I have often been appalled at the inefficiency of my Bible Reading Plans. It seems that if I miss one day, I am more likely to miss another. This has a snowball effect, and before I know it, the day I was too busy, too tired, too late with housework, too … into many days when I have allowed myself to cut off the oxygen that my spiritual life needs as desperately as my physical body.
When I lose sight of the cross and all that the Bible teaches, I am like a Swiss Robinson raft trying to stay afloat in a Titanic sea. The words of Scripture melt my heart, stir my soul, and are the nourishment I must have to survive.
Personal bible study
For my personal Bible study, I simply take my Bible and begin reading where I left off the day before. Many years ago I read the Bible chronologically. It was a revelation to me to see how everything fell into place. I highly recommend the book if you have never read the Bible this way. On the other hand, I also found it quite tedious to read the different accounts of the same battle one after the other.
When my sister-in-law attend Bible University, I remember her quoting a professor who claime that the Bible as we know it today was put in the right order for a reason. What a comfort that was to me. The Bible is not a mishmash. It is ordere by God.
If you are worry about how long it will take you to reach the life of Christ, read a little of the Old Testament and then a little of the New Testament. You can alternate from day to day or read a portion of each Testament each day.
Bible study at home
The Bible is sufficient; it is self-sufficient and does not need a map to guide us through life, for it is the map that guides us through life. The Bible is perfect and too complete to add anything else to it. My children love the time we devote to the Bible, and if I keep it in proper proportion to our other reading, we spend about an hour a day with the Word of God. What an honor for me to begin to instill in my children a love for the Scriptures. It is where we are to seek comfort, wisdom and strength.
The following verses were very convicting to me and made me understand that God wants the Bible to be our curriculum, “All Scripture is inspire by God and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” Timothy 3:16.
“Thou shalt teach them the statutes and the laws, and shalt shew them the way which they shall go, and the work which they shall do” Exodus 18:20.
“And thou shalt teach them thy children diligently, and shalt speak of them when thou sittest in thine house, when thou walkest in the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” Deuteronomy 6:7.
When I sit down and pray and read with the children, I am the guide with the Holy Spirit, and He is the teacher. Because I try to remain very sensitive to His leading, the children’s questions are not distractions from Bible time at home. I learn with my children and every day I take something away from those precious minutes. It’s time spent reading the Bible, talking, maybe looking up places on a map, and putting time in context by adding it to our timeline.
Character building
The Bible will change character faster than all character education books or textbooks combin. It is “sharp, powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
Let us restore the Word of God to its rightful place in our homes and schools. God has “magnified his word above his name” Psalm 138:2.
Now that I have just admonished you that there is no need for a Bible study program, let me share with you the resource we have used effectively in our own home for many years, the Bible Study Guide for All Ages. This resource is easy to use, requires little or no preparation time on the part of the teacher, and is an excellent option for today’s busy families.
