30 Jan Mastering the Bible – Part 1
There are four steps to mastering the Bible so well that the Bible masters you:
- Read the Bible for breadth of knowledge
- Study the Bible for depth of knowledge
- Memorize to master the Bible
- Meditate for the Bible to master you
For some time now we’ve been giving away, to all who subscribe to my newsletter, my video, Master the Bible So Well That the Bible Masters You, in which I explain the necessity of maintaining each of these four steps in your life.
The information in that video is particularly timely as we begin this New Year. So, for today and the next three weeks, I’m going to overview the simple steps discussed in the video, steps that we can each take toward having the Bible master us, helping us to walk closer with God and live better in life.
If you have seen that video, these next four posts will be a good reminder in case you’ve drifted away from any of the steps – you may even want to view your video again and get the simple practices back into your life.
If you have not seen the video, I encourage you to sign up for it here and to benefit from the additional information not included in this tight overview.
Step 1. Read the Bible for breadth of knowledge
- Commit to reading the Bible at least five minutes a day.
If you read the Bible five minutes a day, you will read for a total of 30 hours in a year! If you keep it up, in 10 years, you will have read the Bible for 300 hours! It’s amazing how even little commitments add up to big results.
- Pick a translation you’re comfortable with.
Some Bible translations are more academic, and others are more conversational. There are strengths and weaknesses with each. I study from the New American Standard Bible, which is pretty academic. However, I read from the New Living Translation, which is pretty conversational. The New International Version strives for a balance point between being academic and conversational. As a result, many people both read and study from the NIV. Pick what you’re comfortable with for reading.
- Don’t worry about things you don’t understand. Just look for things that you do understand.
When you read, don’t get bogged down by anything you don’t understand. Just skip over it and read for the things you do understand. Otherwise, you will grind to a halt and stop reading. (You’ll be studying at another time!) Also, you might read in a Bible in which you’re comfortable underlining everything that seems especially important to you. If you have an expensive leather Bible that you’re not comfortable underlining in, pick an inexpensive paperback Bible to read in, so you can underline and write notes in the margins.
- Read the books of the Bible you’re comfortable with.
Some books of the Bible, such as Leviticus, Job, and Amos, can be pretty challenging unless you are a seasoned Bible reader. If that’s the case, in the Old Testament, for example, you might focus on the historical books (Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther) along with Psalms and Proverbs, as well as reading the entire New Testament. Eventually, you’ll want to expand your reading to include all of the Old Testament of course, but start with books you’re comfortable with.
You may already have the habit of reading the Bible daily, in which case this first, foundational step in mastering the Bible is old news to you. But for others who might still be needing to establish the habit of reading daily, I hope these tips help you get started.
Next week we’ll look at Step 2: Studying the Bible for depth, in order to Master the Bible So Well That the Bible Masters You.
Update on the YouTube Channel
Last week was a tough week for YouTube Channel progress. My docking station (a unit into which I plug external monitors, speakers, cameras, etc.) crashed! It took several days to troubleshoot the situation and get it back up and running. And this week, I will be involved for several days in ministry board meetings.
But we are still anticipating being able to launch in February. And as we’ve said, we appreciate your ongoing prayers as we continue to lay the foundation for moving from this blog to a YouTube channel. I’ll continue to keep you posted. If you’re not already on my email list sign up for my free video here and you won’t miss any of those updates!
In the meantime, while I’m getting the YouTube channel ready, all of the past blog posts are still available – and you know that “repetition is the key to mental ownership!”
And if you’re new here, we recently finished a series titled “Moving from Checkers to Chess ~ 5 Steps to Unleashing the Power of an Eternal Perspective,” in which I “connected all the dots” from posts over the years and combined them into a “spiritual game plan.” That series is a great place to start.
I look forward to seeing all of you on my new YouTube channel soon, to further discuss how to walk closer with God and live better in life.
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Strengthen your knowledge of Biblical Truth: Our “Discipleship In a Box”, the Brave New Discipleship System, is on a Super Sale, discounted from $249 to $49!
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Brain science meets the Bible in The Change Zone. Based on Romans 12:2 and modern neuroscience, I’ve created a new membership resource, a daily mental renewal system to help motivated Christians transform their lives. Learn more here.
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