Get More Out of Reading Your Bible


There are times when I feel I just don’t get it, that is what the word is saying to me, and then there are those instances where I can’t believe how what I am reading seems to be speaking to me and what is going on in my life. This is a common thing when reading the Bible and I think that is why it is important to read it often. If you think about it how many times have you read the Bible? If you have been a Christian for some time probably quite a few times.

There are times when I have to “dig” meaning out of the scripture as I am reading and it really comes in handy when I feel lost or that the word isn’t speaking to me. Here is how to get more out of reading your Bible:

3 Questions to ask when reading the Bible

1. What does it say?
2. What does it say to me?
3. What should I do about it?

I can’t remember where I got this idea but it was some time ago and I use this method when reading. Depending on the length and the message of the scripture I may break it into verse, a collection of verses, or chapter. Lets take Psalm 100 - I pre-write my questions on a sheet of paper and the scripture I am looking at.

Question #1 - What does it say? The Lord is our creator and He loves us and is faithful to His Word.

Question #2 - What does it say to me? God is the creator, He loves me and I belong to Him. His word holds true and He is wise and loving.

Question #3 - What should I do about it? (How should I respond?) I should praise God and sing and worship Him with thanksgiving.

So there you have it… I think that these questions can be answered differently by different people going through different things. It is a good exercise that helps focus the mind on what is being said.

Comments

HarleyQ said…
I just found you blog but I agree with you that when we do read the bible we need to quietly ask what is it trying to say to me. It is interesting that you can read the same passage at different times and it seems like a new message each time.
March 11, 2010 at 8:52 PM
Mark said…
It can sometimes difficult to digest what is written...having these guidelines will organize your reflections and realization.

Thanks for sharing this!
March 29, 2010 at 4:59 AM
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