Introduction:  The bible can be understood!!

One any given Sunday churches all over are filled with people who have assembled at places of worship for various reason all having at least one things in common…they will all be exposed to the bible in some shape form or fashion.  Some will hear the bible referenced to as they relate to other stories, others will hear the bible being spoken of in great detail accompanied by observations, anecdotes and personal experiences yet all will be exposed to the bible.   Though many people are exposed to the bible there are even less people who make it a part of their lives on a daily basis and an even smaller percentage of people who take the time to study the bible.   There are many reasons why people don’t read yet alone study the bible.  These reasons range from lack of interest, to lack of priority, neglect, but at the base of many reasons why people don’t read or study the bible is lack of knowledge.  To a lot of people the bible is a complicated book that is difficult to digest.  The King James version is particularly difficult for many people to understand filled with the Kings English complete with “Thee’s” and “thou’s”.  It is my hope that through this tract you, the reader, will be informed, empowered and encouraged to become a better student of the bible and that each experience that you have will be a life altering encounter with God.   The first step to obtaining this end is to understand that the bible is not a book that is impossible to be comprehended… The bible can be understood!!!! If you are reading this tract and you don’t read the bible every day… this tract if for you.  If you are reading this tract and you read the bible every day but really don’t understand what you are reading this tract is for you.  If you do presently read and study the bible and can stand to explore other bible study methods and techniques this tract is for you.  I believe

DEVELOPING A DAILY DIET

You will never get to the point of studying the bible until you get to the point of reading the bible.  HOW to study the bible can be taught but TO study the bible is something that can only come from a desire to have the bible in your life on a daily basis.  A person that will not read the bible can not study the bible.  Thus if you are going to be effective in bible study then it is imperative that you develop some habits that will expose you to the word of God on a daily basis, namely, daily reading.   

Pick A Time of Day – Everyone’s schedule is different.   Some people are morning people while others are nocturnal.  Some people are late-night people while others have sporadic schedules.  Some have jobs that give them a significant amount of free time while others have to MAKE time.   Whatever your schedule is like there will always be time that you can spend in the word.  Answer the following questions and they may help you to know what time of day you can use to read the word of God.   

• What part of the day do you choose to relax?
• How often do you get time to casually talk on the phone?
• Are you an early riser?
• Do you stay up significantly late?
• How many days a week do you have off?
• What part of the day can you stand being by yourself?

These are just a few questions that you can ask yourself that can help you determine when in your day to read the bible.   Now this is the first and most crucial step.  There are certain foods and drinks that have an acquired taste.  This simply means that the more you taste it is the better it gets to you.  Thus it is with reading the bible.  If you are not accustomed to reading every day you may find it difficult to do initially but if you can muster up the strength to stick with it then eventually though it was once difficult it will become what you desire most in your day.  Reading is fundamental to getting to the point of studying the bible.

Versions that make it Vivid

The most commonly read version of the bible and the one that most people are familiar with is the King James version of 1611.  Though there is nothing essentially wrong with this version it is true that this is not the most user friendly version.  Shakespearean in nature, the King James version is filled with terminology and semantics that we seldom use today.  Thus, in order to have a thorough understanding of the bible I want to recommend other versions that might make the bible more digestible.  These version are certainly not the only ones that exist out there but these other versions are conceptually safe and have grammatical integrity.

• New Century Version (NCV)
• New International Version (NIV)
• New Living Translation (NLT)
• New American Standard Bible (NASB)
• New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Here is an example of the simplicity of these versions in comparison to the King James version: