The bible reads you as you read it - Derrick Prince

I was born again at aged 14 and I’m 51 now.

Yet I find reading the bible hard most of the time . I’ve never understood that contradiction better than when, in a the middle of a sermon about anything else , Derrick Prince said :

‘I often wonder why truly born again Christians find reading the bible such a chore, such a hard thing to schedule .

I can only conclude that the soul that knows it is not obeying the guidance of its’ father , is like a child who knows it’s done wrong and doesn’t want to admit it. Even though it knows its father only wanted the best for it’

We instinctively feel the love but also the eyes of God upon us as soon as we read His word. To everyone else it’s just text on a page.

The devil hates God's word. He will put us off anyway he can. Pray and bind Satan first. Ask God to open your eyes to see what His word means to you.

Wow! I did not convert until I was almost 50...
Yes, reading can be tedious, but have you ever tried listening to it?

Or reading in a group from various versions which you then compare?

That can generate some stimulating conversations...

People struggle with finding time to read His word because it's not their number one priority. Make God number one; organize your life around Him and His word, not vice versa; then, it will be a joy to spend time with Him in His word.

Another issue these days is the importance of His word is being diminished. Why read and study His word when it's not that critical? All a person needs is a good jolt from the Holy Spirit, right?

Perhaps reading the Bible would be more motivating if folks began with the most edifying parts and had a modern English Bible with good footnotes, such as the NIV Study Bible.

Also, I would recommend reading the gospel of Matthew first (underlining 4:4&7 and 22:37-40), followed by Paul's epistle of Ephesians (underlining 4:11-16), and then Genesis 1, Psalm 119, 2TM 3 (underlining v.14-17) and HB 7:18-10:1.

(That oughta be a good jumpstart! :^)

There is no great spiritual mystery to it, people just hate to admit the truth. They find it boring because its the same verses over and over again and they have already heard it all.

As someone who has read the Bible many times from cover to cover, my advice is:

Don't just pick up and start reading somewhere randomly, but what I like to do is study a particular topic. Lets say I want to study the atonement, I will look up all the verses about it from the OT and NT, and form a doctrine based on that. That is interesting and thats what keeps me reading the Bible.

I also read a random chapter a day based on "The word of the day" which is an app that I have, it has a daily verse and I read the entire chapter it provides.

Lots of stuff being said here.

And I get it.....
Reading your Bible is not entertaining for most people.

It's at least 2,000 to 6,000 year old literature written in a completely alien language in an alien culture. The context is lost on us today without a graduate level degree in Ancient Near East anthropology and history.
Then there's the spiritual aspect of the Book belonging to God....
And you have a lifetime of living life as someone who wasn't a preacher/missionary.

Guess what?
God doesn't care who you have been, He cares about who you are right now. Apologize for the "who you have been" and do better. You know right from wrong and the more you make efforts in that sort of lifestyle....you will be happier with the results as well as see what still needs work.
And you have been....which is why you are trying to read the Bible.

What you need is a men's group. They, like you, will have issues reading. But together you guys can get the meaning of what it says....and you get to make some friends in your community along the way.

And these guys will be just like your grade school friends/classmates. Sports nuts, Hunting freaks, car nerds, book nerds and geeks and odd ducks. (And more)

But....
Between the lot of you....encouraging each other and helping with understanding the "reading" is easy. And more importantly you are actually doing instead of just reading....which is what Jesus prized over the reading. He said it many times in many ways.

Trouble reading, seeing truth, error. Etc
From Scratch. "God just loves you"
Start right there! It is true, no matter where, who, who you might be, God loves you too, that will not quit
1 Corinthians 13:13
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Romans 8:38-39
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

most as I did too, did not see this truth and got caught up in religion, focused on what I was doing or not doing, that killed me. I was to be in and stay in I was taught to do that through works to not sin again, yet I sinned and still can, yet choose to not to now. (at least me) I sinned all the more, trying not to, then now letting go of under Law. I now stand in trust to God by Son completed the whole Law of Moses. Now reconciled as forgiven from God Father through Son's one time done work being the only perfect flesh and blood to ever walk this earth.
Romans 3:25
whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
(how fast is any sin past?) Before anyone can repent again, before even an eyelash blinks you think?
1 John 2:2
and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 4:10
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Not seeing God just loved me first through Son's done work and everyone else is included to believe this or not, I now stand in belief! God just loves you and everyone: begin right there between God and you personally, then you will see this truth God given you, if not, then maybe you do not believe as did the first chosen in the desert for forty years, not quitting their self work to be in or just get in as religion is doing presently, that depresses people, hearing you not in because you sinned again, a hammer from the pulpit to keep you in Church as not good enough, then the stresses of you better or else attitudes of the flesh nature. No Rest!
that is what will not quit, being in the first born flesh, It might be time to respond
Psalm 103:12
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
It is finished John 19:30 he did it, it is done for us to respond to it in thanksgiving and praise over it. Wow woe is me, anyone else?
to God in thankfulness all sin today by Son got taken away as predicted would be one day.

