By Pastor Andrew Gordon
Originally posted in the New Year season of 2015.
This is the second part in a quick series on establishing habits and rhythms of reading and studying God’s Word in a meaningful way. Our New Year’s Resolutions often bite the dust early, but how can we change that trend when it comes to Bible reading? In part 1, I wrote about several reasons why we should read and study scripture regularly. Today’s post will hopefully provide you with some practical ways to develop good habits this year in the Word.
How do I get into a routine of reading and studying the Bible?
“Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7b-8).
Routines can be of great value, but sometimes, actually training or disciplining ourselves to establish them is difficult. I hope this section is extremely practical for anyone who is just starting to set aside a time and a place for Bible reading and prayer all the way to the one who is established but needs some encouragement. How can we discipline ourselves for godliness?
1) Find a place. One of the important things about studying the Bible is finding a place where we can shut out distractions. If you are going to hear from God, the last thing you need is to be hearing from the TV, radio, and smartphone all at the same time. So find a place where you can avoid distraction. Keep it consistent for a while, but be willing to switch it up on down the line.
2) Find 5 minutes. If you are not regularly in the Word, and your day is jam-packed; don’t try to start with getting up an hour earlier than you always do. That is a recipe for failure by way of the snooze button. A very wise man once told me to set my alarm just 5 minutes earlier for a week or two or even a month. Use that time to read a passage and meditate on it as well as prayer. Your body will not miss the five minutes of sleep, and you will find you desire more time in the Word. Then after a set period of time, add 5 minutes. Eventually you will be in a routine of up to a half hour, hour, or more.
[Aside: Do I have to do it in the morning? Of course not. But I find that there is too much value in the morning to justify moving it to another time during the day. I want to open my day with God being the first voice I hear in a world of news, sports, Twitter, and Facebook.]
3. Meditate. I’m not referring to some mystical search for inner peace. But sit with the passage asking what God is teaching the original audience about himself and about mankind. Then seek out applications for how you can apply what you are learning. Pray that God will open your eyes to the text and its meaning. The meaning in scripture can be difficult and deep, but it’s never hidden.
4. Choose what you read with purpose. I will go into some more specifics of my practice in the next post. However, in short, I try to make sure I am doing two things in my study of the Word. First, I want to always be studying on a verse by verse basis, walking slowly through a book. Secondly, I want to be reading chunks of scripture to help myself see the bigger picture of God’s revelation as a whole. You can decide what days work best to do which. But try to build some consistency. God is teaching us things in each verse and paragraph as well as in the flow of his revelation on a large scale. For the days you read longer portions, there are plenty of Bible-in-a-year plans out there you can easily find via Google or apps like YouVersion.
5. Find a Friend. We are not walking through the Christian life alone, and reading God’s Word is no different. Find someone in your life that you can trust to challenge you to stay in the Word. This person should be able to ask you at anytime what God is teaching you. This will challenge you to both be in the Word and be able to answer the question well. If you are married, stick with your spouse in this or a close friend of your same gender. When two are paired, and one falls, the other can pick him/her up.
Note: In 2017 at WBC, we will be offering a Bible-in-a-Year plan for reading big chunks. For the shorter, deeper study, we will being going through the Journible for the Gospel of Mark. Click here for more information. Since many of us are doing the same thing, it shouldn’t be hard to find a partner for encouragement and accountability.
In the coming days, I will add an example of what my routine looks like. Remember, this is very important to our spiritual lives. But start small, and commit to grow.
Bible Reading in the New Year (Pt.2)
December 14, 2016 by Andrew • Devotional Thoughts, Pastor Andrew • Tags: Devotional, Pastor Andrew •
By Pastor Andrew Gordon
Originally posted in the New Year season of 2015.
This is the second part in a quick series on establishing habits and rhythms of reading and studying God’s Word in a meaningful way. Our New Year’s Resolutions often bite the dust early, but how can we change that trend when it comes to Bible reading? In part 1, I wrote about several reasons why we should read and study scripture regularly. Today’s post will hopefully provide you with some practical ways to develop good habits this year in the Word.
How do I get into a routine of reading and studying the Bible?
“Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7b-8).
Routines can be of great value, but sometimes, actually training or disciplining ourselves to establish them is difficult. I hope this section is extremely practical for anyone who is just starting to set aside a time and a place for Bible reading and prayer all the way to the one who is established but needs some encouragement. How can we discipline ourselves for godliness?
1) Find a place. One of the important things about studying the Bible is finding a place where we can shut out distractions. If you are going to hear from God, the last thing you need is to be hearing from the TV, radio, and smartphone all at the same time. So find a place where you can avoid distraction. Keep it consistent for a while, but be willing to switch it up on down the line.
2) Find 5 minutes. If you are not regularly in the Word, and your day is jam-packed; don’t try to start with getting up an hour earlier than you always do. That is a recipe for failure by way of the snooze button. A very wise man once told me to set my alarm just 5 minutes earlier for a week or two or even a month. Use that time to read a passage and meditate on it as well as prayer. Your body will not miss the five minutes of sleep, and you will find you desire more time in the Word. Then after a set period of time, add 5 minutes. Eventually you will be in a routine of up to a half hour, hour, or more.
[Aside: Do I have to do it in the morning? Of course not. But I find that there is too much value in the morning to justify moving it to another time during the day. I want to open my day with God being the first voice I hear in a world of news, sports, Twitter, and Facebook.]
3. Meditate. I’m not referring to some mystical search for inner peace. But sit with the passage asking what God is teaching the original audience about himself and about mankind. Then seek out applications for how you can apply what you are learning. Pray that God will open your eyes to the text and its meaning. The meaning in scripture can be difficult and deep, but it’s never hidden.
4. Choose what you read with purpose. I will go into some more specifics of my practice in the next post. However, in short, I try to make sure I am doing two things in my study of the Word. First, I want to always be studying on a verse by verse basis, walking slowly through a book. Secondly, I want to be reading chunks of scripture to help myself see the bigger picture of God’s revelation as a whole. You can decide what days work best to do which. But try to build some consistency. God is teaching us things in each verse and paragraph as well as in the flow of his revelation on a large scale. For the days you read longer portions, there are plenty of Bible-in-a-year plans out there you can easily find via Google or apps like YouVersion.
5. Find a Friend. We are not walking through the Christian life alone, and reading God’s Word is no different. Find someone in your life that you can trust to challenge you to stay in the Word. This person should be able to ask you at anytime what God is teaching you. This will challenge you to both be in the Word and be able to answer the question well. If you are married, stick with your spouse in this or a close friend of your same gender. When two are paired, and one falls, the other can pick him/her up.
Note: In 2017 at WBC, we will be offering a Bible-in-a-Year plan for reading big chunks. For the shorter, deeper study, we will being going through the Journible for the Gospel of Mark. Click here for more information. Since many of us are doing the same thing, it shouldn’t be hard to find a partner for encouragement and accountability.
In the coming days, I will add an example of what my routine looks like. Remember, this is very important to our spiritual lives. But start small, and commit to grow.