Here is a good article from James raising - and addressing - interesting questions. Check out the links he gives:

eGrowthInFaith – Scripture

Last year we provided an 11 month email curriculum called Year Through the Bible; it’s still online if you missed it. Sometimes we feel like the recommendation that you read the Bible is like a reminder to watch your weight, or clean the bathroom, do your math homework… evoking a little twinge of guilt, maybe a little sporadic sampling happens, but the Bible never becomes a buoyant, vitalizing presence in real life.

Partly it’s just a big, long book, and you probably need a Bible dictionary or commentary – or to be in a group with a plan. Okay, get some help, join a group! Archived on our web site are email series I’ve done over several years on manageable sections of the Bible, like The Lord’s Prayer, or the short and wonderful book of Philippians, some of my favorite Bible verses, the books of the Bible, information on how the Bible was written or whether it is historically accurate, and much more.

We also have flawed expectations of what we might find. We want the time invested to be productive – but Bible reading is like prayer: wasting time with God, maybe like sitting on the porch with your grandfather or granddaughter and simply telling stories, sharing thoughts.

The Bible isn’t a Ouija board or a compilation of the answers to every question. The Bible invites questions, and asks more questions back to us as we read! Reading the Bible, over time, is like getting a pair of corrective lenses that help you see yourself, others, and the world the way God sees them. We don’t use the Bible like ammunition to fight our battles; we receive its stories, poems, and saying as windows into the heart of God.

Growth in faith won’t happen without some kind of regular Bible reading – and not merely reading quickly, the way we might a detective novel, but reading slowly, reflectively, retracing our eyes over the words, probing between the lines, asking a question or two, talking with a friend, or family member, or the pastor about the meaning and significance. The very effort to read, and understand, is pleasing to God, and simply trying to read expands our faith. And we discover the richness of the Word, which is never exhausted, and even repeated exploration of a single passage unveils more and deeper meanings.

James

james@mpumc.org

The complete eGrowthInFaith series is archived here, and you can find other resources on our web site.