Make Bible study

I heard about a man who is having a cold January. He asked his wife what she wanted for Christmas, and she replied, “Something that goes from zero to 200 in six seconds.”

Guess what she got Christmas morning? A set of bathroom scales. Good intentions went bad quickly on that one!

The beginning of a new year is a good time to “weigh in” on where we are spiritually. Many people start the new year by making resolutions. A telephone survey of 1,050 adults was conducted by an independent research firm, ICR. People were asked the open-ended question: “What is your new year’s resolution?” People said they were determined to improve their physical and spiritual health.

If we want to improve our spiritual lives, then making a commitment to Bible study must be at the top of the list. Peter wrote, “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (I Peter 2:2). Whether we are a new Christian or a veteran, each of us should discipline ourselves to read God’s Word daily.

As we approach nurturing our lives through Bible reading in 2006, we need a strategy that will help us get started and give us direction. There are many great resources available. We simply need to choose a resource and get started.

Don Pucik wrote an article entitled “Five Simple Bible Reading Strategies.”

• First, read the scripture to deepen your relationship with God. When we open the Word of God, our aim should be simply to know God better. God wants to reveal himself to us through His Word. As we expose ourselves to the truth of the Bible, we expose ourselves to God Himself.

I have to admit that reading the Bible is a challenge for a minister. Our tendency is that every time we open our Bible, we are looking for the next outline, or the next sermon idea, or a different angle on a devotional thought. It’s hard to read just to read and enjoy Scripture. Our primary aim should be to know God better.

• Second, read Scripture until it burns within us. After Jesus arose, He appeared to two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus. They didn’t recognize Him initially, but after He disappeared, they realized that they had been walking and talking with Jesus. They exclaimed, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32). We need to read the Bible with the anticipation and expectation that God is going to speak to us.

• Third, read the Bible every day. Pucik wrote, “Although the amount of Scripture read may vary from person to person, the believers who read it daily are better prepared spiritually for the journey ahead.” If possible, we should read the Bible in the morning so we can reflect on our reading throughout the day.

• Fourth, study the Bible every week. Daily Bible reading is different from deeper Bible study. When we study, we are pursuing a specific topic or particular passage more in-depth. We’re not just scanning, but “setting anchor” on an area of interest. Our best Bible study can arise out of daily reading. As we run across verses we don’t understand or topics we’d like to know more about, we can keep a list and go back to these topics on a weekly basis.

• Fifth, remember what is written. Make notes in the margin of your Bible, memorize scripture, and write down truths that God brings to mind, Pucik suggests.

Someone said, “the conversion of the soul is the miracle of the moment; the growth of the saint is the task of a lifetime.” Make Bible reading and study part of your spiritual growth strategy this year.