Measured by any standard...by sales, public opinion, or its effect on people...the Bible is the greatest book ever written. But in spite of accumulating enormous prestige over the centuries, in spite of wielding great power in people's lives and in spite of winning praise from leaders of government, art, business, and religion, it remains in America today the country’s unread bestseller.
Why should this be so? Perhaps because we are a prosperous people with access to countless books and seas of newspapers and magazines. The Bible is a long and difficult book, and we intend to read it sometime; but there are other books, new and timely books, short and snappy books that people are recommending. We will read these first.
Then, too, many people simply do not know how to read the Bible. Here are several simple rules on how to read the Bible. Follow them and the Bible will come alive to you.
1. Read it daily. Set a definite time and place to read it every day. It is much better to read it a little every day than to read a great deal occasionally.
2. Read it systematically. You should have a plan for Bible reading. Don’t just open it up and begin to read. Don’t just set a certain number of chapters to read each day. Many do this, but they can’t tell you what they read. Begin at the start of a book or chapter like John 15. Read until you find a verse that speaks to you. You may have to read two or three chapters or two or three verses. Once found, meditate upon that verse. Seek to apply it to your life and live by it.
3. Read it intelligently. Acquaint yourself with the background of the passage. Be sure to identify all persons, places, and events carefully and define all words accurately.
4. Read it prayerfully. God will help you to understand it if you ask him.
5. Read it obediently. Don’t allow the difficult portions of the Bible to discourage and detain you. Live by what you clearly understand from God’s word and trust him to shed light on the obscure passages in his good time. As Mark Twain said, “It isn’t what I don’t understand in the Bible that bothers me, but what I do understand.”
If you read it in these ways, the Bible will become a new book to you. And you will become a new person.