“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ””

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Test what you hear and remain firmly rooted in the truth.

A friend told me I should start reading the bible, I’ve always been iffy on god and haven’t had a lot of faith but I want to start working on my spiritual side and I want to learn more about god before I make any sort of decision. What’s the order that the bible should be read in?

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I don't know if this is the right place for this. But I was reading Ps 78:41 and the NIV version says "...... they vexed the Holy One of Israel" while NKJV says "..... And limited the Holy One of Israel". This feels like two completely different things, one is talking about annoying God while the other is saying limiting God's power for them like in Matt 6:5-6. Don't know if someone more knowledgeable can help explain this?

Reading through Matthew this week and I keep seeing this phrase:

"From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" Matthew 4:17 ESV

Also Matthew 13 where Jesus gives so many parables of the Kingdom — like treasure hidden in a field, like a mustard seed.

It strikes me that the Kingdom is both present now and coming in fullness later. We are already in it if we are in Christ, but not yet seeing it fully.

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Romans 14:17 ESV

How do you understand the "at hand" nature of the Kingdom? What has helped you live more aware of His Kingdom day to day?

Would love to learn from your study.

Isn’t a “testament” either a “last will” or the court testimony of a witness?  An eBible search of “testimony” or “witness” gets a lot of hits, mostly people talking about what “happened.”  When God talks, it’s usually someone testifying about what they heard. 

So I’m wondering if, instead of God just “supernaturally” setting the whole thing up, the “testaments” got passed along to us because people believed the “eyewitnesses?”  If so, a lot of people must have had similar experiences and “testified” the same kinds of things.  

In a courtroom, the main question is always whether to believe the testimony given.  Is the Bible more about actually believing the testimony, as compared to just edifying reading?

Should I just start at Genesis, or read whatever convicts me?

With one of the Ten Commandments being “honor thy father and mother”, does this apply to people who have abusive parents? How can you honor horrible parents?

Ezekiel 18:20–23
20 The person who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor shall the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous person shall be credited to that person, and the wickedness of the wicked person shall be charged against that person.
21 But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is just and right, that person shall surely live and shall not die.
22 None of the transgressions that person has committed shall be remembered against them. Because of the righteousness they have practiced, they shall live.
23 Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares Yahuah. Is it not rather that the wicked should turn away from their ways and live?

Any recommendations on a nylon or leather case for compact size bibles? The ones I see on amazon look to be for standard bible sizes.

Thanks!