Reading the Bible Devotionally
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The struggle is real, people! We are three weeks into our One Year Bible reading journey. There have, no doubt, been some great days, but there have also been days when you struggled to read at all and there are other days that you’ve struggled with what you’ve read.
The Wednesday night LIFE Group of which I am a part is reading a great little book by David Watson titled Scripture and the Life of God. A couple of weeks ago we discussed the difference between reading the Bible for information versus reading the Bible for transformation. In reading the Bible for information, we are looking for facts and data. Having the right facts and data is important, but it is only the beginning. It is important to for us to ask What does this passage mean? or How would the original hearers/readers of this material understand the author? Watson writes that there may not be one correct reading of a passage, but there may be many incorrect readings of a passage. If we are going to use the Bible for its primary purpose, we must have the most accurate information available.
If we are reading the Bible for information only, however, we are falling short of our goal. We must also read the Bible for transformation. That is the Christian’s primary purpose in reading the Bible (Romans 12:2). Reading the Bible for transformation asks the question What does this passage mean to me? This type of devotional reading is idiosyncratic.
So, how do you read the Bible for transformation? A very simple method is the SOAP method. SOAP stands for:
Scripture
Observation
Application
Prayer
Since we are doing a One Year Bible plan, the choice of Scripture will likely be one of the 4-5 passages from our daily selections. However, you might choose any passage. I understand the temptation to read our passages purely for informational purposes. There are times when 15 minutes seems like a lot of time to devote to this discipline and you want to run through it as quickly as possible. Your attitude may be that of Joe Friday from Dragnet, “Just the fact, Ma’am.”
I encourage you to choose one of the passages and spend a few minutes thinking about it and asking it questions. Observe by asking questions such as:
How does what this person said or did compare to Jesus’ teaching?
Should I adopt or reject this person’s attitude or behavior? Why?
Is there a repeated word or phrase? Why?
The most important aspect of devotional reading is the application, by asking the question What does God want me to do in response to this passage? There are, of course, many, many application questions we might ask as we read the Bible. Rick Warren has a great acronym he uses to dive deeper into a passage called SPACEPETS. You can read about it here.
Always begin and end your Bible reading and devotional time with prayer. ALWAYS! Transformation comes about only as we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. Reading the Bible is one way that we open ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Reading the Bible and prayer are the two most important and accessible means of transformation available to us as Christians. The prayer doesn’t have to be long. This prayer doesn’t have to include your entire prayer list, but just an expression of gratitude or repentance or devotion or whatever you might be led to pray in response to the reading.
This journey is an exciting one. The journey is a God-honoring one. We’re 5.2% through the Bible. That seems like a lot for only 19 days. Let’s do this…together.
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