Easy Ways to Read and Study the Bible

Last Updated on January 16, 2025 by Andrea

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Social media & the Bible

I belong to several Christian women’s groups on social media. Last week someone posted that she wants to read the Bible more and was looking for some suggestions about how to get started. The responses were very interesting. I realized that while the woman posting said she wants to “read” the Bible, the responses indicated a difference between reading and studying the Bible.

Both reading and studying have tremendous value. Since a strong faith and understanding of God (and the word of God) positively impacts all of our relationships, I thought addressing that difference here might be a good idea.

Reading the Bible

I’ll start with reading since that was the word she used.

Reading

Simply put, reading the Bible involves sitting down to read various parts of the Bible. Don’t read the Bible much? Not sure where to start? My favorite books of the BIble are: Ruth & Esther (Old Testament), Luke (New Testament Gospel), Philippians (New Testament) and the Proverbs 31 woman (Wisdom).

Reading the Bible involves understanding how the Bible tells the story of creation, Jesus Christ our Savior, and the eternal future for believers. There are several great ways to do this:

Ideas for Reading

Believe it or not there are different ways to read the Bible. No matter what method you use you’ll experience spiritual growth in the process.

Methods

Sit down and play Bible roulette (randomly open the Bible, close your eyes, point your finger somewhere on the page, and start reading). Lots of people do this and it’s fine, though not a terribly organized way to go about it. On stressful days, though, this might be all you can manage and that’s completely okay!

A similar way to read the BIble is to read your highlights. Obviously this only works once you’ve been reading a while and you have notes and highlights for Bible verses to re-read. But once you have them, they can be very comforting, especially when you are tired or weary.

Read the Bible in chronological order. I’ve been reading the Bible for years and still found the daily chronological BIble a game-changer in my understanding of the history of my faith. This is the one I read. It’s best when started in January. If I miss a day, I’ll go back and read to get caught up. If I miss more than a day or two, I skim what I missed and read the current day. I know some friends who get discouraged when they miss days and then guilt keeps them from continuing. It’s a process – just keep going. When you read this Bible you’ll read through te entire Bible in one year.

Another strategy for reading the Bible is to ask people what their favorite books are and give them a try. Mine are: Old Testament – Ruth; Gospel – Luke; New Testament – Philippians. Once you learn about each book in the Bible, you’ll know which one to read for each circumstance you find yourself in. The Word of God is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12) – our perception of it changes with us as our experiences change. The best way to get there, though, is to begin reading somewhere.

Steps

Regardless of the method for choosing your content, here are some helpful steps:

• The first step is to set aside regular time for reading. I find early morning or before bed works best for me.
• Begin by praying about what you are going to read.
• Now read slowly. It’s not a race. If you have a study Bible, sometimes read the corresponding explanations. That will help improve your understanding immensely.
• Then stop and ask God what He wants you to learn or understand from the reading. Some days you’ll stop at just a few verses. Other days you’ll read entire chapters.
• Take notes if that’s your thing. Your Bible is yours – write in it, highlight it, own it and really connect with it so you remember what you read.
• Finally, reflect on what you read throughout the day to find occasions to apply the content. That will help you remember it better and help you to see how practical the Bible is in your life.

Version of the BIble

If you’ve looked into Bibles at all, you know there are many versions to consider. I like several and for different reasons. My all-time favorite is the New King James version (NKJ). I like that it is close to the original languages but still retains a tone I understand. For a more current version, New International Version (NIV) and New Living Translation (NLT) are good. Finally, some really enjoy a conversational style like The Message. Keep in mind that The Message is more summary than word-for-word translation so it can lose something in translation.

Studying

Studying the Bible involves a deep exploration into the history, meaning, and application of Scripture to lead a life more in line with God’s Word. There are as many different ways to study the Bible as there are authors. I’m listing a few of my favorites, but do some exploring! The options are endless.

Ideas for Studying

• I started my Bible study journey with Max Lucado. I still do some of his, but I find they are an outstanding place to get started. I will say his more recent books and studies (2023 and more current) are deeper and more studied than some of his early work. His work is now applicable for new believers as well as seasoned Bible study students.
• I also did Women of Faith studies early in my faith journey. Here are some free ones through their website. I did several from this collection many years ago and really learned a lot.
• If you’re looking to simplify your life, this is essential. It’s the single best Bible study about simplicity that I’ve ever done (and I’ve done a few!).
• Jennie Allen is one of my favorite Bible study authors, but beware! She has you dig deep into your soul and carves out the bad to make room for God’s best in you. It’s tough work!
• My single favorite Bible study author is Priscilla Shirer. She does an amazing job of weaving deep Biblical understanding with application. I highly suggest all of her studies – I’ve done them personally! You can’t go wrong reading her books, too.
• Here’s a free sample of an Advent study – it gives you a good framework to get started.
• Finally, I put together a YouTube video for doing your own study of the Bible, not directed by someone else. God truly gives us all we need to explore His Word for ourselves. Stay tuned for that!

Bible Apps for Reading and Study

Last, let’s look at apps and websites. My very favorite app/website is BibleHub. I like that it is user friendly, includes all of the biblical books, many different translations, traditional language, commentary, and entire books and sermons to use for further study. Doing a word study at BibleHub is a great place to start.

Want to study peace? Type “peace” in the search bar and you’ll get a list of every reference to peace in every source at the app/website. You’ll find Scripture verses, commentary references, book references, and sermons.

There are other apps to use, however. Bible Gateway has a similar app/site to BibleHub. I just find it somewhat less user friendly. Blue Letter Bible is another similar app/website that I find has a greater number of translations but is much harder to navigate.

You can use these apps to read Scripture or to study. No matter how you sue them, you can enhance your Christian life by learning more about God and HIs plan for you.

How to Get Started

Get started by setting aside some quiet time. You’ll need time. This is not a fast learning experience. Next, decide if you want to read or study. Then pick up a Bible that works best for you (or app) and decide where you want to start reading/studying. Not sure? Try Genesis (the beginning), Ruth, Esther, Luke, or Philippians. Just start somewhere. Be sure to carve out a specific time every day so you can build a solid foundation for your spiritual growth.

God’s truth is throughout all of the Bible, so no matter what you choose to read/study you’ll be learning about HIm and growing closer to Him.

You can also join a Bible study group. You can look here for a Bible study group or check at a local church. Most churches have multiple studies for various groups and topics. There is no “right way” to study the Bible so try a few different groups if you want to find a good fit. Some require more time than others, so choose a group that meets your needs.

Give it a try!

So do you prefer to read or study?

If you choose one of the suggestions above, let me know in the comments what you choose and how it’s going!

Finally, please feel free to ask questions below!

In Peace,

🌸 Andrea

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