I am encouraged by your desire to minister to others.  It is the love of God showing out when a believer in the Lord Jesus has a yearning to help others in their Christian lives.  We read in Romans 5:5 that, “…the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”  The Lord wants you to be prepared to serve Him, so He has given every born-again believer a gift (ability) so each of us may serve the Lord by serving one another. 

Ephesians 4:7-8 says, “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.”  We find some of these gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4:11-12 which says, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”  There are more gifts listed in Romans 12:4-8.  Although there are many gifts from the Lord, He leads us by His Spirit in the development and use of the gift or gifts that He has given each of us.  1 Corinthians 12:4 says, “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.” 

The Apostle Paul exhorted Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:14, “Neglect not the gift that is in thee…”  We should take that exhortation to ourselves and make sure that we do not fail to develop our God-given gifts so that we might be fit to minister to others.  However, simply having a gift is not enough to be a faithful minister of God’s Word.  It is just the beginning.

We have the words of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 4:19, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  To be a true servant of the Lord in seeking to win souls for Him, we must remain faithful in our relationship with Him.  Our lives must consist of following Christ closely.  We cannot draw others into a relationship with the Lord when we are not following Him ourselves.  To serve the Lord, we must first follow the Lord.

2 Timothy 2:1-2 instructs us, “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”  We must study and learn God’s Word in order to have something to share with others.  What Paul said to Timothy was purely from the Lord.  We must be faithful students of God’s Word so that we can teach others so that they may teach others, also.  To serve the Lord, we must be students of His Word. 

In your desire to serve the Lord, I hope these three points of truth will be a help in equipping you to serve.  You obviously have a desire to be able to understand the scriptures, so I encourage you to read God’s Word every day.  Each time, before reading, pray to the Lord and ask Him for understanding and a true commitment to obey what He teaches you in your studies. 

• You are gifted for service.  Develop and use your gift as the Lord leads.
• Follow the Lord Jesus faithfully.  In doing so, He will give you the desire to learn more and to serve.
• Study God’s Word.  Each day, seek the Lord in His Word, asking Him to teach you from His Word.

As to which Bible to read to help give you better understanding, I can only give you my thoughts.  I suppose if I had to suggest just one version, it would be the New American Standard version.  It is very accurate and very readable.  The New King James version is another good translation.  There are so many translations out there today, I cannot possibly give you advice on each one.  You should avoid the paraphrases.  These are really ‘retellings’ of what the Bible says in a very simplified manner.  With the paraphrases, much truth is lost while attempting to simplify what the Bible says.  Of course, the King James Version is a good translation.  While the language is a bit archaic, it is quite easy to understand.  (473.6)