The title of this article is not news to anyone. If you’ve been a follower of Christ for six days or 60 years, you are well acquainted with the fact that Bible study requires commitment.  At the least, it is a document that was written by multiple authors, over a period of about 1500 years, with the most recent writings being approximately 1900 years old.  Not only that, it wasn’t written in English and must be translated for most of us to even have a starting point.  Add to this, the cultures surrounding the Biblical writings are largely unfamiliar to us and trying to read the Bible on a consistent basis can feel like you’re pushing a car uphill that is out of gas!

But take a look back at something I just wrote in the previous paragraph – “At the least.”  If you reduce the Bible to the point that you remove God from the equation, the rest of that paragraph is what you get - difficulty.  However, the Bible cannot be reduced for the purposes of removing God.  What does that mean for you and me?  It means that when we read God’s word, the Spirit is present and active to guide and instruct us in its meaning.  Is it still difficult at times?  Yes – it absolutely can be.  But for the believer, there are many parts of the Bible which are easier to understand, because God has opened our eyes to His truth, as He did with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus in the final chapter of Luke’s Gospel (go read it now – it is exhilarating).

I recommend that you begin your daily Bible reading with a simple prayer, similar to this:

“Lord, please make Your Spirit alive and active in me right now so that I may better understand Your word and how it applies to my life.  Amen.”

Then, spend your time reading His word with purpose and intention.  Read it as you would a road map that you were using, trying to drive to a specific location. What is it saying?  What is the overall truth being presented?  Hint: look for words that are repeated, or similar in nature.  Look for patterns.  Look for other places in the Bible where the same words and patterns show up and use those places to help you better interpret the Scripture at hand.

God desires for His people to read and understand His word.  But we must put in the time and effort to do it.  There are no “child prodgies” in our journey toward spiritual maturity.

Blessings,

Pastor Bruce