What to read after the gospels.

I encouraged you in the reading of the gospels starting with John's gospel in an earlier post. So what's next? Well there is so much in the gospels that we could not exhaust them in a life time, but there is much more to read to aid our understanding of God. We need the Holy Spirit to guide us with all that the Word of God has, so let's go to the three letters of John I, II, and III. John was known as the apostle closest to Jesus when He lived among man. There is a lot of practical insight into Christian living in these letters.

Now for some variety in reading I suggest we add the Pslams and Proverbs to bring some good wisdom into our lives. These are in the Old Testament of the Bible and contain a lot of thoughts that help us understand our emotions and guide us in situations that life sometimes throws at us. (There is a lot of help and advice for our children in Proverbs as well as for us older children.) If you are struggling with suffering, the Book of Job deals with this subject in depth, however it can be confusing at first if you do not keep up with who is speaking, so take notes and pray for help from God.

Concerning the Old Testament (OT for short) it is an important part of God's Word for it is all the history leading up to the coming of Jesus Christ. As we mature in our understanding and start to grasp the significance of the OT then the New Testament (NT) will start to come alive from the prophesies in the OT about Jesus. For example, Isaiah contains many of the prophesies concerning the coming of Jesus. However, take it slow and let the Holy Spirit guide you and comment here for more help. A warning here, discussion of the reading can help, but I have found that sometimes this might confuse us with opinions. Opinions are not necessarily untruthful or truthful, even from me; learn to compare scripture with scripture for confirmation. As I bring this up I want to say that I am human and not infalliable and do not have all the answers, thus my chosen name, Truthseeker. I am also seeking the will of God for my life and need much help form time to time; I want to help and our fellowship as believers and/or seekers is helpful to all of us in our desire to know God and His Son Jesus Christ. Much of what I believe comes from 30+ years of Bible studying and my church affiliation and my insight is formed by this. Pray for truth and rely more on the Holy Spirit and not man.

For now I think we will stop here in this post. May God help you as you study His Word, and may He grant you peace as you seek His face and realize His love. Your friend in Christ, Truthseeker.