How to Find God in the Bible is a great little book. I found it to be practical and substantive. You would think that there is only so much that can be said about the Bible. After all, this year I've read Taking Back the Good Book by Woodrow Kroll, Read Your Bible One Book at A Time by Woodrow Kroll, How To Study The Bible. R.A. Torrey, Discovering Jesus: Why Four Gospels to Portray One Person? T.D. Alexander, Knowing Scripture. R.C. Sproul, and How To Get The Most From God's Word. John MacArthur. Yet I haven't found that to be the case. Yes, some chapters may touch on the same subjects, but for the most part each book has been unique; each written in its own style with its own goals.
I am not sure that How to Find God in the Bible is the best of the best of the best of the best. BUT. I do know that I loved it. I found it informative. Each chapter was packed with information. Information that was practical and relevant. And it was written in a very straightforward, reader-friendly style. It wasn't trying to do too much. It wasn't trying to turn the reader into the BEST BIBLE SCHOLAR ever. It wasn't trying to convince the average reader to try to learn Hebrew and Greek. It wasn't trying to persuade you to spend ten hours a day in study and meditation. It also wasn't trying to defend the Bible against skeptics, agnostics, and atheists. You won't find theories and arguments and rhetoric here. No this is a practical book for practical people who want to read the Bible for themselves.
The book is written in three parts. Part One is "Prepare to Encounter God." Part Two is "Why the Bible Can Change Your Life." Part Three is "Four Amazing Bible Discoveries."
Each chapter has an "In this chapter" feature which I just loved. (Maybe because I'm a reviewer who is always trying to find specific things that I want to include in my post. But I believe it has to be useful for other reasons too!)
I'm not a *big* list person--or chart person--but for some reason, I just LOVED the use of charts and lists in this one. For example, there's a list of "people with whom God spoke directly" and "people with whom God spoke through angels" in chapter one. And then there is the list in chapter seven "fourteen reasons to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ."
Favorite quotes:
Every time you read the Bible, you should be prepared for anything. You never know what will happen. (41)
Don't fail to read the Bible simply because you have difficulty relating to the translation. Find a version you do understand. I'm often asked which version of the Bible I think is the best, and I always respond, "The one you read." It doesn't matter if you are convinced your version is the most accurate there is. If you don't read it, you won't connect with God. Hurdle the language barrier by choosing a Bible that is comfortable for you. Then read it for all it's worth. (61)
God doesn't buy the idea of hopelessness because "with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). (109)
"...people have chosen to use the Bible to support their point of view instead of trusting the Bible enough to let it change their point of view--and their way of life." (121)
I have often said that if Christians blew the dust off their Bibles at the same time, we'd all get killed in the dust storm. If you are to benefit from God's Word, you're going to have to read it. It's how you connect with God. (173)
© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible
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