Welcome!  The purpose of this blog is get into God’s Word on a regular basis.  The Bible is the most popular and life changing book of all time, but it is also one of the most misunderstood books.  If you have never read the Bible, or if it has been a long time since you read it, give it a try.  You may be surprised by what you find. 

We cover one chapter every other day.  I make a few comments about each chapter, but the main thing is to read the text itself.  Feel free to add your own comments or just read along. 

The reading itself is either linked to BibleGateway.com or included in the post.  I’ll also post Bible study tips and other Bible related topics on in-between days.  See previous posts in the “Bible – General” category to the left.

It is always a good idea to start by asking God to open your mind to the truths you’ll be reading from his Word. Regardless of how much you know about the Bible, you can get a lot out of it by reading as little as a chapter and following a few simple steps (I picked these up from a sermon by James MacDonald):

1. What portion stands out to you? Why? (Don’t just focus on what you don’t understand, think about the things you do understand.)
2. Is there an example to follow or a duty to perform?
3. Is there an error to avoid?
4. Is there a promise to claim?  You would be surprised how many promises you’ll come across.
5. Is there a sin to confess?
6. Plan it – make a plan for how you will use it
7. Pray it – pray scripture back to God
8. Share it with others – it will help others and help you to remember it

Click here for some more Bible study tips.

Please post a comment if you have any suggestions to add.  Come back soon!

This blog will consist of roughly 95% posts on specific chapters of the Bible, posted every other day including Sundays and holidays.  The other 5% will be cross-posts here and at the 4Simpsons Blog on the following topics:

• How the Bible was put together
• The reliability of the Bible: Can we trust it?
• Tips on reading the Bible
• Etc.

These posts will appear on days in between the Bible Study posts. 

Some of you may already be convinced of the reliability of the Bible and are just here for the study, which is great.  And I do believe the Word of God has the power to stand on its own.  Many people have been converted to a saving faith in Jesus just by reading the Bible itself. 

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

A good figure of speech I heard related to this compared the Bible to a caged lion.  How can the caged lion best defend itself?  By being let out of the cage!  The same is true with the Bible.  Just turn it loose. 

Yet I didn’t become a believer until I had worked through a lot of tough questions about why this book was something I could rely upon to tell me the truth about God and life.  It can really strengthen your faith to have a better understanding of how the Bible was put together and why we can trust it.

Having said that, if your time is limited and you have to make a choice between reading something I or someone else wrote versus reading the Bible, always pick the Bible. 

What is the purpose of this blog? The idea is for everyone to get into God’s Word on a regular basis. I have talked with a couple of you around the country about doing an on-line Bible study and thought the blog format would work well. I also thought it would be a good exercise for me to work through once a week. I always learn the most when I am summarizing or teaching something.

I plan to post here at least once per week. I’ll pick 1-3 chapters and just write about what stuck out to me. It won’t be an exhaustive analysis. Feel free to add your own comments or just read along.

Click here for some Bible study tips. Regardless of how much you know about the Bible, you can get a lot out of it by reading as little as a chapter and following a few simple steps (I picked these up from a sermon by James MacDonald):

• What portion stands out to you? Why? (Don’t just focus on what you don’t understand. Think about the things you do understand.)
• Is there an example for me to follow or a duty to perform?
• Is there an error for me to avoid?
• Is there a promise for me to claim?
• Is there a sin for me to confess?
• Plan it – make a plan for how you will use it
• Pray it – pray scripture back to God
• Share it – it will help others and help you to remember it

General guidelines for comments: No mean stuff. No elitist stuff. Feel free to ask questions, offer opinions, etc. Write all you want, but keep in mind that most people prefer to read shorter posts. You get bonus points for being pithy.

The first reading I’ll post on is James chapter 1.

Come back soon!