Where should I start reading the bible?

A common question I've been asked is, "Where should I start reading the bible?"

It's a solid question. The bible is a compilation of 66 books written over thousands of years in different genres. It is made up of poetry, narratives, proverbs, and letters. If you start on page one and read it like a novel, you'll get lost the moment you hit Leviticus.

It's common practice, but I think that may be the precise reason a lot of people never end up reading the bible in its entirety.

So, where to begin if not page one?

I recommend starting with Jesus. The BibleProject says that the bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus; and I completely agree.

The entire bible points to Him. The old testament gives us narratives that point to our need for a Messiah. The gospels tell of the Messiah's life, death, and resurrection. The rest of the new testament depicts life as it was in the early church and gives us examples of what it looks like to follow Him.

So start there. The four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are narratives about Jesus told from four different perspectives.

Which gospel should you read first? That depends on what you're after.

• If bloodlines, heritage, and family history is important to you, start with Matthew.

• If you want a quick read, try Mark - it only has 16 chapters.

• If you're more of a factual person, go with Luke (he was a doctor who carefully investigated and recorded all the things that happened, see Luke 1). Bonus: Luke is part 1 of a two part story. The second part is the book of Acts; which tells of the disciples' works and of the early church.

• If you want to get to the core of things, about how Jesus is both fully human and fully God, read John.

Once you've finished reading at least one of the gospels, I would recommend:

1. New testament: Acts – Most helpful if read after Luke.

2. New testament: Ephesians – A beautiful letter about God's grace, identity, and what it means to belong to Christ.

3. Old testament: Psalms – Jesus frequently quoted from the Psalms. They carry honest prayers for every season of life. The Psalms are humanity's words directed towards God .... which are also God's words to/for us. How cool is that?!

4. Old testament: Genesis – It's an epic story of God's love and His plan to have a loving relationship with humans (the first page). The rest of the book is about God having to go with plan B because we decided to not play ball.

Jesus is the reason we read the bible. So read it, not to simply finish a book or all 66 books.

But to get to know Him and His heart for us.