What should I do during daily Bible reading?
God’s word is a gift and daily reading is a blessing – although we often struggle with it as a chore. Below are four steps to help you get the most out of devotional time. I suggest setting apart 15 minutes a day to read and starting with one chapter daily. The goal is not information but transformation – don’t read for quantity but quality of understanding. In order to do this…
- Pray
- Clear yourself of sin and any agenda you might have. Don’t read to prove yourself right, read to right yourself before God.
- Fill yourself with the Spirit. Redirect your thoughts towards Christ, invite the Spirit’s presence and guidance as you read scripture.
- Read
- Be intentional, read slowly (maybe out loud). As you read expect God to reveal something to you.
- Read minimally – mass consumption forces us to skip. Don’t read 10 chapters in one day and miss the point of all ten, rather read 1-2 chapters and truly digest them.
- Meditate/Memorize
- Meditate on the principle of what the text has taught you. Ask God to show you how to live this out today.
- Memorize the scripture that encapsulates the principle.
- Live it out
- Ask God to help you apply the truth of scripture to your life.
- Live with pause in your life to examine your actions in light of that passage.
Here’s a primer to start with daily Bible reading, I suggest the following schedule…
- Sunday – Haggai 1
- Monday – Haggai 2
- Tuesday – 1 Thessalonians 1
- Wednesday – 1 Thessalonians 2
- Thursday – 1 Thessalonians 3
- Friday – 1 Thessalonians 4
- Saturday – 1 Thessalonians 5
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May 24th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I wonder if you would consider some alternatives? For instance, I find my daily time of prayer to be the right time to bring before God everything in my “agenda,” and to discuss with him whatever sinful matter is on my mind and in my heart. While I would not recommend it for everyone, I find that the Daily Office as found in the Book of Common Prayer is a terrific guide for prayer, reading and meditation that leads me in new and different directions each day and keeps me from getting stuck in a rut of my own making.
May 25th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
You’re absolutely right…there are a lot of alternatives to the method I’ve described. This is just a place to start. I agree with you about the Book of Common Prayer, it is a very helpful guide to navigating unfamiliar passages of scripture.