1 Timothy 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

As we begin the new year it is an exciting time to dedicate ourselves to spend more time in reading and studying the Scriptures for the purpose of building our relationship with God. I encourage you to have a systematic plan in Bible reading. We have reading plans on the back table that you may take home and use.

With Facebook, email, texting, etc., we rarely get long letters in the mail from our loved ones. When you did or do, did you just read a few sentences from the middle pages of the letter, or did you read the entire letter? The Bible is God’s letter to us. Let me encourage you to read entire books of the Bible. Some books may take you a few weeks to read; however, you will be blessed.

Before and during the reading of a book of the Bible, ask yourself:

·        When was this written?

·        What is its historical context?

·        Who was it written to?

·        Why was it written?

·        What is the main message presented?

·        And what is its message to me? Make it personal. We don’t just read the Bible for information, but to build our relationship with God.

A good King James Study Bible will answer most of these questions at the beginning of each book of the Bible. You may also wish to use a Bible dictionary, commentary, or Bible handbook.

The Bible is a living book. It is alive! Even if you don’t know the answers to the above questions, the Holy Spirit can convict you, enlighten you, and ignite you with the Word of God.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.