Reading the Bible with regularity

January in Sydney seems to function at a different speed.  The sun is warm, the days are long - & more socialising seems to simply happen.  We’ve recovered from Christmas, but haven’t relaunched into maximum commitment level.  There is lots to like about January.  It is for many people a ‘sabbath’ where you can stop & enjoy the good gifts God showers on us. But the break from routine can make some parts of good living harder. 

Time seems to be freer.  But many of us find time with God through His Word, harder to find. 

4 points to help us all make the most of the Bible over January & into the year.

1. Remember why you are reading. We read the Bible because of what it is & what it can do.  The Bible is a genuine engagement with the living God.  The process of reading might be the same as any other book – but this Word is living & active (Hebrews 2v14-15).  When people speak, we engage with them in a some what distorted way:  They sometimes lie; they sometimes are wrong; they sometimes fail to keep their promises.  But God cannot lie.  God knows everything.  God cannot fail.  When He speaks by his Word, we engage the living God as He actually is!  A because of what it is, it can do marvellous things.  Psalm 119 gives a whole list of benefits – to draw simply one: ‘It preserves our lives’ (v37).  Engaging the living God by His Word is what gives life & life to the full.  It preserves the quality of our lives here & now.  It preserves the duration of ‘life’ into eternity.  We read the Bible because it is so very good.

2. Have a system that suits you. The Bible is an engagement with the Divine – but God speaks it through His very ‘ordinary’ creation.  It means we needn’t all read it the same way – but we must read it.  We all need physical food to live – but it doesn’t mean we all have to enjoy a curry.  We must read God’s life-giving Word in a way that suits who God has made you.  For like any other book in creation, we actually to open it while our minds are alert.  Some people find a system helps them to open it.  Whether it is ‘Daily Bread’ Bible reading notes or the ‘M’Cheyne system’ that has you read the whole Bible once a year (New Testament & Psalms twice); whether you read large chunks at once or try to commit verses to memory – find a system that means you open the Bible.  & open when your mind is alert.  For a long time I tried early mornings – but have at last conceded it was largely ineffective & guilt inducing to try it.  Know when your mind is sharp & give that time to the goodness of God’s Word.

3. Make it conversational. Reading the Word is half of our conversation with God.  It is His time to address us (so we read it with a desire to obey, not avoid, its implications).  But keep it conversational by surrounding your Bible Reading with prayer.  Pray beforehand that God might: Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. (Psalm 119:18).  Pray after in response to what you’ve read.  Praise Him for who you’ve been reminded God is.  Thank Him for what you’ve just read He’s done.  Ask for the Word to re-shape you.

4. Don’t feel alone. The overwhelming pattern of the Bible is an assumption that it is read communally.  In part, because it is written at a time prior to the printing press & without an assumption that everyone is literate.  But more than that, God engages not just individuals, but His people.  To read the Bible as an act of private religion misunderstands the point of God calling a people.  Share what you’ve been encouraged & challenged by in your personal reading with others.  Even better – take time to read it with others.  Read it over dinner with the flatmates or family.  Take a coffee with a friend (especially while Connect groups aren’t running) & read a passage together.  It needn’t be complex – just read it, & talk about what the big idea was, what was challenging, what was comforting & what would need to change in your life if it was true.

January is a good month – make the most of it by enjoying the goodness of God’s Word. In Him

Mark Smith