The Best Bible
The best Bible you can have, the one that is better than all others, better than the really expensive ones with all kinds of footnotes and a beautiful cover, is the one you can put your hands on and read on a daily basis. It doesn’t have to be fancy or brand new. It just has to be read. A worn out Bible read every day is way better than a beautiful one with pictures and maps that just sits on a shelf collecting dust.
I use two Bibles in my daily reading. A paperback one that cost $1.50 sits on my desk and is where I do my morning reading. My other one is about a $5.00 Bible (I did buy a nice leather cover for it). It stays in my car, is the one I use in my mid day study, and the one with all my notes.
Tip #1 – Write
A rule I hold fast to is making little notes in the columns and circling words special to me. A Bible that is too “precious” to write in is one that you may learn less from. So have pen in hand while you are doing your Bible reading. God has special messages for you as you read. Write them down so you can meditate on them as you read over that passage the next time.
Tip #2 – 5 Minutes
A wise friend once told me that five minutes in your Bible every day is way, way better than an hour at the end of the week. It’s a matter of priority. If your day is super busy, plan your Bible reading into it. When I had to be at work at 4:30 in the morning, I just got up a little earlier than usual. And… the power of God speaking to you through His Word may eventually cause you to stretch the five minute time into ten or even more.
Tip #3 – Journal
It’s not a command from the Bible or some other hard fast rule, but I have been in the habit for a few decades now of keeping a journal as I do my reading. What is it that God is saying to me? Is there something I should do differently as a result of what I’ve just read? There are mornings when I write little more than the date, and others when my pen goes crazy. But this is just a tip. You may not be ready to make this step. But if you are, plan on being blessed by God.
Tip #4 – Translations
Don’t feel that you have to stay with the first Bible translation you come to. You may learn of one that is easier to understand or one that has a study guide to give you some extra insight. Talk with Christian friends about the translation they are using.
Just don’t forget that God wants you to trust Him daily, learn from His word daily, and experience the Christian life every day of the week.
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Well said. A bible is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path… If we don’t make not of what we read, we get lost in the darkness. It’s a book that keeps on giving, more ever day. Every moment spent in His word means more clarity of what his ultimate promise means to us and how we are to be with others, as he was with us, and His Father was to Him. He is our strength and fortress. He wants only what’s best for us, and I can hardly wait to spend eternity with such a loving God!
Delores Minkler Halleck