Simply Spiritual

Holy Bible - New Living Translation

Studying your bible is easy now with modern day technology.  There are also various bible study courses available from numerous organizations.  But you can simply read your bible and gain the inspiration, motivation and encouragement you need to deal with life’s everyday challenges.

Here are some basic tools to help you read and understand your bible.

1. Modern Translations.  There are many versions of the bible available today.  My personal favorite is the New Living Translation.  The New International Version (NIV) is also very popular, and then you have the New King James Version (NKJV).
2. Bible Dictionary.  A Bible Dictionary is also very useful.  Some dictionaries give you information on people and places to help you better understand how things were back in biblical times.
3. A concordance.  A concordance helps you to find a particular verse in the bible by searching for a particular word.  There are simple concordances as well as exhaustives.
4. Computer Bibles.  There are bibles available on CD Rom.  Some of these would give you different translations, commentaries, dictionaries, concordances and even sermons. 

Now there are bibles made to read through in a year from beginning to end.  But it is not really wise to try and read the bible this way, unless of course you really want to.  It is best to pick a section, book or chapter and verse and concentrate on that.  Sometimes I just open my bible and whatever page surfaces I read a chapter or verse from there.  Usually it is very helpful for something I am dealing with at that given point in time.

Always read the bible with an open mind.  Let God guide you as you go along.  Make notes as something you don’t understand at that particular point will be revealed to you at some other time in your studies.

Remember the Bible interprets itself.  Don’t try to put your own meanings into something your don’t fully understand.

“All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is wrong in our lives.  It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right.  It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.  2 Timothy 3:16

“And the people of Berea were more open minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message.  They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul on Silas to see if they were really teaching the truth.”  Acts 17:11

Tools to Help you Understand the Bible