Bored Reading the Bible?Sample

Another common reason why you may be struggling to receive from Scripture is the lack of understanding of what you're reading. Sometimes, the solution to this can be as simple as changing the translation of the Bible you choose to use.

When people ask me which one they should read, I often reply, "The best Bible translation is the one you’ll actually read." The important thing is to spend time in His word, as His Word corrects us, teaches us how to live, and trains us to live righteously because it is alive (2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12). We need to not only read it but also understand the gift it is to have the Word of God.

In Acts, we see that the Jews who heard the word spoken to them by Paul not only received what was taught to them, but they went into the scriptures daily and studied them further to verify that what they were receiving was true (Acts 17:11). Similarly, we are called to not just skim it, but take the time to dig out the riches that are in His Word.

Different types of translations can help ease this process, and some are better suited to specific uses than others. Here are a few that I recommend.

For devotional reading, I recommend using:

• Paraphrase translations: The Living Bible (TLB), The Message (MSG), and The Passion Translation (TPT).
• Thought for Thought translations: New International Version (NIV) and New Living Translation (NLT).

For a deeper study, I suggest:

• Word for Word translations: New King James Version (NKJV), New American Standard Bible (NASB), and English Standard Version (ESV).

Whichever one you choose, based on your needs and goals, just make sure you commit to reading it and meditating on it long enough to understand what it is relaying.

Let's Pray:

Father, I ask that You open my understanding as I read Your Word. I desire to understand what You are trying to communicate to me through Your Word.