Reading and Meditation
QUESTION
Can you share with me how you read God's Word? Many chapters a day or just a chapter? Whenever I read, I feel like I'm just reading a storybook. How do I actually get close to God through bible reading? I don't wish to read to gain knowledge, but want to know God intimately and personally. And also I hear people say we are sinners and will be condemned but Jesus came to save us. Which chapter should I begin reading if I wish to know more about why we need a savior? Also, many people say simply reading is not enough. We need to meditate on God's word and let it soak in our lives. How do I meditate? (Anonymous)
ANSWER
Thanks for taking a moment to ask a question. A line-by-line answer follows:
Can you share with me how you read God's Word?
I used to read the bible from cover to cover every year. I did that for many years and read several different translations (ESV, NIV, NASB, KJV) prior to joining the Old Baptist Church and coming to the conviction that the KJV is the preserved word of God in English. I believe the best way to read the bible is straight through from Genesis to Revelation, though I have also read it using a One Year Bible that provides some Old Testament, some New Testament and some Psalms in 365 daily readings.
In recent years I have not read the entire bible each year. My study has been more spread out. I still do a fair amount of bible reading but it is a mixture of sermon preparation, family time, responding to blog comments and questions, and preparing to write. So my current reading is more pragmatic and in the service of the ministry. That said, I do miss the routine of annual bible reading and hope to do it again in the future.
Many chapters a day or just a chapter?
I think it’s best for most people to read maybe 30 minutes a day and stop when your mind starts to wander. You can read more if you’re engaged and its going well but it’s not beneficial to just keep reading if you’re not really focused on the text. I think you have to do about 24 chapters a week to be at the right pace. So maybe 3-4 chapters a day. Obviously not all chapters are the same length but this is a pretty good rule of thumb. I read with a pen in hand to make marginal notes and underline things I find interesting or important and I do NOT use a study bible. I find that I lack the discipline to actually read a study bible, because I can’t resist the temptation to break up the text by skipping down to the footnotes after each verse to see what the commentator said. I keep all commentary and study items out of the mix and if I want to investigate something I have read, I do that after my reading is finished.
Whenever I read, I feel like I'm just reading a storybook. How do I actually get close to God through bible reading?
You are reading a story book. I think it’s helpful to consider how the stories in the bible relate to your own personal experiences, or those of others you know. Paul said the things written aforetime were written for our learning. I believe there are a lot of life lessons in those bible stories provided we take the time to compare them to our lives.
I don't wish to read to gain knowledge, but want to know God intimately and personally.
“Gaining knowledge” and “knowing God more intimately” are not mutually exclusive. The more knowledge you gain about God the more intimately you come to know who he is. I would recommend that you not set these complimentary concepts at odds with each other.
Also I hear people say we are sinners and will be condemned but Jesus came to save us.
People say a lot of things. It is true that we are sinners (Romans 3:23) and that Jesus Christ came to save sinners (I Timothy 1:15). It is also true that He chose a people to save (Ephesians 1:4-6). He promised to save them (John 17:2) without the loss of one (John 10:28). He died for his sheep (John 10:11) and some men are NOT sheep (v26) and that this election of grace is a manifestation of God’s goodness (Exodus 33:19).
Which chapter should I begin reading if I wish to know more about why we need a savior?
The first three chapters of Romans lays out Paul’s description of humanity’s fallen state and why salvation requires the sovereign, monergistic grace of God. Look at his indictment of fallen man apart from God’s grace in Romans 3:10-18 and ask yourself: can a man in this condition ever choose to love God? Clearly not. That’s why salvation must be by grace and not by our will or by human choice (John 1:13, Romans 9:16).
And also many people say simply reading is not enough. We need to meditate on God's word and let it soak in our lives. How do I meditate?
I recommend you pray, then read, and then think about what you have read. Talk about it with others. Consider it in your daily walk. Ask, how does this apply to me? Avoid being consumed by media (internet, TV, smartphones, gaming, etc.). Everyone struggles with this today but never having time to be alone with your own thoughts is instrumental in a great deal of depression, intellectual malaise, and lack of spiritual discernment. Also, writing has been helpful to me, particularly writing in the form of trying to clearly express what I believe the bible teaches. I consider it a form of meditation.
Years ago I became convicted that I should not say that I believe something unless I could point to a scripture that sustained that belief (I Peter 4:11). I began to write down those things that I believed along with the scriptures that supported those beliefs. This clarified my understanding of the bible’s teachings and improved my ability to express those beliefs. It was also helpful in identifying some FALSE ideas by making the scriptural basis for the error easier to spot. Writing down the verses that you believe support some doctrine makes it easier to identify a misuse of scripture that goes beyond its contextual intent.
This is a big topic and there’s more that could be said. I hope these brief thoughts prove helpful.
- Elder Daniel Samons