“Reflection on Scripture is, by far, the most influential personal spiritual practice. Reading and reflecting on the Scripture is critical to spiritual growth.” (Move, Greg L Hawkins & Cally Parkinson)
“And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them” (Deuteronomy 17:19, ESV)
“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:105, ESV)
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV)
It seems so simple. Read the Bible. Right? It’s the “Sunday School” answer to many Sunday School questions. It’s the one thing that almost every person on the journey agrees is important. But when it comes down to it, most of us have a really, really hard time doing it. And even if we do, it just doesn’t seem like it makes that big of a difference. Maybe that’s because we’re reading with our head, but not engaging our hearts and our hands. Here’s a simple 3 step process to help you along with some links to a lot of really great reading plans that can be downloaded, printed, or accessed on your cell phone.
Read…It starts by opening up the Bible and reading. Ask God to speak to you through His word. Re-read words and phrases that jump off the page at you. There’s no right or wrong place to start reading, but it helps to have a plan. You can pick a book of the Bible to read through or utilize any number of plans that are ready to go here or here. The main thing is to read. Try to eliminate any distractions so that God’s word can saturate your mind. It might help to have a designated time and place. But don’t just stop at reading…
Reflect…After reading a lot of us get antsy thinking through the “now what?” part of Bible reading. Make sure you carve out some time to reflect on what you’ve just read. Ask questions like, “what does this mean for my life?” and “how does God want to use this to change me?” It’s a good idea to jot down some of your thoughts as you reflect on the Scripture you just read, that way you can go back and be reminded of how God has transformed you through His word. But you still haven’t engaged your hands yet…
Respond…Now it’s time to take action. James 1:22-23 says it as clearly as it can be said: “…it is a message to obey, not just to listen to…For if you just listen and don’t obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance.” (NLT) You’ve engaged your head by reading the Bible. You’ve engaged your heart by reflecting on what you’ve read. Now it’s time to engage your hands by responding and doing what God wants you to do…That’s making the most of this step on your journey!
