In August 2002 I started as a very new and very scared CMF staffworker. I tried to prepare myself for the questions I thought medical students would ask me, and studied the hot topics of sexuality, abortion and end of life issues. To my amazement, the question that comes up most isn't any of these, but countless versions of 'What's the best way to read my Bible?' This article attempts to answer that question by looking at the purpose of reading the Bible, how to set realistic goals for your devotional times, and how to cope when it all goes wrong.

Why read the Bible?

If the Holy Spirit is living inside us, leading us, guiding us and teaching us more about God,[1] why should we bother?

The first reason for reading the Bible is to connect with God. My fiancé lives in a different city and, although we can't always spend time together, his letters and phone calls keep love alive. When a letter comes through the door I eagerly devour it, keen to see what he has to say to me. It may sound cheesy, but the Bible is our love letter from God, his personal message to us, his children. Often when we are reading it, a particular verse or passage may really speak into our situation, providing rebuke or encouragement just when we need it.

Taking this view to extremes can lead to trouble, however. Have you heard about the guy who prayed for guidance about a decision? He turned to his Bible, thinking that whatever verse his finger pointed to would be what God wanted him to do. When he opened it at random the first verse he saw was Matthew 27:5 - 'Then he went away and hanged himself'. He didn't find this particularly encouraging, so decided to try it again. Now he read Luke 10:37 - 'Go and do likewise'. He really didn't think this was working too well, but gave it one last try. His Bible opened to John 13:27, 'What you are about to do, do quickly'.

We can't play 'lucky dip' like this. It's important to see the Bible in context and to let Scripture interpret Scripture if we are to see what God is like and how we can get to know him. It diagnoses the problems facing the world we live in, and documents the interventions God has made to restore our fractured relationship with him. It points us to Christ, the only one who can rescue us from the consequences of our sin and foolishness, and clearly tells us how we can be saved.[2] It might not spell out whom I should marry, but explains clearly what sort of person I should marry; it may not tell me which career to go for, but provides the framework for making that decision. So the second reason for reading the Bible is to understand God and what he has to say about himself, the universe and our lives.[3]

However it should not just be an intellectual exercise. We must keep these two motives in tension. If we only use the Bible to connect with God, we run the risk of taking Scripture out of context, of misunderstanding and misapplying it. If we just use it as an academic textbook on God our faith will become dry and dull, motivated by legalism instead of a joyful response to God's incomprehensible grace.

Reading the Bible increases our faith[4] and provides the plumb line against which we can test teachings and philosophies, as we are commanded: 'Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.'[5] This applies to secular and Christian teaching: the Bereans were commended as those who searched the Scriptures to confirm that what Paul said was true.[6]

The Word of God powerfully changes lives.[7] Many people have read the Bible in the hope of disproving it, but have encountered God whilst reading and been dramatically converted. When Philip explained the book of Isaiah to the Ethiopian eunuch and showed how it related to Christ, the eunuch believed and was baptised.[8] Famous contemporary examples of this kind of conversion include CS Lewis (Oxford professor and author of the Narnia Chronicles) and Josh McDowell (US apologist and author of Evidence that Demands a Verdict).

There are many, many more reasons for reading the Bible, including both the Old and New Testaments. Jesus both quoted and affirmed the Old Testament Scriptures[9] whilst Paul used them extensively to back up his arguments. Just as hearing other people's testimonies can encourage and inspire us, seeing the example of other men and women of faith and what the Lord has done for them can be really helpful. Whatever your motives are for reading the Bible, God will use his Word to refine and shape you, and to make us more like him.

Our aims

The Bible is a big book and it's easy to become daunted and not know where to start. Are you one of those Christians that starts at Genesis on New Year's Day and gives up in March having reached Leviticus? What are you hoping to get out of your Bible reading this year? This may vary depending on your circumstances and stage of life. There are times when just surviving spiritually is the number one priority, for example when first starting housejobs or working in Accident and Emergency, but at other times we will be able to devote more time and energy to reading and studying God's Word. Whatever method or aids you choose to help you study the Bible, first meditate on the passage, think about it and then apply it to your life.

