Understanding the Bible

If you find the Bible difficult to understand, you are not alone. So what should a person do? Well, for starters, avoid reading the difficult parts and begin with the books that are easier to understand! And for a little kick start, here's a list of 32 (of 66) books that you may find easier to understand:

Old Testament
~Genesis
~Exodus 1-20
~Deuteronomy
~Joshua
~Judges
~1 Samuel
~2 Samuel

~1 Kings
~Nehemiah
~Esther
~Psalms
~Proverbs
~Jonah
~Haggai
~Malachi

New Testament
~Matthew
~Mark
~Luke
~John
~Acts
~1 Corinthians
~2 Corinthians
~Ephesians
~Philippians
~Colossians
~1 Thessalonians
~1 Timothy
~2 Timothy
~Titus
~James
~1 Peter
~1 John

Need further clarification? You can't go wrong with Psalms and Proverbs in the Old Testament. I encourage people to read one chapter from each every day. They are quick reads.

For the New Testament, I would encourage you to read Luke & Acts (they are written by the same author and combined they make one seamless narrative of the life of Jesus and the early Church). Other quick, helpful reads from the New Testament would be Ephesians, 1 Thessalonians, James, and 1 Peter.

If you're looking for a GREAT study Bible, I would highly recommend the Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation (NLT).

A book you may find helpful in learning to read and study the Bible is "Living by the Book" by Howard Hendricks.

Another one is "Talk Thru the Bible" by Wilkinson & Boa.

Hope these suggestions help you as you read the Bible.