Devotionals

I highly recommend reading the bible everyday, not only is it a good prayer discipline but a living encounter with the living God. We find Jesus, revealed by the Holy Spirit on every page to the joy and glory of God the Father. I simply could not do without meeting the risen Christ every morning as my everyday devotional. Here are a twelve helpful guidelines that I have picked up along the way.


1.  Pray.
Reading the Bible is sometimes hard going. Let's just be honest about that. So we need help, and who better to help us that the One who inspired those words in the first place? Engaging Scripture is a communal practice for followers of Jesus, but that process starts with us as individuals reading the Bible in the company of the Spirit whose help we pray to receive. The Spirit hovers over the written word and brings it alive. Ask the Lord to help you and reveal more of Jesus to you as you read.

2. Be willing to obey what you read. This step is one of disposition or spiritual posture. We will be more likely to hear God's voice in the text if we are eager to honour what He will say!





3. Commit. Since Bible study is sometimes hard going, and since it is a practice the world of our workaday lives that makes no room for, we will have to commit to actually do it. We cannot wait until opportunities arise. They will rarely come. We must forcefully create time in our day to read, study, and pray.




4. Pick a Time and a Place.   Many of us are quite devoted to certain media influences. Those influences often involve a time and a place. We go to the Cinema at 7:45pm to see an 8:00m film. We make our away into the living room to watch the scheduled TV programme. So choose a time and place for the media influence of Scripture. It might be a good idea to make sure before bed that the "place" (a desk, chair, etc.) is ready to use as soon as we wake up (if the "time" is early in the morning). If I find the usual debris on a desk or clutter crowding the desk space, I might delay or find myself engrossed in cleaning or sorting instead of valuable time for reading.

5. Choose a Manageable Reading Plan. We are more likely to read if we have some sort of vision as to what it is we are reading. A hunk of our reading time might well get swallowed up flipping pages wondering where we should start. Since we will be working through a sermon series on Exodus in the coming weeks why not start with the The Book of Exodus: Do not set unreasonable reading goals—constantly "failing" takes us on a sure path to fatigue and defeat.


6.  Read both Widely and Narrowly. What I mean is that we should read both wide swaths of text plus take time to focus in on just a small passage or two. For instance, if I were going to assign myself a reading plan for the Book of Exodus, I would want to read thru as much of the book as possible in one sitting. Again, be reasonable with the time frame. But reading long spans help us to see the big picture of a biblical text. (The Context) Don't worry if you come across something you do not understand. Take note of it, but keep reading. After reading long spans of a book or letter, you can narrow in on briefer portions. This might include re-reading the entire text, but much more slowly, or just spending focused time on a handful of passages that seem important or stood out to you in the first reading(s).





7. Mind the Literary Features.   As written text, the Bible has literary qualities. So look for stylistic features like repeated words/phrases, the use of irony, recurring themes, etc. It is also extremely important to think about the literary genre of what you are reading. An "OT History" should be read differently than an "Epistle" or "The book of Revelation" or a "sayings collection" like Proverbs. In our own day, we read newspaper articles differently than we would read a novel or a blog post. Genre affects how we read and understand a text.








8.  Make Notes.    I write copious notes every morning. A kind of on the go commentary of what I am reading. I am careful to read all of the passages I have set for that morning not running ahead to the bits that conveniently suit me! Try to pay attention to what the Spirit is nudging you to notice; also, try to observe what the biblical authors are emphasising and highlighting




9.  Try new technologies. I personally use the bible in book-form for my everyday devotional. No commentaries in sight. But there are some excellent smartphone or tablet apps out there that might help your Bible Reading if that would be an easier option for you.. It might be worth checking some out.

10. Use Good Tools.    The best "tool" I would recommend is a good study Bible. Most of us do not need an unwieldy commentary set for our Bible reading. But all of us could use some solid background notes that help us understand the names, places, and historical goings-on in which the biblical writings are framed. (I personally only use the study bible once I have read and written about a passage as I want to form my own opinion of the passage before I consult other opinions.)

11.  Make a Summary.   At the end of each chapter your read and make notes about make a 10 point summary of what you have read. Highlight the themes that stand out for you. This is only a bullet point summary two or three lines at the most. It does help to focus what you have read and highlight some of the things you might want to read in more detail. I also include a written reflection from one of the highlights or summary themes. The written reflection is an extended study that might focus on a theme and expand on it.


12.  Learn from the Church. 
 God is not calling us all to be biblical scholars. But He has assigned competent Bible preachers. Take advantage of the opportunities provided at H.L.B.C. There are home groups that function either weekly or fortnightly. (See the weekly Bulletin for details) Don't forget that every sermon should not only be an instance of good Bible teaching, but also a model for how we can engage the Bible responsibly.




Enjoy the blessing and provision of the Lord.
Graeme
One of the Pastors of Harehills Lane Baptist Church, Leeds. UK.