Before you plunge in, there are a few other things that it may be helpful to think about:

1. Are you awake?

Are you a morning, afternoon or evening person? Find a time of day that suits you - perhaps first thing in the morning, or as soon as you come home from lectures, or whenever it is that you have the time and concentration available. It sounds obvious, but it's best to choose somewhere that's well lit and comfortable, especially if it's first thing in the morning or last thing at night. Beware of quiet times late at night in bed - you may fall asleep! Although it can be helpful to get into a regular routine, remember it's likely that you'll be working shifts for at least part of your career, so try to develop a system that allows you to be flexible. It's also good to take a small Bible to work or college with you, so you can read it during quiet moments in the day, but this is no substitute for a proper quiet time.

2. Is the translation appropriate?

Choose a translation that a) you understand and b) meets your needs. For in-depth study a word for word translation like the 'Extra Spiritual Version' (more commonly called the English Standard Version) or the New American Standard Bible are particularly helpful. The 'Nearly Infallible Version' (New International Version (NIV)) is great for general usage, providing a good balance between accuracy and readability. The New Living Translation or Good News Bible may also be helpful when you're reading large chunks of Scripture at a time (for example when following a 'Bible in a year' reading programme), or simply when you want a new angle on a familiar text.

If you don't understand what you're reading, look at the surrounding verses and chapters to get an idea of the context, pray for God's wisdom, and consider reading it in a different translation, consulting a commentary or asking a pastor or friend.

3. Help from on high

Reading the Bible isn't just about accumulating academic knowledge about God; it's about developing a relationship with him and getting to know him. Pray before you start that he will speak to you through the passage, and then use it as a springboard for further prayer. So often I don't know how to pray for situations; using some of the Psalms or Paul's prayers really helps me to focus in on God's priorities and to pray constructively. For more help with this, see Don Carson's A Call to Spiritual Reformation.

Different products available

Bible in a year materials

It's time to take the smudge test. Close your Bible and turn it so the spine is facing away from you. Look at the leaves of the pages. Where is it darkest? Are you a New Testament and Psalms Christian, or an apocalyptic Christian (smudges in Daniel and Revelation)? Have you ever read the whole thing from cover to cover? It's a big book, and reading through the whole thing can seem like a massive challenge. Well, help is at hand!

There are some great resources available to help you read through the Bible. If you type 'Bible in a year' into an internet search engine such as www.google.co.uk, loads of different reading plans will appear. It's advisable to choose an easy-to-read translation for this sort of programme, something like the NIV, New Living Translation or Good News Bible.

An even easier (but more pricey) way of going about it is to buy a Bible divided up into chunks that can be read over a year from your local Christian bookshop. Most of these cost around £20 and have each day's reading printed out in dated sections. If you've always been confused about which prophet comes where in Israel's history, or when each epistle was written, a Bible divided up like this but laid out chronologically may be a helpful alternative, as it puts the passages in the order in which Bible scholars believe the events happened. Another useful aid is the book God's Big Picture by Vaughan Roberts; this gives a concise overview of the Bible and how it fits together (but don't substitute this for reading the Bible itself!). Don Carson has also produced a useful resource called For the Love of God, which contains a daily Bible reading plan and brief commentaries on the passages.

Daily Bible reading notes

There are a huge number of these on the market. They usually include three months' worth of readings, covering two or three short Bible books - or chunks of bigger books - in this time. When choosing look firstly for a style that suits you, but also one that teaches you about the Bible passage being studied, rather than being merely a series of anecdotes each day that never get to the point. I remember learning all about the author's dog from one particular series, but very little about God! I have found Explore helpful, but there are many other good series out there. Setting up a subscription (get details from the back of one of the booklets) can really help if you spend long periods of time in peripheral hospitals away from Christian bookshops, and this will often cost less than buying the booklets each quarter.

