A Life in the Word Pt 1
One of the commitments to a Burning Ones way of life is living a life in the Word. The Bible is God’s Word, it is the book that reveals to us God’s character and nature and who He is. When we read the Bible, we discover who He is, His character and His nature.
As we read the Bible, the words shape us and mould us and help us to become more and more like Christ. Hebrews 4:12 tells us: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
So, how do we actually read the Bible? What do we read and how often should we read the Bible?
Devotionally
The first way I would suggest reading the Bible is devotionally. By this, I mean get a Bible reading plan and read it, slowly. It is my personal conviction to read the Bible through every year cover to cover. This way, we see and understand the bigger narrative of God’s redemptive story from Genesis to Revelation. Reading slowly and devotionally gives you the opportunity to see how you can apply what you have read to your life. There are plenty of Bible plans online which you can follow, or with the development of AI you can even ask it to write your very own devotional reading plan.
Prayerfully
Praying the Bible has revolutionised my prayer life, added real value and opened my eyes to understand the Bible. It is as simple as just reading and then pausing to pray about what you have read, asking for understanding or using it to pray for others. A great example of these are the apostolic prayers, prayers recorded in the New Testament that the apostles prayed or wrote on their letters. Ephesians 1:17-19 is a great example, turning the Word into a prayer, praying for our friends and family to know God more.
Meditate
Meditating on Scripture is an ancient practice where you take a small chunk of Scripture and focus on it for a period of time, dwelling on it as you go about your day. It is a great way of understanding what that verse means, breaking it down and applying it. An easy way you can meditate on the Bible is by taking a short verse such as John 15:9, setting a timer on your phone for 2-3 minutes and repeating it over and over again. As you do this the verse comes alive to you. The next step is to emphasise a different word in the verse each time. As you do this, watch how the Holy Spirit begins to illuminate those words to you afresh.
In part 2 of this blog, I want to mention 3 other ways that we can read the Bible.