Studying God’s Word can be a marvelous, eye-opening experience like the one I had a few Sundays ago. My family was sitting down to watch my pastor’s online sermon. My pastor taught about a passage of Scripture I had never read before. “Please open your Bibles to Jeremiah 32,” the pastor of my church instructed. In Jeremiah 32, God orders Jeremiah to buy a field. Meanwhile,the Babylonians are preparing to capture the nation of Israel. What a foolish thing to do under the circumstances, you may think, but the pastor pointed out something important.
God didn’t want Jeremiah to act based on his own understanding. He wanted him to act out of faith and obey His command. Sometimes, we won’t understand why God does what He does. Thankfully, He gave us His Word to show His mighty works throughout the ages and display His faithfulness, in which we can surely hope. There are so many reasons to study God’s Word daily. Learning more about Him who He is probably is the best one there is because we have such an amazing God!
Picking A Bible Translation
We now know the Biblical reasons why we should read God’s Word, but how? Sections of Scripture can be very tricky to understand, partly because of wording, partly because we will never fully be able to comprehend God’s greatness. When dealing with wording, there are a few Bible translations like God’s Word Translation (GW), the New International Version (NIV), and the New Living Translation (NLT) that are fairly easy to understand, while still accurately translating the original texts. Lots of churches use the English Standard Version (ESV). However, the other three I shared might serve you better in personal study.
Where to Start?
Which book should we start reading in the Bible for personal study? I suppose you could begin in Genesis, where you will discover the wonders of Creation, the founding of the law, and the reason we need a Savior. Entering into the New Testament, you will learn about the coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the first four books of the New Testament. All of them tell an account of Jesus’ life and ministry on earth. One of these books would be a wonderful place to begin studying God’s Word, although John is the most commonly recommended book in which to start.
To find any resources for Biblical study, try going to Biblegateway.com.
Psalm 143:8 NIV says, “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.” Jesus is everything! When we commit our lives to Him, we are giving Him control and asking that He would use us to do whatever He calls us to do. We can’t do this by ourselves, but only by God’s power in us…
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11 NIV)
Stay tuned for more posts with additional resources concerning Biblical study!
Works Referenced
1.7 Million Stunning Free Images to Use Anywhere – Pixabay. pixabay.com/.
“BibleGateway.” BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages., www.biblegateway.com/.
