Skip to main content

Studying the Word



What is the Bible?

The bible is not a single book but is, actually, a collection of books written around 2000 to 3000 years ago. These books include history and stories, laws, guidance and good advice, poetry and songs. They teach us about God, what He is like and our relationship with Him.

The Bible starts with an idea of how the universe began and ends with an idea of what the future may hold. In between that is the story of God and His chosen people. These people make mistakes and have huge triumphs, good days and bad days, just like we do as well.

Reading the Bible

Have you read much of the bible? Maybe you know a few of the stories and recognise some of the verses that are used at weddings and funerals.

Reading the Bible isn't always easy and it isn't really made to be read from cover to cover, though you can if you want. Some of the stories are written more than once to get more than one viewpoint. 

So, how should you read the Bible? Try and find a way that suits you. Maybe you like to study it whole books at a time, or maybe just a verse or two. There are so many study guides out there to use. Below are a few examples of guides you could try.

   See the source image This is one of the places to look for ways to study the bible. They produce books of study notes or provide online daily readings and reflections.

https://biblestudytogether.com/

 This is the app I have been using over the last couple of years. It goes through the whole bible, but matches stories up when they appear in more than one book. It includes a few questions each day, and a link to the Bible Project videos each time you start a new book.

See the source image These are the books I used to use as a child. Topz has a daily reading programme and special books that look at bible books. They use a daily reading and interesting activities to encourage study and prayer.

You could use daily studies like these to help you read and think about what the bible says.

Or you could try to memorise verses to come to mind when you need them. Maybe you already know some of Psalm 23. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."

BUT WHY?

Why do we study the bible?
To get to know God and to try to understand how He wants us to live our lives. 
To learn about His Son, Jesus and His life and death.
To understand what it all means for us and our world.

Activities

Bible book challenge - can you learn all the books of the bible and get them in the right order? Maybe write them onto small bits of paper and try to sort them out.

Memory verse - Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Can you learn this off by heart? Even the chapter and verse?

Create a mini bible out of paper and draw some of your favourite bible stories. I included some of Jesus Parables in mine.
 

Puppet show - Maybe you could re-enact your favourite stories with puppets or pictures. 

I hope that you can get into the bible and read more about our amazing God. If you are puzzled about anything then get in touch with your local church and they will be able to help explain what you are reading. Don't stay puzzled, seek answers and God.


Blessings to you all.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Harvest and thankfulness

    Harvest This coming Sunday we will be celebrating Harvest during our all-age service. I wanted to write you a poem or two to help us think about what harvest means to us today. It is a bit about food and all the fruit and vegetables we can pick and enjoy at this time of year. But, because most of us don't grow all of our food any more, it is also a chance to be thankful for all the good things we enjoy in our lives. Thankfulness What are you thankful for? It could be your family and the extra time you've had to spend with them this year. It could be that you are healthy and fit and are able to use that to help others. Maybe it is the place you live, or the community you are part of, or the beauty of our earth and universe. Even in the hard times we should try to be thankful for what God has given us. This isn't always easy but can mean that we become more aware of the goodness of God, instead of the problems of earth. Hebrews 13:15 15   Through Jesus, therefore, let u...
Post a Comment
Read more

What's in a name?

Colouring Sheet Why does Jesus have lots of names? The colouring sheet shows just a few of the names Jesus is known as. There are lots of names in the bible that are given to God or Jesus. Why? What is wrong with just having one name? Well, think about yourself. You might think you only have one name but actually you will have more than you realise.  Are you a son or daughter?  Or a husband or wife or partner?  Maybe you use a slightly different name at work than you do at home? Do your friends have a nickname for you?  These names tell us something about you and Jesus and God's names tell us about them. How do we use these names? Some of the bible names are only used once or twice, some are used repeatedly. The story you find them in will help explain why the name was used and that can help us realise when we should use them. An example would be to use Bread of Life during communion as this helps us to think about the name and the service. I find it helpful to think...
Post a Comment
Read more

Creative Creator

Creator God is amazing, with an amazing imagination. I love reading and I love it when an author creates a whole world, like Middle Earth or Narnia. The imagination it must take is incredible. So what does it take to imagine a whole universe and then, not just write about it, but actually make it exist. WOW! Created If God is the creator, we are the created, made by Him. And He knows us inside out because we are special to Him. Have you made anything special? A picture or painting, maybe a pot made of clay or something with Lego. You want to keep your special thing safe and make sure it doesn't get broken. God wants us to be safe and doesn't want us hurt or broken. Creative We have a gift from God and that is creativity. We are made to make things. I find that wonderful and I love to express my creative side. I like to hand sew decorations and accessories. What is your favourite way to create?  I have listed quite a few in the chart but I know that you'll have loads more cr...
Post a Comment
Read more