READING GOD’S WORD DIFFERENTLY THAN OTHER BOOKS

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Study to present yourself to God as one approved,
a worker who does not need to be ashamed
and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
(2 Timothy 2:15)

MEDITATION:
Quite often people read the bible differently than they read any other book.
Seldom does anyone pick up a book, open it at random
and start reading in the middle of a paragraph.
Reading a book in this manner wouldn’t make any sense.
In order to understand and fully appreciate the book,
we read it sequentially, often in paragraphs or chapters.

When we read the bible we should be reading for quality, not quantity.
Our goal is not to see how much of the bible we can read.
Our goal is to see how much of it we can understand and apply to our lives.
Try reading a small amount (maybe even just one verse)
and then ask yourself, “What is God saying to ME?”

Another approach is
to read a verse several times with an emphasis on each word.
For instance,
THE Lord is my shepherd.
The LORD is my shepherd.
The Lord IS my shepherd.
The Lord is MY shepherd.
The Lord is my SHEPHERD.

When using this approach,
the meaning of a verse can change each time you read it.
It also gives the Lord multiple opportunities to speak to you.

ACTION:
Try these two techniques for one week
and see if it makes bible reading more meaningful and exciting.
Then apply to your own life what the Lord has taught you.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, help me to read Your Word with the intent
of listening for You to speak directly to me. Help me to block
out all the distractions from the evil one who wants to prevent
me from hearing from You. Teach me how to read the bible in
a way that helps me absorb everything I read, and guides me in
applying what I have read to my own life. Your Word is filled
with advice, guidance, assurance, and blessings that will enhance
my life by giving me an unusual joy and peace that cannot be
found anywhere else. Remind me that Your Word is not just a
book, but it is You and Your Spirit speaking to my heart and soul.”