How to READ the Bible

We must read and know the Bible for ourselves and pass this practice down to the next generation. This free printable can help you do just this!

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How to READ the Bible for Yourself

The words in the Bible are the very words of God written in a knowable way. God wants to be known. Reading and knowing God’s Word also protects our minds and hearts (and those of our kids) from false teachings because we KNOW what it does and doesn’t say. Help your kids understand how to read their Bible for themselves with this free printable.

This free pack has a single page printable with the acronym READ as well as bookmarks your kiddos can place in their Bibles to remind them of how to read God’s Word.

READ Stands for…

R  ~ “Ready Your Heart”

Before you even open God’s Word, ready your heart. Pray and ask God to help you receive and welcome His Word like the Bereans did in Acts 17. We do not want to only be listeners or readers of the word. We want to obey what it says, which means humbling ourselves before the Lord.

E  ~ “Every day”

We want to read God’s Word every day (or as often as we can.) We need a steady diet of God’s Word. Again, the Bereans gave us a good example as they searched the Scriptures daily.

A  ~ “All of the Bible”

Understanding the overarching story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation helps us see how certain concepts or characters are connected and how they fit into the bigger story. Augustine once said, “The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed. The Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed.” The Old and New Testaments cannot be disconnected from each other! In reading through the Bible, it isn’t necessary to dive deeply. Look for repeating ideas and themes as you read and connections to other Bible verses and passages.

One way to read all the Bible (and read every day) is to read through the Bible in a year.

This takes much less time each day than you might think. Skip Heitzig has broken it down by saying, “it would generally take you eleven-and-a-half minutes per day if you establish the habit of reading your Bible every day.” Eleven minutes is doable no matter how busy you are! (How to Study the Bible and Enjoy It, p. 9) Of course, reading it aloud to your kiddos would take longer, but it’s WELL worth your time!

The Blue Letter Bible has several free reading plans you can download.

Another method introduced by Roy Gustafson, who served in Billy Graham’s ministry, was to divide up the genres in the Bible and read from one genre a day. For example, on Monday, read something from the law, on Tuesday, read a passage from the prophets, etc.

As a homeschooling mom, I’ve also enjoyed Apologia’s Word in Motion  curriculum to get a general overview of both the Old and New Testaments. You can read my review here.

D  stands for “Dive deeply”

We want to be students of the Word as we use Bible text features to study God’s Word in context to learn about the history, its intended audience, and then how we can apply  its truths. After you do your “All of the Bible” reading, take time to focus on one passage of Scripture and do a deeper dive. Memorize the passage or a verse. Meditate on its truths.

To really dig deep, I highly recommend using the “top down” method, starting with the genre.

Note: This printable acronym was adapted from Holly Pivec’s husband’s acronym “BOD,” which stands for read the Bible Broadly, Often, and Deeply. https://www.hollypivec.com/

Although I’m SURE there are many, many more books on how to read the Bible, my top picks are:

1. How to Study the Bible and Enjoy It by Skip Heitzig ~ This book is easy to read and follow. I would recommend it for middle school and up.
2. Playing with Fire: How the Bible Ignites Change in Your Soul by Walt Russell ~ A little more scholarly in nature, but SUPER insightful! It has actually been one of my favorite books to read on this topic. This book is the reason I created my Understanding the Bible Printable Pack.
3. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Fee & Stuart ~ I’ll be the first to admit that I have not read their entire book, but it’s one that trusted authors, like W. Russell or Greg Koukl refer to.

Grab the free printables:

Enjoy reading the Bible!
~Becky

Find more of my Bible Printables