HELP! Bible Reading! Where do I start?
HELP! I want to read the Bible but I don't know where to Start!
Recently, I asked my instagram friends how they were with their Bible reading habits. About 25% said they didn't know how to start or where their Bible was.
Friend, this blog post is for you. (Yes- YOU)
The best day to start reading your Bible is today! Please don't be negative to yourself if today is day one. Day one is better than day zero- congrats on making the decision to dig into The Word!
Here are some tips and helpful resources to get started based on some frequently asked questions or stumbling blocks!
1. Help! I need a Bible!
While I sometimes read on my phone (and there are several apps that you can download), I prefer my She Reads Truth Bible. It has wide margins (I love to keep notes in mine) and also has introduction pages at the beginning of each book.
It's also pretty easy to understand- it's a CSB translation.
2. Help! I have a Bible, but I don't know what to read first!
It might be temping to start in Genesis (and that's totally fine!) but I would recommend reading the gospels first. Those are the first four books of the New Testament- Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. Those tell the story of Jesus's birth-resurrection.
I also really love Psalms and Proverbs- they are both in the Old Testament.
3. Help! I have a Bible, and I know what I want to read, but I struggle with trying to put it into my day.
This was something I really struggled with too- but I recently listened to an episode of 75 The Living Easy Podcast with Lindsey Maestas, and she talked about how if you're always looking for the perfect quiet time, you will often fall short. Your time with Jesus might be frequently interrupted by a child (that's something I deal with!), or a phone call, or something else.
There are always distractions. But, it is a discipline. If mornings are your time, consider spending the time you would have spent scrolling social media reading your Bible. Maybe instead of catching up on the news, you read a few verses.
Maybe you love audio books, so you listen to the Bible instead of listening to music on your way to the office or while you're headed to the grocery store.
If evenings are your time, maybe you read a chapter of the Bible instead of watching Netflix.
Lastly- Give yourself grace. Don't be so afraid of failing that you don't start at all.
It is so much easier for the enemy to attack you when you don't know what God says.
Do you have a good Bible reading habit! Please feel free to leave your tips in the comments below!
Want to talk about it? Find me on instagram @ellyandgrace :).
Crossway.org has many varied Bible reading plans. I started their “Digging Deeper…” plan on January 1st, and by December 31st, I will have read the whole Bible through, with 4 passages per day in Psalms and Encouragement, O.T., Prophets, and N.T. I can read on my own, or be “read to” through my AirPods. My husband knows that when those AirPods are in and a mug of coffee is sitting next to me, I am not to be disturbed for at least 30 minutes. 😁
I listen to the Bible while I am getting ready for work. A few chapters while I’m in the shower, while putting on my make-up or fixing my hair. I’ve made it through the Old Testament and almost halfway through the New Testament. I use the speech function in the Bible App and the ESV so it’s easy to understand and free. This might not work for everyone, but it works for me.
A wonderful resource for reading the Bible in a year and getting extra info so you can actually understand what you are reading is The Bible Recap! The YouVersion Bible app has a reading plan you use to read the daily Scripture then you listen to the podcast for a recap and explanation of what it all meant. It is especially helpful for those hard to read books and it will bring an understanding and clarity to Scripture you will love!!
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