About seven years ago I started studying the bible on my own. Before I impress you too much, let me just explain that I have not been consistent about it. I go in spurts. I have done many bible studies over the years, at church and in women's ministry groups, and I really enjoy it. Beth Moore studies are my favorite.
My personal bible time had mostly consisted of reading verses on specific topics. Sometimes I would go through a whole chapter or book, and other times I'd just open my bible and read wherever I landed. Every minute we spend in the Word is a benefit, but I got to the point where I wanted to go deeper into scripture and really study it.
The first thing I did was a study on "love". I needed to know and experience the love of God on a deeper level, so I used the concordance in the back of my bible to look up every verse that talked about the love of God. After that I did a study on "joy". And another on all the things Jesus told us to "do". Then I studied each of the gospels, and most recently the books of James and Hebrews.
My process is pretty simple. I have my bible and a notebook, and as I read I take notes on whatever I feel the Holy Spirit is teaching me. Whatever stands out to me and speaks to my mind and heart. Sometimes my notes turn into songs, or praises, or prayers. It's a great method and I learn a lot studying the bible this way.
More recently I have thought about reading the entire bible from cover to cover - something I have never done. But I don't get much past the thought of it because it is so overwhelming! And I'm not sure that is what God wants me to do. I mean, what if God wants me in Galatians and I am stuck in Leviticus? I do much better in the New Testament because I understand it more and can apply it to my life much easier than the Old Testament. I know that God has just as much for us in the Old as He does in the New, I just can't seem to get past Genesis without feeling like my head is going to a'splode.
A couple years ago I bought a Chronological Life Application Bible. I like the idea of reading the whole bible through as one story, in the order that it was written, and I thought that a chronological bible would make reading it from cover to cover more appealing and digestible. It did...for a time, but I soon choked and didn't stick with it, for the same reasons I mentioned earlier.
I also have a Max Lucado Devotional Bible, which I bought many years ago. I really love it (and have to admit one of the draws were the fonts and illustrations :) There are devotions, or "Life Lessons" sprinkled throughout that speak to each section of scripture. Love that!
My sister-in-law recently finished reading through a devotional bible by Joyce Meyer. It was a rich time for her, and took her two years. She said she took her time and learned things that she never knew before. So, yes! That's yet another way to read the bible all the way through and I started doing that as well...only to not make it past creation.
Hmmph.
To add to my plethora of options, I have several bible studies that I haven't done yet...
Sermon notes for almost ten years that I could go back through...
And don't even get me started on all my devotionals.
So, with all these options available to me, what is my deal? Is this a self-discipline issue? Do I just need to make myself do it and stick with it? Somehow I don't think God wants reading His Word to be so stressful. That comes from someone else...the one who wants me to be confused and overwhelmed enough to do nothing at all. And that's what I do when I have too many options and I don't know what the "right" one is. When that happens, I all too often end up doing nothing at all.
Which is not the right thing to do.
As I often do, I have been driving myself crazy so I sought the wise counsel of my husband and sister-in-law to help shed some light and clarity (and sanity) on my dilemma. They helped me break it down to this: what way do I enjoy studying the bible the most (that was from Donna), and just pick one and do that (that was from Vince).
Bam. Simple. Just like how God works. He doesn't complicate things or make them confusing and stressful. And He doesn't make me feel like a crazy person (I do that well enough on my own). His methods are simple and mine should be too. So here is what I have decided to do. I will pick one...one bible study, one devotional, and one book (I have been known to read two and even three books at a time...really?)
I am getting up each morning and spending time with God...with my "Embraced" devotional, my bible and journal. Day one was wonderful and made the whole rest of my day better.
I decided to do more intense bible studying in the evenings and on the weekends, starting this weekend with "Seamless" by Angi Smith. Pretty timely, this is, because it's about understanding the bible as one seamless story! Coincidence? I think NOT! I'm not going to rush through it, but will take my time and use the bible study resources I have accumulated to really dig deep in the scriptures. I'm super excited about this! I'm sure I will write more about it as I go.
I used to think that studying the bible would be boring...it's much more comforting and safe to just read the "feel good" verses and leave the heavy stuff to the pastors and bible teachers to spoon feed to me. Not anymore! I mean, what could be more exciting than reading the VERY WORDS OF THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE???!!!
And lastly, I have started my next book by Sophie Hudson, "Home is Where my People Are". I just love her! Her first book was hilarious and I'm expecting this one to be as well.
So, here I am. One bible study + one devotional + one book = one happy, relaxed, unstressed girl. I'll probably read the bible from cover to cover someday. I'm sure I'll go through more books of the bible on my own, and I might even go back through my church notes at some point to reabsorb some of the things I may have forgotten to remember. For now, this is what I'm doing and I already feel closer to the Lord and His Word.
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