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Realizing the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God.

Reading Regularly

Reading the Bible right begins with reading it regularly.

Reading Wrong, Reading Right (1)

The Word of God is living and powerful, full of life and wisdom, able to penetrate to the depths of our beings to perform the kind of spiritual surgery that can transform us increasingly into the image of Jesus Christ (Heb. 4.12; Jn. 6.63; 2 Cor. 3.12-18).

Scripture is able to equip us to fulfill the good works for which we have been redeemed (2 Tim. 3.15-17; Eph. 2.8-10). It guards us fom sin, shapes us in righteousness, and guides and fits us for a life of walking in the Spirit according to the mind of Christ (Ps. 119.9-11; Ps. 1; 1 Cor. 2.12-16). The Word can be to those who read, study, and meditate in it the joy and rejoicing of their hearts (Jer. 15.16). It is the "more sure" Word of the Spirit of God, a lamp to guide us through the darkness of this age so that we can always find our way along the path that Jesus walked and we must walk with Him (2 Pet. 1.19-21; 1 Jn. 2.1-6).

But we cannot gain the benefit of God's Word if we read it wrong. No matter how much time we spend in the Scriptures - reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating - if our approach is wrong, the Word will not yield the full benefit we seek. We must read the Scriptures in the way God intends, avoiding the various snares and pitfalls which human schemes and notions have strewn along the path of Scriptural understanding.

First among these is the snare of not reading Scripture at all. Obviously we will gain no benefit from the unopened Bible simply sitting on our shelf or desk. That unopened Book is still the Word of God, but we must go to it, read it, and take it deeply into us if its living and active power is to work transformation in our lives.

Reading the Bible right begins with reading it regularly. Choose a version of the Bible that feels right to you. Set up a schedule for daily reading - a chapter or two from the Old Testament and one from the New, for example. Then strive to keep that schedule at least four days a week. Set a time to read when you will be most alert, least rushed, and likely to be confronted with the fewest distractions. Read slowly and thoughtfully, as though God Himself were reading His Word to you. Read with a pen in hand, to make notes in the margin of your Bible or in a Bible-reading journal.

It will help you to develop regular reading habits if you have someone with whom you can share, to whom you can be accountable for your reading. Start with your spouse. Explain your reading plan, then make a point each day to share a bit from what you have read. Even if you don't understand completely what you've read, you can share the story or narrative of the text. You might also discuss any questions or insights you may have gained from your reading.

This conversational accountability will help to make the Word "come alive" to you more powerfully. It will also help to draw out commitments from you so that you work hard to put into practice whatever has clearly been revealed to you as God's will for your life (Jms. 1.22-25).

Reading right starts with reading regularly. There is a vast treasury of wisdom, joy, wonder, mystery, and power awaiting you in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. But you must become a responsible reader. Work to develop the daily discipline of delving into the rich trove of God's Word with regularity, reflection, and accountability (Matt. 13.51, 52).

Then you will begin to know the Lord more intimately and truly, and to experience Him shaping you into the glorious image of His own dear Son.

T. M. Moore

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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