None the less, the Bible had always been difficult for me to understand. I read it and, seeing it literally as I did, along with the trouble I had with King James English, it made little sense. There are lots more versions out there than the King James.
I prefer the English Standard Version. It's written in contemporary English at an adult (not 8th grade) level.
God promises us blessings for meditating on His word.
I know others who have had trouble understanding Scripture and there are parts that can be difficult to understand.
I've been memorizing Scripture for some time now and the Psalms are a great place to start.
Also, for easier reading in the NT, the gospels and the book of Acts.
Read the word. Not ABOUT the word.
Pray when you read and ask that the Holy Spirit give you insight.
Keep a notebook and pen on hand and when you read, if something stands out or jumps out at you, write it down and stop reading there and meditate on that for a while.
I can't tell you how often I've read a passage and when God wants to show me something, it jumps off the page and I wonder how I never saw it before, now that it's so obvious.
It all takes time. A lifetime is not enough to begin to glean what we can from it and there's always something new to learn.
Religious literary works have their place but there's a danger in letting them supplant the Word itself.
It's cool to read about other's experiences, but it's even cooler when God works in OUR own lives. Christianity is not a spectator sport.
**I prefer the English Standard Version. It's written in contemporary English at an adult (not 8th grade) level.**
I concur. If you look at the below chart you will see the English Standard is very close to being a "word for word" translation, yet it is very readable. I stay away from those on the right, with the NIV being as far to the right as I will go. Why? Thought for Thought leads to a lot of literary license, IMHO.
I also like the ESV Study Bible. Lots of tools to help understand what is going on throughout. Contributors come from a variety of conservative denominations and they provide a lot of background to each book.
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NASB New American Standard Bible (1971; update 1995) AMP Amplified Bible (1965) ESV English Standard Version (2001) RSV Revised Standard Version (1952) KJV King James Version (1611; significantly revised 1769) NKJV New King James Version (1982) HCSB Holman Christian Standard Version (2004) NRSV New Revised Standard Version (1989) NAB New American Bible (Catholic, 1970, 1986 (NT), 1991 (Psalms) NJB New Jerusalem Bible (Catholic, 1986; revision of 1966 Jerusalem Bible) |
NIV New International Version (1984) TNIV Today’s New International Version (NT 2001, OT 2005) NCV New Century Version NLT1 New Living Translation (1st ed. 1996; 2nd ed. 2004) NIrV New International reader’s Version GNT Good News Translation (also Good News Bible) CEV Contemporary English Version Living Living Bible (1950). Paraphrase by Ken Taylor. Liberal treatment of ‘blood.’ Message The Message by Eugene Peterson (1991-2000s) |
It's cool to read about other's experiences, but it's even cooler when God works in OUR own lives. Thank you for all you've said in this helpful post. These last few years have been a tougher road than I think I would have chosen for myself, with too many losses and some major hits that I didn't get up from right away.
But I did...with help...and now I have a better idea about how He works, how hard my head is and what I put Him through to get my attitude adjusted.
I learned that when you ask God to show Himself to you, it's best to be a good student instead of a stubborn one like me. He will answer that prayer...one way or another.
And He will "take you to the desert" if that's what He has to do. Kinda cool...looking back...but not so much at the time.