How to Read and Understand the Manufactures Handbook
Have you wondered what God might say to you if you sought him out? Do you want to learn more about God and who Jesus is? Would you like to spend a little time, say about 10-15 minutes, reading the Bible is such a way that is unfiltered by what other people think and discover for yourself who Jesus is?
Well, you have come to the right place. I have had a passion for reading and studying the Bible for over 40 years and part of this website is to share my thoughts, insights, and wisdom on just how to read and study the Manufactures Handbook. I use the terms Manufactures Handbook and the Bible synonymously since I believe God is the one who created us and has given us the Bible to guide us with His promises and truths. It is a joy to discover those promises and truths and my job will be to give you the tools to do so. There are two ways to read the Bible, one being for your own personal quiet time which I call Devos, which is simply reading the Bible on a consistent basis asking the Holy Spirit to show you what God has to say to you that day. The second way is through a methodical and serious study of the Bible using a well-defined method of tools to discover for yourself what the Bible says and how to interpret it. This is called the Inductive Bible Study Method. I will be doing blog posts, podcasts and video teaching on both ways to read and study the Bible.
In very simple terms, Devos is your own personal quiet time with God. You take your Bible and go off to a solitary place without any interruptions or distractions and spend a few minutes with the Lord. It doesn’t have to be long and drawn out, but it is simply talking to God, (we call this prayer) reading the Bible to hear what God has to say to you personally. The keys are to make it consistent, purposeful and personal. It is your time to talk to God telling him anything, confessing sin, asking for help, thanking him for what he has done, worshiping him and praising him. Reading the Bible during your Devos is God’s way that he can speak to you personally. I have a simple prayer when I start my Devos and I simply ask the Holy Spirit to hear my prayers and speak to me through his Word. Sometimes I will write in my journal, which we will discuss later, and ask the question: What is the Holy Spirit saying to me today? I have grown to love my Devos and most importantly it has deepened my relationship with Jesus Christ.
Inductive Bible Study has four elements: Observation, Interpretation, Summarize and Application. Combining all of them together has two goals in mind, one is to grow in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:9-10) and the second is to grow to strengthen your personal relationship with Jesus. The most important ingredient in all Bible study is the Holy Spirit. Every time I open the Bible I say a simple prayer, “Holy Spirit, come to teach me what you want me to learn today.”
Here are some tools that you will need in your study of the Bible, the Manufactures Handbook. You start with a Bible translated into modern English that will be easy to read and understand. Try to find a Bible with lots of room for notetaking. Yes, you can write, mark and highlight your Bible. There are many excellent, easy to read versions on the market now such as the New International Version (NIV), The English Standard Version (ESV), and the New American Standard Version (NASB). Two other versions that I would recommend on your shelf would be The Message and The Good News Bible (GNB). Personally, I study in the New International Version (NIV) and read my Devos in the Message. Secondly, you will need some marking pens and highlighters. There are many to choose from but personally, I use the Pilot G2 colored pens and about 4 different highlighter colors. Two other tools I would recommend are a Bible Concordance, (based on the version that you are studying) and a good Bible Dictionary. You can invest in Bible commentaries by different authors but I only use those as a checkpoint on my own interpretation based on my own study.
Reading and studying the Bible may seem like drudgery and boring but using the tools and elements of Inductive Bible Study it can and will be pure joy discovering who God is and how so much of the Bible relates to our everyday lives. There are answers, precepts, principles, truth, and hope in the Bible that can guide us. I can guarantee you (because I am living proof) that you will find those answers and more as you read and study the Manufactures Handbook.
