Today’s devotional: getting the most out of your Bible reading
For such a widely-read book, the Bible can be a challenge to read and understand. To be sure, it takes no special training to appreciate the Bible and grasp its Gospel message… but there is a reason that even the most enthusiastic Bible reading plan often hits a wall just a few books into the Old Testament. Many sections of the Bible use vocabulary words and writing styles that aren’t familiar to modern readers.
Fortunately, there’s a lot of Bible-reading help at hand. In his Day by Day devotional, Chuck Swindoll lists out some readily-available resources that will help you get the most out of your Bible reading. Here’s just a few from his list:
Listen, you don’t have to be a theological brain to dig into God’s riches… but you do need some mining equipment. These tools are basic to intelligent, meaningful Bible study. They will enable you to find most of the answers you need, and they are as easy to use as your TV guide. There are at least four you should have on hand.
A Bible concordance. It contains an alphabetical index of all the terms found in the Bible, and it comes in handy when you want to put your finger on a particular verse but can only remember a few words in it. It’s also invaluable if you want a complete list of all the verses using the same word. […]
A Bible dictionary. It is more than a list of words and definitions. It’s like a one-volume encyclopedia, containing vital information on people, places, doctrines, customs, and cultural matters. I recommend either Unger’s Bible Dictionary (well illustrated, scholarly but readable) or the New Bible Dictionary (contains longer articles on technical subjects).
Read the rest of the devotional for his complete list. He helpfully lists out specific titles for each category to help you get started.
Do you keep any of these resources on hand while you read the Bible? What others would you recommend?
