If you read my testimony a few days ago, you'll know that I'm kinda new to this whole Christian thing....
And our go to, our 'armor' or bread...Is the Holy Bible!
When you start this journey they hit you with...'Go read the Bible'!
LOL O.k....
What should I do?
Start at Genesis and read all the way to Revelation?
Sure, I guess...But that seemed really BIG for me.
66 books...
1,189 chapters...
31,102 verses...
783,137 words...
Yeah, let's just say as much as I love to read...The Bible can never be called light reading.
Oh and then you hear about the 'scary parts'...The wars and death in the Old Testament...The 'beasts' of Revelation....
Where can you possible go to start your Bible journey without being scared off....?
For me....It was The Book of Proverbs!
I know a lot of people might suggest you start with the Gospels, and I TOTALLY get that...But I approached the Bible differently. For me, I wanted to get 'messages' that I could use in my day to day life and Proverbs is basically the greatest self development book ever written.
I LOVE this book and here's what's so cool about diving into Proverbs:
It's Not Too Preachy!
I was new to the faith and my attitude towards 'organized religion' was suspect at best. So when I got started, I was ignorant to the majority of the stories and messages...I needed something that could intrigue me without getting into war stories and tales of beasts. Proverbs is a book of knowledge, written by King Solomon that shows us how to live a Godly life...Without making it feel like it's showing us how to live a Godly life lol
30 Chapters = 1 A Day For A Month
This was something I could commit to! Proverbs is 30 chapters long so if I made a commitment to read through the entire book...Just one chapter a day had be through the book in a month!
This was something that I could achieve...And it allowed me to look at the Bible as a journey and I could take my time to read it all!
It Helps That My Favorite Verse Is Smack Dab In The Middle Of It!
We all have 'that verse' that really sticks out in our mind....
And this was mine...Proverbs 16:18
To me, this is the ENTIRE picture of the Bible and how sin entered the world to lead to the fall of man...
All in all, Proverbs is a perfect starting point in my opinion.
It allows readers to see God's character and teaches us how to live in His will.
The Bible itself, without any background knowledge, can be extremely intimidating. Aside from the all powerful message it contains (that you HOPE to understand), it's written in a format that not everyone understands.
You're definitely right - when you approach it, you need a plan. I'm starting with the gospels. I'll get back to you on my favorite book! So far, John was a smash hit! haha
Proverbs, eh? Maybe we start there at bible study on Wednesday? ;)
LOL I mean...It's a FANTASTIC personal development book LOLOL
John is awesome too. John chapter 1 is one of my favorite chapters in all of scripture...My wife's is John 14
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