I'm sure the above looks familiar to all of us. Given that the Guinness World Book of Records lists the Bible as the number one best selling book of all time (coming in at over 5 billion copies), we at some point have come across one. Whether it was in Sunday school, church, our home or even in every hotel room in the US for decades, we've all encountered a copy of the Good Book during our lifetime. But, how familiar are you really with it? Have you even read it? Given it's complexity, language and even "thickness", it can be quite an intimidating piece of literature. Here's the good part. Because its beginning origins can be traced back two to even three thousand years ago, there have been many who have come before us to translate it, provide some context, and have even dug deep into some of the most minute details, so we don't have to start from square one. There are even some excellent resources available online. The guys at the Bible Project for one, have created a "step by step" process to tackle each chapter of the Bible (starting with the Old and then taking you all the way through the New Testament). First, they share a short comic strip like video about what the chapter is about, and then have you read the actual passage (this is available on YouTube and also via the Read Scripture app for your phone). This can be a good starting point if you are having a hard time figuring out how to get started.
I mentioned above that the "good part" about the Bible being around for so long was that many have come before us, have been able to summarize some of the larger themes and then give us their thoughts on the meaning of certain passages. Even though that may be CONVENIENT for us, at the end of the day those are "their" thoughts and not "ours". At some point in your life, you will want to take the plunge and read the Bible from cover to cover YOURSELF. Why? Because this is what God intended each of us to do. To read His word, interpret it for ourselves, and then allow Him to SPEAK to us through these words. I can't tell you how many times when I'm struggling with a problem, or in a state of worry, that I've just randomly flipped open the Bible and started reading. Well, lo and behold, there always seems to be something on those very pages that ends up resonating to my current situation. Don't get me wrong, there are tremendous third party authors available nowadays who've written some very Spirit filled books about our journeys in faith (in fact I've posted some of my favorites in the Book Room) but sooner or later you will want to read what the greatest author of ALL TIME has to say. He's written the "Greatest Story Ever Told". Do you know how that story ends? If you don't, then you better get started TODAY!
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