Last time we saw how trusting the Bible is central to following Jesus. He made very clear that it’s 100% the Word of the living God; what Scripture says, God says! So if we’re truly following Him, we can’t take a lesser view; that has to be our foundational commitment too… But — what does this mean in practice?
STARTER: If we’re really following Jesus we’ll make it a habit to read the Bible, absorb it, live by it… So thinking back – what things have helped you most in doing that? What’s the most helpful advice anyone’s given you about Bible reading?
Some suggestions then! Living by the Bible means soaking ourselves in it daily. How do I do that?
• First comes the deliberate mental step – commit to deepening your relationship with your Father. Ask for His help to actually read it every day – and for His help when you read it! (We need that help!)
• Decide (prayerfully) when you’ll read it tomorrow. Satan will try very hard to distract you! But it’s like a marriage: if we don’t give time to listen to the other person, the relationship will deteriorate. (`God seems so far away!`) So each day prioritize your Bible time: as soon as you have some disposable time, give it to God. Maybe first thing in the morning, maybe when your office is empty; maybe in the library, the park, an emptier train… `I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread` (Job 23:12) – so, no Bible reading no breakfast! (Or no TV? no Instagram?) Let’s learn to make it our top priority to feed on God!
• And then protect that time (from interruptions, from the phone, the TV). Family members can encourage each other in this, so that our kids feel the day has been wrong unless they’ve fed on God’s Word. The habit may take a long time to come, but never give up: by the power of the Holy Spirit you will master it!
And then use that time to do what? We can read the Bible as a book, or online, or with the help of published notes or a devotional guide.
But vary your reading styles: sometimes half a chapter a day (studying in depth); sometimes 3 chapters a day (getting an overview; that way you’ll get the big picture of eg 2 Kings in a week.) Vary your diet too: don’t try to read right through from Genesis to Revelation in that order! Rather, perhaps alternate between old and new testament books; and, within the old testament, read one of the early books, then a history book, then a poetic book, then one of the prophets… we need a balanced diet! Maybe try this:
1. Gen > 1 Sam > Matt > Prov 1-9 > Psas 1-20 > Isa > Rom
AND THEN —
2. Ex > 2 Sam > Mark > Job > Psas 21-41 > Jer/Lam > 1 & 2 Cor
AND THEN —
3. Lev > 1 Kings > Acts 1-12 > Provs 10-17 > Psas 42-72 > Ezk > Gal-Phil >
4. Num > 2 Kings > John > Eccles > Psas 73-89 > Dan > Col-2 Thes>
5. Deut > 1 Chron > Acts 13-28 > Provs 18-24 > Psas 90-106 > Hosea-Obad > 1 Tim-Philemon
6. Jos > 2 Chron > Luke > Song of Sol > Psas 107-119 > Jonah-Hab > Heb/James >
7. Juds/Ruth > Ezra-Esther > Rev > Provs 25-31 > Psas 120-150 > Zeph-Mal > 1 Peter-Jude
Or better still, use this schedule, but do one old testament segment for every two new testament ones?
(Remember the old testament has four sections – the foundational books, then the histories, then poetry, then the prophets (4 major & 12 minor). We need a balanced diet! And the new testament has the gospels (Jesus’ biographies), Acts (the explosive story of just how and why the early church grew), the letters or `epistles` (to individuals and churches), and the book of Revelation. Together they give us the Big Story – with Jesus the absolutely central, glorious character!)
But am I understanding what I read? Ask someone you trust for help when you need it – friendship often grows from discussing what we find difficult in the Bible. And there are many good helps – invest in some commentaries on the more difficult Bible books, such as IVP’s Bible Speaks Today series, or a one-volume resource like their New Bible Commentary.
Ask the Lord good questions, and expect His Holy Spirit to place answers in your mind:
• Why is this passage here in the Bible? What’s its main point?
• How do I respond as I read this?
• Is there anything difficult to write down and ask friends about?
• What does this teach me about… God?
• … about people?
• … about salvation, and how to grow in Christ?
• Is there an example or command or warning to follow?
• … a sin to avoid?
• … a promise to claim?
• What difference will believing this make to my life today? How does God want me to change because of what I‘ve read today?
• Or, very simply (I find these three questions very helpful)!: What is there in this passage that I can respond to, in (a) worship, (b) prayer, and (c) action, as I finish reading it right now?
Then:
• Don’t lose the discoveries God’s given you – file them, under the chapter’s name, on your computer or phone. They’ll really help you when you come back next time – or when you have a Bible study to lead.
• Share your discoveries – with Christian friends, and with not-yet-Christians (they may well sense that they’re hearing something fresh and meaningful that they didn’t know the Bible offers!) Actually, doing this is often how we grasp things better ourselves.
• Obey what God gives you to discover. Living by the Bible means being passionate about having it reshape our lives; it’s useless otherwise! (Read Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:24-27, and his brother James in James 1:22-25!)
• Keep exploring! Don’t get stuck in your favourite few passages; in the end your spiritual life will get superficial and stagnate unless you pioneer into more of what God has revealed!
• And longterm, expect joy! – and that wholesome sense within you of being well-fed spiritually, and ready to impact the world for Jesus; because God is not a stranger to you! Bible reading will make all the difference to a life you’ll look back on from eternity and know was really worthwhile…
This is from John White’s wonderful discipleship guide The Fight:
`Bible study has torn apart my life and remade it. That is to say God, through his Word, has done so. In the darkest periods of my life, when everything seemed hopeless, I would struggle in the grey dawns of faraway countries to grasp the basic truths of the Scripture passages. I looked for no immediate answers to my problems. Only did I sense intuitively that I was drinking draughts from a fountain that gave life to my soul. Slowly as I grappled with textual and theological problems, a strength grew deep within me. Foundations cemented themselves to an other-worldly rock beyond the reach of time and space, and I became strong and more alive. If I could write poetry about it I would. If I could sing through paper, I would flood your soul with the glorious melodies that express what I have found. I cannot exaggerate, for there are no expressions majestic enough to tell of the glory I have seen, or the wonder of finding that I, a neurotic, unstable, middle-aged man, have my feet firmly planted in eternity and breathe the air of heaven. And all this has come to me through a careful study of Scripture…`
ABSORB TIME: Very practically: Which of these things can I grow in? And when will I feed on God’s Word this week? When will I feed on it tomorrow? And if you’re in a group, pray together now for God the Holy Spirit’s enabling and loving instruction in all this – He longs for our company more than we do!
