How To Read the Bible Class

Several weeks ago The Paradox held a "How to Read the Bible" Class. Lauren Benthall shares some of what she learned, and how God has continued to teach her.I’m one of those girls who was raised in church. I memorized scripture, did Bible Drill, and AWANAS. I have the books of the bible memorized, and I could quote verses for you, but I couldn’t tell you the meaning behind them.I decided to go to the "How to Read the Bible" class to help me get into the habit of reading and understanding the Word. I never took the time out of my day to read the Bible, I never knew what to read, I didn't know how to interpret it, and I'm not good at relating things back to scripture.During the class it was suggested to start with a shorter book, 1 John was the example, and read it for 30 days straight. The thought crossed my mind how redundant that could be if I didn’t understand what I was reading, but I was going to give it a shot. I sat down on Day 1 and began 1 John. I read the entire five chapters through and then dwelled on them. The next morning I woke up and was surprised to find throughout the day an anticipation to read the exact same chapters again! It amazed me.Each day that I read I felt certain verses relate to me and saw how they applied to the current events happening in my life, and I would pray and focus on that.  I’m halfway through my 30 days and have still yet to get tired of reading the same chapters over and over. I started my first week reading at night time, and now I try to read during my lunch hour or during the day so I can have the rest of the day and evening to have my thoughts dwell on the Word.  It never fails that I gain a new understanding, I’m growing closer to God, and I’m happier. I’m not saying it’s been easy. There are days I try to make excuses not to read but I’ve been able to fight those off to get into the Word. This is a great habit to start doing everyday and I would recommend this reading plan for everyone. Overall, it has been a very humbling experience and I’m excited to continue growing in my faith and becoming more like Christ.Lauren Bethall is a member of the Arlington City Group.