Bible reading is very important for all believers throughout their lives. Reading the Bible consistently throughout our lives helps us remain in a close connection with God and it helps us grow in our relationship with Him.
If you are having trouble in your Bible reading or if you have lost the joy of Bible reading, today is the day to start a Bible deep dive. A Bible deep dive can help you regain the joy you had when you first started reading the Bible.
Diving into the Bible
Diving into the Bible can sound like a difficult and overwhelming task, but it is actually great fun. A Bible deep dive is where you do an in-depth study of the Bible. In order to do a Bible deep dive, first, start by picking a book of the Bible that you want to study.
If you are a new believer, the Gospel of John is one of the best books to do a Bible deep dive in order to help you grow in your relationship with Christ. Doing a Bible deep dive into John could be a great way to increase your knowledge of Christ.
If you have been a believer for a while now, you could choose to do another book of the Bible, such as Psalms, Proverbs, or Revelation. The great thing about doing a Bible deep dive is that you can start with any book of the Bible.
It is entirely up to you as to what book you think you should start with for your Bible deep dive. Praying to God for His guidance is a great way to decipher where God wants you to begin your Bible deep dive.
Things you will need for your Bible deep dive will consist of a Bible, a journal, a pen or pencil, a solid commentary (I recommend the Walvoord and Zuck Bible Commentary), and an open heart. There is a myriad of different Bible versions you can choose, such as the New International Version, the English Standard Version, or the New King James Version.
Whatever version you choose is up to you. Sometimes it can be helpful to consult multiple different versions of the Bible during your Bible deep dive. Several different websites can help you see different translations of the verse or passage side by side, such as Bible Gateway.
Don’t be afraid to consult different translations as some translations are clearer than others. A journal is also helpful when you are doing a Bible deep dive. Journals can be used to write down key points of the passage, chapter, or book you are reading.
You could even use note cards if you don’t have a spare journal right now. Any journal will do perfectly fine. The journal does not have to be fancy or have a special design on the front. Decorated journals are fun; however, a plain journal works just as well.
A pen or a pencil is the third thing you will need for your Bible deep dive. Gel pens or colored pens could also be used if you want to add in color; however, a plain pen or an ink pen will do just fine too.
A solid commentary is also important to have as a resource when you are doing a Bible deep dive. I personally recommend the Walvoord and Zuck Bible Commentary as it is biblically accurate because the authors have extensive training in theology.
Throughout college and seminary, I utilized the Walvoord and Zuck Bible Commentary for most of my classes. The great thing about the Walvoord and Zuck Commentaries is that there are two editions — one for the Old Testament and one for the New Testament.
I highly recommend the Walvoord and Zuck Commentaries; however, you are free to choose whatever commentary you believe works best for you. The only side factor when it comes to commentaries is that not all of them are the same.
Not all commentaries are written by believers with the right doctrine. It’s good to be cautious and do research on a commentary before you purchase it and utilize it. Lastly, you will need to have an open heart for your Bible deep dive.
This might sound extremely basic; however, it is one of the most important tools you need for your Bible deep dive. Having a closed heart or not giving full attention to your Bible deep dive can cause you not to retain the information, which in turn will not affect your life for Christ.
An open heart can help you be honest with yourself and be honest with God. A person who has a closed heart to their Bible reading will turn a deaf ear to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and rationalize that they are following Christ 100% when they may not be truly following Christ.
However, the one who comes to the Bible with an open heart will be able to see the sins they are struggling with, ask for God’s help, and make intentional decisions to not sin against God again.
We will all fall short of God’s glory throughout our lives; however, by reading the Bible and applying its teachings to our daily life, we will be able to grow in our walk with Christ.
Don’t Overwhelm Yourself
A key part of a Bible deep dive is not to overwhelm yourself. Don’t try to do too much at one time. It is exciting to read the Bible; however, slow and steady is the best route to take when reading God’s Word.
The Bible is not something we should read through mindlessly or read quickly just to check it off of our to-do list. Instead, we should take our time reading the Bible and be mindful of what God is revealing to us in His Word.
Choose to focus on one book of the Bible for each month or you could focus on one chapter of a book per month. Whatever you find is a good pace for you, stick with it. A Bible deep dive will take time, energy, and a great deal of reading.
An important thing to remember is that when you choose to do a Bible deep dive, it should be because you want to learn more about God and deepen your relationship with Him.
Nobody should do a Bible deep dive with the goal of appearing more “religious” than another Christian or to show off the facts they know about the Bible.
It is great to be educated in the Bible and God wants us to be, but He doesn’t want us to be vain or act superior to others in the process.
Doing a Bible deep dive will change your life because it will give you the chance to dive deep into the scriptures and study the verses, passages, chapters, and books in great detail.
One of my college professors once told our class that after we read a chapter of the Bible, we should immediately go back and reread the chapter over again and then we should write in a journal a summary of the chapter in our words.
This helps us learn the Bible better and be able to explain it in our own words. When you are doing a Bible deep dive, maybe this could be a good way for you to dive deeper into the scriptures in a relatable way.
Be patient as you do a Bible deep dive and don’t overwhelm yourself. Take it slow and steady. God wants you to increase your knowledge of the scriptures; however, He doesn’t want you to simply rush through the Bible as quickly as possible.
Why Does This Matter?
For Christians, we will continue to do Bible-deep dives throughout our lives. We always need to be challenging ourselves to dive deeper into the scriptures and learn more about God. Even when we finish reading the entire Bible, we need to always go back to it and continue to read.
Each time I read a section of the Bible I had already read before; God continues to show me new things I hadn’t noticed before. Maybe you can relate to this in your own Bible reading.
Doing a Bible deep dive can sound overwhelming at first; however, with the proper resources, it will be a great experience and bring you much joy. A Bible, a journal, a pen, a solid commentary, and an open heart are all you need to do a Bible deep dive.
You will use the Bible to read God’s Word, you will use the journal and pen to document your thoughts, feelings, and a summary of what you read, you will use the commentary to help you with understanding passages better, and you will with an open heart listen to the Holy Spirit’s conviction and guidance.
For further reading:
How Can We Trust the Bible We Have Today?
Why Can the Bible Be Hard to Explain?
Why Are Different Methods of Bible Study Important?
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