There always has to be a good reason to read the Bible. Even
“simply wanting to know what all the hoopla was about and why people were so hyped up on it”
could already be a good reason to start reading the Bible. From that point of view, it could give some good idea of what others are saying, what would or would not be in Scripture.
Best is to read the Bible to study it and to gain more knowledge of what is written inside it. Then it will give also a good idea of what others, like clergy, are insinuating what would be standing there in those 66 books of the Book of books, the Bible, and coming to see what is really written in it.
When
“in no way shape or form, did reading the Bible had anything to do with God.”
then it would be a very difficult start, already closing some gates to receiving knowledge or to coming into conversation with God. Reading the Bible is namely like being present by someone, listening to what He has to say. Reading the Bible also gives an opportunity to come into conversation with the Divine Creator of heaven and earth, the God of gods. When starting to read what He has to say, there has to be a willingness to listen to Him.
For sure, several people coming to read the Bible,
“some of their reasons aren’t particularly holy.”
Several people want to find reasons and words to attack those lovers of God, who find those words in the Bible sacred.
Sometimes, as the article writer mentions, coming to read the Bible is
“done out of curiosity”
as her friends in school did for religious studies
“and other times it’s for understanding the religion better.”
And that is a very good reason, more people should consider why reading that book is as important as reading other basic scriptures of certain religious groups.
All people should learn about the different religions and have to go through their basic scriptures. When the reason to read the Bible is to debunk the Bible, like some atheists and other (religious) people do they would often be surprised where they end up. More than once, an atheist or even a Christian or other religious person came to see the truth and came to look for a church that is living according to those Words of God.
That“they use part of the bible to show why other Christian religions are wrong”
is not such a bad idea, when they do it with the right intention and lovingly, to bring people closer to the One and Only Real God, the God of Israel, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah, Who is One and not two or three.
Too often, people who call themselves Christian, do not dare to open their ears fully to those words of God, but prefer to be chained to the doctrinal teachings of their church, be it a Catholic or Trinitarian Protestant Church, instead of trying to read and understand the words like they are written black on white.
When there is a willingness to listen carefully to God’s Word as presented in the Bible, the reader shall be surprised how a whole new world might open up before him or her. But then it becomes most important also to accept those Words from God and to act to the received new insight. And that last bit is one of the very difficult parts when one has lived for several years in a certain Christian denomination. Often it is easier for an atheist to become a true Christian than for a Christian to become a real follower and believer in the son of God, Jeshua or Jesus Christ. Most people coming from a certain denomination have difficulties changing their lives and changing church, after they discovered that there are differences in the teachings of their familiar church and the contents of the Bible.
The difficulty for reading the Bible is that it has to be done with an open mind geared toward spiritual growth and with a willingness to change.
The writer of this article still has to go a long way, because she writes“After all, the time He walked the earth stone was the paper of choice”
giving an indication that she still considers Jesus to be God instead of him being the son of God. God never walked this earth. God is an eternal Spirit Being (meaning having no beginning or birth and no end = no death) no man can see. Clearly, the writer of this article is still confusing and mixing two different Biblical characters. This comes perhaps because she is so clinched or stuck by her Catholic upbringing, where they worship a Trinity and other gods and saints.
We can only hope that those who read the Bible also one moment come to listen more carefully to the Words of God and start meditating on them as well, giving a two-way communication platform to the Author of the Book of books, so that more insight and wisdom will come to them.
The writer of this article (Marita) ends very nicely but also hits the nail when she writes
“Basically, meditating on God’s word is supposed to bring about change. Change in you and the world around you.”
And changing direction and adapting their belief unto what is really written in the Scriptures is one of the most difficult tasks for people who grew up in a Christian church tradition and who have come to read the Bible more thoroughly.
And the Bible deserves a thorough reading and study to be moulded by God and filled with biblical clarity rather than church indoctrination.
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Preceding
People Seeking for God 1 Looking for answers
People Seeking for God 2 Human interpretations
The Almighty Lord God of gods King above all gods
Is reading the Bible necessary?
How Social Media is Shrinking the Bible
Ways to Approach Difficult Bible Passages
Followers, protestors and reformers
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Additional reading
- Bible
- Unread bestseller
- What Is: The Bible as Originally Written
- Bible Word from God
- Word of God
- Bible Inspired Word of God
- Today’s thought “Word of the Only One God – To be read and listened at” (November 21)
- Bible Word of God inspired and infallible
- Moshe Rabbenu and Torat Moshe
- Bible in the first place #2/3
- Appointed to be read (Our World) = Appointed to be read (Some View on the World)
- Best to read and study the Bible
- Not studying an abstract and arcane text of the ancient world
- Best intimate relation to look for
- No other god besides Jehovah who gives all explanation
- Main verses in the Bible telling us Who God is #8 Some more attributes of God
- Today’s thought “Jehovah God makes us dwell in safety and confident trust” (January 02)
- Fill your hands with the Lord’s work
- A living Word giving confidence
- Praying and acts of meditation without ceasing
- Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #6 Words to feed and communicate
- Pray that we will make the time to listen: listen to God and listen to each other
- Today’s thought “On the eternity of God” (December 17)
- Today’s thought “Ability to circumcise your heart” (May 13)
- Conversations that Matter
- Necessity of a revelation of creation 10 Instructions for insight and wisdom
- Necessity of a revelation of creation 12 Words assembled for wisdom and instruction
- Fear of God reason to return to Holy Scriptures
- From nothingness to a growing group of followers of Jeshua 3 Korban for God or gods
- Making time for God is crucial
- 500 years of a provision of the Word in the language of the peoples
- A special anniversary for the Church where Catholics and Protestants find common ground
- Accuracy, Word-for-Word Translation Preferred by most Bible Readers
- A Bible Falling Apart Belongs to Someone who isn’t
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Related
- Are you making time or making excuses?
- Practical Christianity: Give Your Time
- The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
- Seeking God’s manna
- The Book
- Our Amazing Bible
- The Original Biblical Writings
- Scriptures
- Purpose of Scripture
- God breathed
- Bible Reading Discovery
- Conversation between God and Me
- How to Begin Conversations with God
- Conversations with God part 2
- Talkative God
- Confirms the Word
- The Word, Faith, and Testing
- The Word – Good News and Bad News
- Believing God
- A way to look for Christ, the Bible, Word of God
- Light Unto My Feet
- Practical Christianity: Don’t Be A Jerk
- When My Mental Health is Suffering
- Bad News and Good News
- How Do I Read the Bible?
- How to Interpret Scripture
- Book: How (Not) to Read the Bible
- Read the Bible in a Year
- The Bible Tells Me SoFall in Love With Reading the Bible: 10 Tips to Keep You Motivated & Passionate
- The Not-So-Quiet Time
To those now deep into biblical scripture you are probably aware of the difference between reading the bible and meditating on the world. Naturally, like many young Christians, I had assumed that once you read the bible, and you knew God’s words and it was enough. But I kept hearing about ‘meditating on the word’ and never understood what it meant. Until over a decade later when I began meditating on God’s word.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and, training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work,” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Reading the Bible
I’ve read the bible twice, decades ago and still could quote a single lick of scripture. I read it just like I did with any storybook. Enough to know all the main characters and get a clear…
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Stepping Toes 