Become a better reader

Reading the Bible differs from reading other books, articles, etc. Before you begin to read the Bible, ask God to speak to you through HIS Words. Ask HIM for “ears to hear.” Ask God to give you spiritual understanding and spiritual wisdom of HIS Words.

Please take your time to read. Don’t be in a rush, but linger and savor the words. I am going to give you seven ways to read the Bible before I give you 4–keys to become a better reader.

Seven Ways to Read the Bible

  1. Prayerfully—Before you begin, ask God to speak. Ask Him for “ears to hear.”

  2. Expectantly—Believe that God wants to speak to you, even more than you want to hear from him. Then be alert for HIS voice.

  3. Devotionally—View your Bible reading as personal time with God rather than an assignment to learn new information about God.

  4. Slowly—Don’t be in a rush. Take your time and meditate on HIS Words.

  5. Comprehensively—Read through a whole book of the Bible. Don’t ignore big sections of Scripture. Consider reading the entire Bible cover to cover. That’s the best way to get the truest sense of who God is, and what HIS story is about.

  6. Regularly—Exercising once every three weeks is better than nothing, but it isn’t likely to get you in great physical condition. In the same way, occasional Bible reading is not the optimal way to cultivate your relationship with God or prepare for helping others know God.

  7. Obediently—Always read with a mind–set of “I will do whatever God commands."

4—Keys to Become a Better Reader

  1. Read Imaginatively— Use your imagination as you read the stories in the Bible. In other words, “Step Into The Story.”

  2. Read Repetitively— In order to get the most out of the Bible, you must read the same passage/ verse several times in different translations to really get the meaning of it.

  3. Read Inquisitively— Ask the text as many questions as you can think of. The more questions you ask, the more answers you will get. (Ask the 5 W’s and an H. ) Who was writing this passage, book? To whom was this passage written to? When was this passage written? Why was it written? What were they talking about? Where were they as they write? How does this fit into my life or How can I apply this teachings and lessons into my daily life?

  4. Read Meditatively— Meditate on what you read. “Reading the Bible without reflecting on it is like eating food and not digesting it.” —(Edmund Burke)

How to Choose a Bible Version

There are many different Bible translations to choose from. Find a version that is most helpful for the type of Bible study you will do. I use a Bible Software called “Logos.” I really like it. I use so many translations at the same time. But, here are three main methods of Bible translation:

  • Word-for-Word

  • Balance

  • Thought-for-Thought

  1. Word-for-Word—Scholars attempt to translate each word based on the word usage at the time of the writing. This is the strictest translation method. No translation is word-for-word, but this method intends to come as close as possible.

    • Examples: King James Version (KJV), New American Standard Bible (NASB), and Revised Standard Version (RSV).

  2. Balance— A middle balance between a word-for-word and thought-for-thought approach. This is a happy medium intended to create a translation that is close to the original and also readable.

    • Examples: New International Version (NIV), God’s Word Translation (GW).

  3. Thought-for-Thought (Also known as “Dynamic Equivalence”)— Scholars translate the meaning of each thought. This is a looser translation method, which is great for ease of reading.

    • Examples: Good News Translation (GNT), New Living Translation(NLT), New Century Version(NCV). The New Living Translation is one of my favorite ones.

I didn’t list this one as one of the three main methods because this method is NOT intended to be a direct translation. But it is easy for modern-day readers to understand and connect with it, and I read it from time to time along with many other translations. This method is called “Paraphrase.” An example of “paraphrase” is The Message Bible (MSG). 

Here is a list of all the bible that I use:

  1. New Living Translation (NLT)

  2. The Message (MSG)

  3. King Jame Version (KJV)

  4. The New International Version (NIV)

  5. The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

  6. New American Standard Version Bible:1995 Update (NASB95)

  7. English Standard Version (ESV)

  8. Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

I study with all of those Bibles open on my “Logos” Bible software along with many study bibles / study notes and I use Bible commentary as well.

I checked how many resources that I have in my Logos Library, and I currently have 2,422 resources. My library is still growing because I usually add to it.