Understanding and Teaching the Bible.

We know that the Bible is the final authority for us Christians, and it is always a blessing for us. But, how many times we lack the desire or the time to study it?

When I was a new Christian, it was amazing for me to have had an encounter with Jesus Christ. I just tried to find out the "truth" for so many years... and now I had discovered it! It was not easy, I still had many questions, but the way God take me to Christ was awesome.

From the beginning on I understood that I had to read the Bible, and try to understand it, in order to get rid of all the lies I have learned elsewhere. Of course, I wanted the truth, and only the truth, so, I began to pray and read the Bible.

I was looking for the best way to read the Bible. A friend had told me that she used to read seven chapters from different books a day (besides that, I was aware of a program for reading the Bible in one year, reading four chapters a day). I wanted to ponder different opinions, in order to choose the best program for me. So, I asked another friend from the church his opinion. I was surprised, because he never told me how many chapters he read a day, or which program he adhered to. He just talked about the Bible and other related issues. I think that he wasn't reading his Bible regularly, like many other Christians, as I have found out. Don't get me wrong. I know him, he is a good Christian.

However, even good Christians have problems. And that is probably one of the reasons we struggle with so many issues during our Christian life. We need to have Bible teachers who love and are passionate for the Lord and for His Word. In fact, we need to be passionate for the Lord and for His Word ourselves!

There are some practical steps we can take in order to help us to accomplish that:

1. Take an hour or whatever time is suitable for you apart, and use it for praying, reading and meditate in the Bible.

2. It would be better, if possible, to do that early in the morning (When I do that, it is always a great blessing for me! I usually have a better day, too).

3. While reading the Bible, take into account the context of any passage, specially for that verses which are difficult to understand. (There are books on this subject, too).

4. Use the help of books, biblical dictionaries, etc. Do always remember that the Bible is the ultimate authority, though.

5. Pray to God, that you can understand His Word. Ask Him to help you to live according to His Will daily.

Remember that you will reap what you saw. Start to invest into your spiritual life (if you have not do that so far)! Spend time, and invest in valuable resources, if you feel they can be helpful.

On the other hand, if what you want is to teach the Bible and be effective, I have found this book about Bible teaching, "Teach the Bible to Change Lives". The author has been teaching the Bible for more than 20 years. I think it is worth to give it a try, specially if you are in the ministry.

I hope this article helps you to have a better relationship with God.