He took all sin away for you on that cross of Son Jesus for you and all the world of people frist born of in flesh and blood too.

That is done by Son for us all, as reconciled, that is the ministry given the disciples

1. 2 Corinthians 5:18
   And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
   In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
2. 2 Corinthians 5:20
   Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

What is reconciled?
past tense: reconciled; past participle: reconciled

restore friendly relations between.
"she wanted to be reconciled with her father"
cause to coexist in harmony; make or show to be compatible.
"a landscape in which inner and outer vision were reconciled"

See God by Son has reconciled you for a new view between the two of you personally.
Son took away all sin in his Father's sight for you
John 19:30
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
All got forgiven, reconciled at the one time death of Son who willingly did it. To save us in his risen Life for us. Time to respond to God not anyone else please
You see there death was to reconcile everyone together in love to us. To respond to it in love back to God over it. Trust God for the new life to begin in you
Once anyone does that then one begins to see the freedom from being under stress under Law. Now freed to do Law in love and mercy to all willingly, not a few as did before being made new by God from your continued belief to see it God did it, I accept it and trust God to do it
Philippians 1:6
being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Philippians 2:13
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

start new each and every day, when you wake up
God does just love us all y'all

I tend to read 1 to 2 pages per day but 5 pages and you will finish the entire Bible in one year. But anyone can listen to a couple of Bible books per day on audio.

The parable of the feast are we making time for Christ in our lives or are we too busy?

16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:
17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
Luke 14:17-24 Matthew 22:1-14
When God calls are we too busy?

I believe reading the Bible presents 2 views.
1. The readers personal view
2. God's view

Only one view is the correct view. The key then is getting your life into a position so when you read the Bible it's always God's view. That won't happen until you have accepted Jesus as LORD, God, and Savior and you are filled with the Holy Spirit of God.

there is listening to others views also, that become your views of others views, and might be wrong
read the Bible for God's View, trust to hear God in you, You will know the truth that sets you free from strife and stress in this world
To see contentment in strife and stress becomes rest, while in stress. thanks for your thoughts on the subject
I say contentment because as Paul said it to be content, he was while in Jail contented. The Jail help there saw this and became believers, as he said to not worry over where he was at
He even saw the good in being there and wrote from there to the people. We have those letters amazing to see to be content in adversities (Not easy) yet freeing at least for me

I'm all for reading the Bible. It's important that we do that.

But imagine applying today's standards of "study" on the saints of the early church. Do we imagine that they had the scriptures within reach in their homes? Perhaps a wall of scrolls for each epistle?

The verse I often see referenced is 2 Timothy 2:15

The King James Version is "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

Because, contemporarily, we know that "study" means to continually go over some written text to commit it to memory or knowledge we think "Oh, that means read the Bible often!" So, the more I read the more I can claim to be "approved by God".

I see this often, especially from older believers, who inject this verse and their time with the scriptures as some sort of advantage over younger saints. Their rationale is "Well, young one, I am older and have spent more time reading the Bible, therefore you should listen to what I have to say and abandon your own ideas."

The verse is about putting into practice the direction from the Lord, not about reading the scripture.

The New King James Version is actually a better translation:

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

So, "study" in the KJV is used like "study" in this sentence: "Wow, that man is calm in the face of great adversity. He is a study in trusting the Lord!"

So, this is the word of the Lord put into practice. There is no advantage to reading the scriptures unless the words are put into practice.

Furthermore, what is "the word" in this verse? Let's read on:

"But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. 17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, 18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

Do you see? The word is what is being spoken. A person who is a "study of the word" is a person who has departed from iniquity because they are the Lord's. They put the word into practice in their own lives.

I mean, how many times should the Spirit quicken your heart to change when change is needed? Paul's admonishment to Timothy was to "show that the word is in you by your behavior". Paul was not telling Timothy to often re-read his letters so that God will approve of him more. No. In short, this verse can be summed up in this way "Let the word be in you". This is similar to what Paul told the Colossians: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly..."

Go into your closet, shut the door and pray in secret, between God and you. God who knows all secrets will openly reward you
This is not a show and tell, as many get shamed and others proud in show and tell
Simply God loves us all y'all. go to your closet and shut the door tell God what is most important to you
I bet it is Life everlasting over anything this world can give you
Evil offers things here, which is only temporal. God offers everlasting life in . God's spirit an truth. Choose thank you