It can be easy to get discouraged if you've missed a couple of days and all the dates are out of sync. If this bothers you and catching up isn't realistic, simply cut the dates off. It will stop you feeling guilty and help you to concentrate on what you're reading rather than on feeling rubbish because you haven't had a quiet time every day!

Devotional materials

There is a wide range of devotional materials available that provide a short meditation on a verse or short passage of Scripture. They are great to use in addition to studying larger chunks of the Bible, or during periods of life when this is all you can cope with (when starting housejobs or coping with a new baby). However, they probably aren't substantial enough to provide your main spiritual nutrition over a long period of time. Another danger with them is that of skimming over the Bible passage in order to read the human author's reflections.

Despite this they are a valuable resource and especially recommended is the Doctor's Life Support.[10] These two volumes are especially relevant to medical students, doctors and other healthcare professionals, providing a reading for each day of the year. The overseas department of CMF also produces Elective Life Support - a modified version of this aimed at medical students on electives. Another short book is Adrian Plass's When you Walk, which might make an ideal gift for a friend who you're trying to encourage to read the Bible.

Personal study aids

These provide a way of getting deeper into the Bible and allow you more scope to dig the truth out for yourself. They also teach you how to study the Bible, and help you to engage with God's Word at a deep level. You will learn not only about God's Word itself, but valuable study skills that will enable you to teach others. Most of them encourage you to write down answers and thoughts, and enable you to build up a great resource on the material you cover.

The all-time classic is Search the Scriptures, published by IVP. This has recently been rewritten for use with the NIV. Over a period of three years it will take you through the entire Bible. As you answer questions on the passages, the Bible will speak to you in new ways. It can be used either continuously, or to study a particular book before you go on to use a different format in your devotions. Although it is a fantastic resource, it doesn't suit everyone. I found the size of it intimidating and some of the questions difficult to understand, but many of my friends used it faithfully at university and it has really grounded them in a firm knowledge of God and of his Word.

A slightly less intimidating, but still fairly weighty tome is another IVP publication, This Day with God. Although it is also question based, it uses a variety of study techniques to take you through the Bible in two years, and doesn't go into quite so much depth. It conveniently offers studies for five days of the week and an optional weekend meditation, which makes it easy to catch up if you get behind. Again you can use it continuously, or dip in and out.

My favourite study aids are the International Inductive Study Series published by Precept Ministries. These small books cover one or more books of the Bible and take you through that book in detail. They help you to discover more about the background of a book by using Scripture to explain Scripture, and get you to cross-reference passages to understand how they fit into the Bible's overall teaching on a subject. Because each book is relatively short (typically 8-13 weeks) and often covers two books of the Bible, it's easy to feel that you're achieving something. The down sides are that these books aren't readily available in Christian bookshops in the UK (see the resources box below for details of how to order), and at £4.50 each they work out more expensive than Search the Scriptures or This Day with God. However they will give you a more in-depth knowledge of the book you're studying, and the cost works out fairly similar to that of daily Bible reading notes.

When disaster strikes

So you've chosen how you're going to read the Bible and things are going well. You've managed to have a quiet time every day for a fortnight, and then disaster hits. You've had a cold, then a few late nights; you go away for a weekend and forget to take your Bible, and before you know it everything has gone pear-shaped. Sound familiar? Join the club!

Life doesn't always turn out as we've planned, and we battle three enemies: the flesh, that doesn't like getting out of bed in the morning; the world, that constantly tries to push us into its mould; and the devil, who will stop at nothing to distract us from seeking God. Don't let this make you give up. It's part of being a sinful human in a fallen world. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, say sorry to God for ignoring him and carry on running towards that heavenly goal. The purpose of reading the Bible isn't to impress that guy you've got your eye on, or to give you spiritual brownie points. It's so that we might know God - the God who loves us and wants to spend time with us even when we mess up.