Dr. Larry Crabb says “The Bible is a love story that begins with a divorce. Everything from the third chapter of the Genesis through the end of Revelation is the story of a betrayed lover wooing us back into his arms, so we can enjoy the love of family forever.”
Jordan Wells says “The Bible is the greatest love story ever told.”
The Bible shares good news and hope. It shares a radical story of an unmarried pregnant teenager, who for some peculiar reason was not stoned to death. And her son who, as a baby, slept in an animal’s feeding trough, and then who, at the end of his life, was killed in the most horrific way possible.
And through that story we are told of how the arc of the universe bends toward grace. The story is about the love of a parent who does not give up on any one of us. It is a life-transforming story.
But if we don’t invest ourself in that story, we lose so much.
I strongly encourage you to develop the habit of reading the Bible. Here are some ways to start:
First, it always is great to join with others in studying scripture. That never fails to illuminate new aspects of the word. There tend to be many opportunities to do so at church or with individuals from the church.
But sometimes it is difficult to find time to get together with other people, so there are a couple of other steps that I would recommend.
Second, there are some pretty good study Bibles, but even they can be challenging. Study Bible frequently have helpful footnotes that can share background from the culture and time. Or they have commentary, where individual reflect on what the scripture means to them.
Third, you may want to use a more modern translation. The Message is a great translation, by a great biblical scholar, and it is very accessible and engaging. Eugene Peterson does a fantastic job at reducing entrance barriers to understanding the Bible.
Fourth, the word Bible itself means “little books,” so I encourage you at least initially to read those books of the Bible that you find most engaging. Most people do not start with Leviticus, or 1 or 2 Chronicles, or even the letters of Paul, since many of us need help to get through those.
As people frequently say, it is not as important to get through the Bible as it is to get the Bible moving through us. So here are some books that I think are great to start with.
First, James is practical. It does a great job of telling us how to live, and just reading it slowly and deliberately and thinking about it is very helpful.
Second, the book of Psalms also can be extremely helpful. Whenever I feel like I have Inappropriate emotions or when I feel exhausted or happy or angry, I love reading the book of Psalms. It is simply like reading/living someone else’s prayers.
Third, the Sermon on the Mount, in chapters 5 through 7 of the Gospel of Matthew, is a great passage to read slowly. To spend lots of time with.
Fourth, I think that the Gospel of Luke is a great thing to read. Even the parables there alone are so worth our time. Only in Luke do we find the Parable of the Prodigal Son or the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
I recommend those books of the Bible, because they are so substantive, and they are meaning-filled even without commentary from other sources. That said, Paul’s letter to the Philippians is my favorite book in the New Testament, so even though part of it can be challenging to read—in part because Paul is in prison and some of the situations are not clear—there is so much advice in Philippians that daily goes through my head.
If we don’t have a foot strongly planted in the Bible, this world can be overwhelming and peculiarly disorienting. Again, it is not as important to get through the Bible as it is to get the Bible moving through us.
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