Spiritual Practices - Reading and Studying the Bible
Spending time reading and studying the Bible is so foundational to our Christian faith that it hardly falls into the category of a spiritual practice. Spiritual practices are tools to help us grow in our faith and the Bible definitely helps us do that, but it’s so much more.
Nevertheless, I’ll include it here anyway. How you best “take in” God’s Word somewhat depends on your personality and how you’re wired.
I think there are two important basic components that are helpful to practice:
Reading/listening to the Bible - the actual words - for yourself.
Study - either done by you or by another, both personally and in community
About #1: I know devotion books are popular and there’s not necessarily anything wrong with them, but it’s important to spend time reading the actual words from the Bible in their context and not ONLY devotion books like “Our Daily Bread” or “Jesus Calling”. [I am personally not a fan of the “Jesus Calling” books at all. I’m very uncomfortable with how she puts words in Jesus’ mouth and says they’re for us.]
My hubby, whose walk with God I greatly respect, loves “Our Daily Bread”. He likes it because it has him read verses from all over the Bible that he might not otherwise read. But he also reads through whole books of the Bible at a time and “digests” it himself rather than relying solely on the devotion writer’s insights.
My personal preference is to just read the Bible using a reading plan of some sort or just deciding on a different book per month to work through.
Another option is to listen to the Bible. Some of us are more auditory processors and enjoy listening to the Bible being read to them. That can be a great option if you commute to work or like to listen while you work out or take a walk.
For #2, your local church is your main resource. I believe it’s very important for every Christian to be involved in a Bible preaching, Christ-centered church. I know the pandemic has complicated things, but most churches can be listened to online. Be consistent in listening to your pastor preach. Get involved in a small group. Use your gifts to serve others.
Beyond your local church, or if for some reason you aren’t connected to one, there are lots of other resources. You can study the Bible yourself. There are also online studies and books you can purchase that will lead you through studying a portion of Scripture. Beth Moore and Kelly Minter are a couple of my favorites.
If you like listening to things, there are also a number of podcasts that teach through the Bible.
I’ve put together some of my favorite resources - reading plans, websites on how to study the Bible, podcasts, audio Bible apps - in a free pdf you can download. Take a look here. I hope you find them helpful!
How do you incorporate Bible reading and study into your life?