If you do not currently read selections out of the Bible each day, I encourage you to do so. It can have amazing benefits. Spiritual benefits aside, it is regarded as a classic literary masterpiece and is studied in many schools as such. The Bible is not even figured into the New York Times Bestseller list anymore because it aways comes in at number one, every year, since the list was invented. It is by far the most popular book in the world. If that's not enough for you, it is also the book upon whose precepts, laws, wisdom and teachings Western Civilization (and especially the United States of America) are built. If you want to understand your culture, society, laws and times (even if you are totally non-religious), then read this book.
Also, if you don't get a lot of time to read, you should find/make some. Reading is incredibly good for your mental and emotional health. If you only have a few minutes a day, why not start with the Proverbs One-A-Day plan? The "book" of Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings which has been organized over the years into 31 chapters, the longest of which is 36 verses in length (a non-Biblical equivalent would be about a page, probably less). The 31 chapters fit nicely into most of our American calendar months. I try to read a chapter a day, the chapter corresponding to the day of the month (i.e. chapter 1 on the 1st, chapter 2 on the 2nd, etc.). It is filled with some of the best common sense wisdom for life I have ever found anywhere. In fact, the Bible purports that the guy who wrote the Proverbs, King Solomon, was the wisest man who ever lived (1 Kings 3:5-12).
While not everything in the book seems immediately relevant to today's situations at face value, the proverbs speak timeless truths about God, about the world and the ways in which it works, about humanity, and about good, evil, wisdom and foolishness. There's a lot to chew on in each chapter. I will jot down some of my thoughts here about the Proverbs that stick out to me each day that I get a chance.
Also, if you don't get a lot of time to read, you should find/make some. Reading is incredibly good for your mental and emotional health. If you only have a few minutes a day, why not start with the Proverbs One-A-Day plan? The "book" of Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings which has been organized over the years into 31 chapters, the longest of which is 36 verses in length (a non-Biblical equivalent would be about a page, probably less). The 31 chapters fit nicely into most of our American calendar months. I try to read a chapter a day, the chapter corresponding to the day of the month (i.e. chapter 1 on the 1st, chapter 2 on the 2nd, etc.). It is filled with some of the best common sense wisdom for life I have ever found anywhere. In fact, the Bible purports that the guy who wrote the Proverbs, King Solomon, was the wisest man who ever lived (1 Kings 3:5-12).
While not everything in the book seems immediately relevant to today's situations at face value, the proverbs speak timeless truths about God, about the world and the ways in which it works, about humanity, and about good, evil, wisdom and foolishness. There's a lot to chew on in each chapter. I will jot down some of my thoughts here about the Proverbs that stick out to me each day that I get a chance.
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