All of us, including old retreads, need to realize the importance of receiving our daily bread, or manna, or word of God!  This comes from daily reading and studying the Bible; but, how about understanding it.  It seems to jump around and repeat stuff.  It's easy to get confused isn't it?

Most of us are not a biblical scholar, and, I confess, I have never been able to memorize scripture like many of you can.  I don't work that way. If you can consider it one of your special gifts for it truly is.

One day soon we will once again rely on those who can remember such things, for those left behind will need them when Tribulation begins.  I feel certain during that time the Word of God will be perverted and almost lost except to those whom God appoints to be his messengers to the lost ones, especially the Jews.

However, I believe, in heaven and during the millennium we will have no need for the Bible, because we will have the word in our midst and on our hearts, knowing the answers before we ask.

Nonetheless, at this time, God's word is what we need to learn His ways and who He is, thereby building our faith; but more than that it provides the very necessities with which to govern and operate our lives properly.  Like a car manual.

If you do not have a fairly disciplined prayer and scripture reading time, I adjure you to establish one.  It is tantamount to trying to be a spinning top without the spinning balance required.  It will just fail, or fall over.

God along with the true guidance of the Holly Spirit and the example of Christ, gives us that true balance and scriptural understanding.

It is often said: If there is anything worth doing it is worth doing right, and the right way, especially for a Christian, is God's way.

If you want to know more, read on.

Understanding the Bible

Robbie L. Rogers

(MOSTLY TAKEN FROM 30 DAYS TO UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE, MAX E. ANDERS, WOLGEMUTH & HYATT PUBL, BRENTWOOD, TENN.)

How many of us have found that reading the bible, while being a highly rewarding thing to do, is often a frustrating experience also?  Especially if we try to read it the way we are taught to read books, from cover to cover.

It often doesn't seem to have much continuity does it, especially the old testament?  It is fine until you get to Job and especially Isaiah and all the prophets. You seem to be skipping all around in time, quite confusing, at least to those who are trying to grasp how it all fits together, like a time table.

To start with it's good to spend a small amount of time clearing up some of the confusion that many of us have as to how it all fits together. Sort of like understanding how a church was built. Sometimes we can look at the blue prints to see how something is built.  With the Bible it's different; however, we only need a small amount of insight to better understand the chronological aspects. 

I used a book I found as a simplified guide for this purpose. The book is 30 DAYS TO UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE, by MAX E. ANDERS. Hopefully you can find a copy too.  It's out of print I suppose but E-bay might have it listed.  Also check out Why and How Should We Read the Bible?

The bible is actually a library comprised of 66 books, 39 in the old and 27 in the new testament.

Since the new testament is easier to follow let's look at the old testament first.

Instead of chronological event of stories it is broken into three groups of writings spanning over 2,000 years and written by 28 authors.

The three major groups in biblical succession are:

HISTORICAL: 17 books, from Genesis to Esther

POETICAL: five books, Job to Song of Solomon

PROPHETICAL: seventeen books, Isaiah to Malachi.

Let's look at the correlation between them.  Some  breakdown the categories different adding Law and Prophets.
 

Old Testament Bodies of Water:  Mediterranean Sea; Persian Gulf, Tigris and Euphrates flow into; Dead Sea, deepest point almost 3,000 feet below sea level, surface over 1,200 feet below sea level, Jordan flows in nothing flows out; Sea of Galilee, 7 x fourteen miles or 30 miles inland from the Mediterranean Sea; Jordan River, flows out of Sea of Galilee; Nile River; Tigris and Euphrates River, twin rivers, 1,000 miles into Persian Gulf, Garden of Eden located at these two and two other rivers, they now flow through present day Iraq.

Old Testament Countries:  Canaan/Israel/Palestine, in Genesis-Cannab; Joshua and 800 years-Israel

New Testament Countries:  Palestine. Assyria, site close to Garden of Eden and present day Iraq, it conquered North Israel dispersing people to four winds.  Babylonia, conquered Assyria, Judah; found in Mesopotamia or close to Garden of Eden. Persia, on north bank of Persian Gulf; comes into being by conquering Babylonia, allows Hebrews to rebuild Jerusalem and Temple.

NOTE: THE ENTIRE GEOGRAPHICAL SECTION IS APPROXIMATELY THE SIZE OF TEXAS.

Discerning the will and loving God is tantamount to accepting Christ as your savior, and learning God's will always be through knowing Him and His ways through His written word.

Want to know your marching orders READ: ROMANS CHAPTER 12 THROUGH 151

If you desire to know more about this Jesus Christ who loves you, and you want to ask Him  into your heart, receiving His Saving Grace please click on this Salvation Prayer