Yesterday at church, I was approached by a friend. She and I were chatting and she mentioned that she has been struggling with reading her bible and praying regularly. If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know this is a struggle I understand heartily! It's one I work on every single day. Of course, I gave this friend my favorite bit of advice: BATHROOM TIME! I said "Do you take your phone in the bathroom with you?" Of course, we all know how she answered. I encouraged her to spend that time in her bible or bible app. If you read one verse or one book, just read it daily!
One thing that I don't always mention is that TRANSLATION MATTERS. No, I'm not engaging in the King James Version is superior to English Standard Version or New Living Translation - yadda, yadda, yakkity yak. Here's the deal - unless you LOOOOOVE Shakespeare, you probably don't find the King James Version of the Bible easy to understand. By the time you get through the first few thou, thee, verily, begets; your brain has turned off and said "That's enough for me, thanks!" Even more modernized versions like English Standard are easy for me to get bogged down in. I'll be honest, I don't like reading them on my own, it's just not for me. Now, when my preacher is reading and explaining from King James Version - it makes sense; but I didn't go to seminary and I didn't take all the special "make it make sense" classes he did.
I know lots of people who have found the Living Bible easy to read - great. Me? I like my Good News Translation. You? You'll have to find what works for you. My suggestion is to find a chapter of the bible you like, for me it was Job 32. Maybe you also like Romans 12 or Isaiah 53... just pick one. Then go to Bible Gateway and look up that particular chapter. You can change the version of that chapter from the pull down menu to the right. Read that chapter in several different versions and see which one (1) speaks to you, (2) is easy for you to understand, and (3) makes you want to read more!
Now, onto the other part of our chat - praying. She shared some of her struggles with me and one of the things I told her is - it's hard to talk to a stranger. If you aren't reading the bible, it's hard to know anything about the character of God or get to know your Savior. The bible transcends time and space, it is a book that speaks directly to your heart with the information and guidance you need to hear! I gave her this example, take for example your kids. You can see them struggling with something, but they won't talk to you about it. You know what it is and how to help, if only they would love and trust you enough to come to you. If you love your kids THAT much, how much more does your heavenly father love you?? He knows what your struggling with, he sees you cowered in the corner wringing your hands. He's waiting for you to come to him and say "I have this problem..." so he can wrap his arms around you and say "It's ok my love, let me help you." He's waiting on you to start the conversation because then you'll be listening.
One thing that I don't always mention is that TRANSLATION MATTERS. No, I'm not engaging in the King James Version is superior to English Standard Version or New Living Translation - yadda, yadda, yakkity yak. Here's the deal - unless you LOOOOOVE Shakespeare, you probably don't find the King James Version of the Bible easy to understand. By the time you get through the first few thou, thee, verily, begets; your brain has turned off and said "That's enough for me, thanks!" Even more modernized versions like English Standard are easy for me to get bogged down in. I'll be honest, I don't like reading them on my own, it's just not for me. Now, when my preacher is reading and explaining from King James Version - it makes sense; but I didn't go to seminary and I didn't take all the special "make it make sense" classes he did.
I know lots of people who have found the Living Bible easy to read - great. Me? I like my Good News Translation. You? You'll have to find what works for you. My suggestion is to find a chapter of the bible you like, for me it was Job 32. Maybe you also like Romans 12 or Isaiah 53... just pick one. Then go to Bible Gateway and look up that particular chapter. You can change the version of that chapter from the pull down menu to the right. Read that chapter in several different versions and see which one (1) speaks to you, (2) is easy for you to understand, and (3) makes you want to read more!
This is great advice! I remember having to study KJV in Christian school, and it was very difficult. I have a NASB now, and it's pretty plainly put for my liking, but whenever I read scripture from your bible, I like it better. I may have to make the switch.
ReplyDeleteI always get a kick out of reading how something is worded in different versions. Sometimes GNT will over-simplify, but it's easiest for me to read independently. I love that my church teaches from KJV & ESV because I get a different perspective, plus the lady that leads bible study uses NLT so I get exposed to that as well!
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