1. How can I praise God after reading this?

2. How can I confess my sins on the basis of this text?

3. If this is really true, what wrong behavior, what harmful emotions or false attitudes result in me when I forget this? (Every problem is because you have forgotten something.) What problems are you facing?

4. What should I be aspiring to on the basis of this text?

5. Why are you telling me this today, God?

6. How is this text pointing me to Jesus?

Other things to note while reading (Nate Taylor thoughts):

• What’s the context? What comes before? What comes after?

•  Ask – “What does this all mean? What’s the big idea?”

• Pray that God will help you, reveal things to you, meet with you, etc. while you read. Then pray after about what you’ve learned and read. Try to incorporate the text into your daily life, whether that’s talking about what you read with a friend, praising God for His grace later on, confessing your sin and changing your behavior, etc. (We’ll talk more about prayer at Youth Group in few weeks in a similar way we talked about Scripture)

• The Bible is relevant to you, even though it was written a long time ago. Since God is the author and He’s eternal, His Word is eternal.

• Not all things in the Bible are commands. Just because David had multiple wives, don’t think that the Bible endorses polygamy (the opposite is true, read Matt 19). If you’re wondering why all the characters, no matter how heroic they can be at times, are so flawed, it’s because they’re all pointing to the true King, Shepherd, Friend, Priest, Lover, Servant, Judge, Hero that we need – Jesus. He’s the ultimate example, and the only example that doesn’t have to crush us because not only is He showing us how to live, He’s living the perfect life on our behalf as He shows us.

• Take your time. Don’t blaze through it. Read it carefully. Read over parts multiple times. Just sit and think about it.

• Memorize it. This can help you take simple Biblical truths and apply it to your life.

• Notice indicative vs. imperative. Basically, notice where it says something’s been done for you (the indicative) and then what you’re supposed to do (the imperative).

• Compare and Contrast. What’s different in how people are acting? How does this measure up with your experience in life? What’s the same and different in this passage with other parts of the Bible?