Because the Bible is a collection of many books, it may be hard to know just where to start. And because events in the Bible happened long ago, the Bible can be difficult to read and even harder to understand.

Yet the stories in the Bible have a timeless message about God’s love for humankind. But how does one discover this wonderful message and learn the good news about salvation?

A sense of being uncomfortable or feeling intimidated with the sacred text of the Bible is not unusual. But what is so wonderful about the Bible is that you can “engage” with the text in ways that are most comfortable to you at any given moment in your life. At times you may seek spiritual solace when facing a difficult life situation. Or perhaps you may wish to spend time in quiet reflection or contemplation. And then there may be times when you want factual information and desire knowledge about the world of the Bible to better understand its people, places, and events. All of these paths or approaches are open to you, and this type of engagement may be done individually or with a group.

Tools for Scripture Engagement

Scripture engagement involves interacting with the biblical text in ways that allow the Scriptures to speak to you—no matter what you may be feeling at the time. And Scripture engagement prompts you to respond back to the text with your own questions and insights. This “dialogue” between you and the text grows each time you re-engage with the Word, revealing new understandings about God, and about yourself.

As you begin to “dig into the Bible,” you’ll want to have a number of tools close at hand to help you discover the riches of God’s Word. These “Scripture engagement” tools include a number of reading plans such as:

• Reading the Bible Chronologically—key stories from the Bible arranged according to a time line
• A Year with the Bible—a 365-day reading plan that focuses on key passages of Scripture from the beginning of the Bible to the end
• A Guide to Key Events, Characters, and Themes—Bible stories that will highlight key people, places, and events
• Finding Help in the Bible—suggested passages of Scripture to help or inspire you, whether you are dealing with difficult situations or celebrating good things in life

Other tools will give you an overview of what’s in the Bible and the various kinds of literature that make up the Bible. You’ll read historical prose, exciting narratives, poetry and songs, wisdom literature, prayers, letters, God’s laws, and so much more! Each book in the Bible has its own unique features.

Begin by reading Getting the Most Out of Your Bible Reading. It can serve as a blueprint and will provide you with helpful direction to encourage reading the Bible on a regular basis.

Exploring the Bible is an exciting journey!

God’s blessings as you begin to dig into God’s Word and unearth the riches that are awaiting your discovery!

How to Look Up a Scripture Reference

Like many books, the Bible is divided into units (called “books”). Each book is divided into chapters. The chapters are divided into much smaller units called “verses” (usually consisting of a sentence or two). Chapters and verses are numbered.