Part of our mission is to encourage daily Bible study, faithfully believing knowledge of the Word of God will work wonders in our lives. Reading the Bible on a regular basis is as important to our spiritual health as eating properly is to our physical well-being. When the seas of life become turbulent, our accumulated knowledge of the Bible will guide us to the critical passage, section, chapter or verse where God can best sustain us and carry us back to the shore of tranquility. Regular time devoted to His word will continually reaffirm His great love for His children and give us hope that good will triumph over evil.

Read the Bible regularly for the following reasons:

• to understand God’s message to His loved ones.
• to comprehend the implications of His message in our lives.
• to place in a broader context the things that occur in our everyday life.
• to apply His principles as we live our lives and deal with problems regarding the loss of loved ones, our health, money, and our relationships with family, friends, superiors and subordinates.
• to gain wisdom which “…is more precious than rubies” Proverbs 3:15.
• to be at peace with others and ourselves.
• to find comfort and still our hearts in times of trouble.
• to seek reassurance that He has a meaningful purpose for our lives.
• to strengthen us in our struggle to overcome our natural tendency to be ungodly.
• to learn how to cope with life’s challenges through observing how Bible characters dealt with the same human conditions we face today.
• to help us recognize that to secure personal happiness God’s will must be done in all that we do.
• to lead us to apply God’s ways to our lives so we may become more like the principal subject of the Bible – Jesus Christ.
  
  

How To Study The Bible:

Aspirin is one of the earliest wonder drugs. If taken when we’re in pain it will generally diminish our suffering. It’s important to turn to God when our pain is acute, and it’s equally important that we take in His word daily.

The best way to start a new day is with Bible study. Otherwise pick the time of day when you are least likely to be disrupted. During the day share with someone what you learned from your time with God’s word. “…make known His deeds among the people” Ps 105:1a.

This sharing will not only enrich your friend or loved one, it will help you take hold of what God wanted you to learn from the day’s Bible study. The adage: “To teach is to learn”, applies especially well to daily devotionals.

Begin your daily Bible study with a prayer, such as: “Open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things from your law” Psalm 119:18. Or try: “Help me Lord to understand what it is your word is trying to teach me today”.

For those who have excepted Christ as their personal savior, the Holy Spirit is always present to guide the saved in comprehending God’s word. To confirm that your understanding is correct, consult regularly with Bible based church leaders. Often God uses others to help us understand His word.

The principles applied to all learning will serve you well in reaching a better appreciation of the relevance of God’s message. As you read, begin your path to full understanding by observing carefully the who, what, where, when, why and how of the passage. At this stage it is often useful to have your Bible study aids (a good Bible dictionary and a concordance) handy to help flesh out the meaning of words you’re not totally familiar with.

Knowing these will help you to the second level of comprehending God’s message – which is to uncover what the passage meant for its original readers. If you’re using a study Bible, it can prove invaluable at this level of comprehension as can a topical Bible.

Finally, look for the eternal truth in the passage so that you can come to a full understanding of how the message applies to you in your everyday life. Once you have ascended to this level, a trip to a well-respected Bible commentary will help confirm the correctness of your application of God’s message for the day.

The short hand description of this study method is:

What does the passage say?

What does it mean?

What does it mean to me?

Reading the Bible from cover to cover is something every seeker of God’s truth should do. But, it is probably not the best, first step for a Bible study “newbie”. Many experienced Bible teachers will suggest beginning with John or one of the other gospels (Matthew, Mark or Luke). Follow the reading of one of the gospels by reading Acts, and/or Romans and/or Galatians. This will whet your appetite for more of His word.

A wonderful first chapter in the Bible to read is Acts Chapter 7. It is here where you will find what St Stephen said just before being martyred. Stephen gives a beautiful thumb nail sketch of the entire Bible from Abraham, Moses, David, the prophets leading right up to the miraculous works Jesus Christ did here on earth, His crucifixion, His resurrection and His ascension into Heaven. Stephen ends with a vision of Christ, saying: “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56). The crowd immediately stoned Stephen to death as Saul, who later becomes Paul, stood watching.

As you invest more time in the Bible (initially in the New Testament) your thirst for a comprehensive knowledge of all of God’s word will grow to the point where you will know it’s time to read the Bible from beginning to end.

With regard to the study aids mentioned above, we encourage you to ask a church leader for recommendations regarding their favorite study Bible, Bible dictionary, concordance, commentary, topical Bible and other Bible study aids.

May God Richly Bless You Always.

In Ecclesiastes 1:9 Solomon said: “…there is no new thing under the sun.” That surely applies to the above Bible study tips which we sincerely hope will help you on your walk with Christ. All present-day Christians are immeasurably indebted to countless religious teachers, church leaders, radio, television and internet evangelists, and lay Christians alike who have contributed in myriad ways to help us better understand God’s word.

We are deeply grateful to all those who have contributed to the advancement of biblical knowledge over the centuries. Because of our debt to them and especially to Him who saved us, we humbly offer these simple tips for studying the Bible and do all for the glory of God.