Just Read

First of all, there is no right way or wrong way if you’re sincerely seeking to know God more fully through His Word, but I’ll tell you what worked for me.

When I read the Bible through the first time, I was just devouring it. I would read 5 to 10 chapters a day depending on how long the chapters were. God would constantly blow my mind when He would open my eyes to things I never understood before–even passages I was very familiar with. The Bible is a supernatural book–you can read the same scripture a hundred times, and on the 99th time God reveals something to you that you missed the first 98 times.

Just by reading the Bible, God helped me understand this most important fact: any knowledge of God is REVEALED to us. We don’t DISCOVER it. God removes the scales from our eyes and allows our spiritual blindness to be lifted when it is appropriate for each of us individually. The Bible is not just information–it is truly a “magical” (sorry to use that word), living, POWERFUL book that will continually amaze you as God reveals Himself to you more and more (and will continue to do so your entire life).

Back to the point…

When reading through that first time, I encountered all the “stories between the stories” that we learned in Sunday School. Noah, Moses, Samson, Samuel, David, Solomon, Jesus, Paul all have familiar stories that even many non-Christians know. But learning all the stuff in between helped weave everything together in a new and eye-opening way.

However, when I found a passage that I found difficult or confusing, I would read a Bible commentary or ask someone who knew the Bible better than me to help me understand. But the most important thing is to just read. Read it. Seek it. Devour it. It doesn’t hurt to pray before you read–asking God to reveal Himself, to give you understanding that only He can.

So I did. I read through the whole thing and my life was changed forever. I was thrilled that I had done it. I was amazed to discover the real God that I mistakenly thought I knew all those years in church. And I knew I wasn’t about to set it aside–nor should you.

Family Time

In 2011, our then new pastor stressed the need to spend time reading the Bible as a family. Knowing the awesome impact that reading the Bible daily did for my own walk with the Lord, I knew I needed to make it happen. Nearly 4 years later, we completed our first journey through the Bible as a family.

When we started, our oldest daughter was 7 and our twins were 5. We began in Genesis 1 and marched forward. Most nights, it was one chapter a night. If the chapters were short enough, we’d do two.

It was amazing for me–having just read through the Bible myself–to see how many things God was revealing to me as I read with my kids that I didn’t grasp or wasn’t prepared to understand the first time through.

At no point did my kids EVER complain. Sometimes, I wondered if they were really paying attention, but then they would ask incredible questions that showed me they were not only paying attention, but God was stirring their little hearts and brains. By the time we got to the New Testament, I would read the same chapter myself in the morning so I would be prepared to help them understand what we would read that evening.

Then in November 2015, my wife and I were so incredibly blessed to pray with our kids to accept Christ, and it’s been awesome to hear how their prayers have matured as their understanding of God has grown.

I encourage you–it’s never too late to start, and God’s Word is powerful. Your kids will listen, they will learn, and God will draw them near to Him and bond your family together in Him. Do it consistently. Make it part of your day. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it until I die–NOTHING changed my life more than when I started spending time daily in God’s Word and in prayer.