How to Maximize Your Bible Reading

God’s Word is the primary means of grace God ordinarily uses to bring remarkable life change to those who trust in Him. Yet Bible reading can at times feel more like a chore than a delight.

A steady diet of Scripture reading will bring days of delight as well as days that feel dry. This is perfectly normal.

When I remember the significance of God’s Word, it drives me to consider how I can make the most of this time.

Psalm 1:3 tells us that the person who delights in the Law of the LORD “is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” I want this to be true of my time in the Word. I hope it will be a fruitful time of delight in the Lord.

In this post, we’ll explore three considerations for making the most of our time in God’s Word.

Attitude

One of the most critical aspects of getting the most out of your time reading God’s Word is remembering that it is indeed God’s Word. Knowing this profoundly impacts our attitude as we approach Scripture.

If we believe that God’s Word is more valuable than earthly treasures and that understanding and applying Scripture brings life and flourishing, we cannot help but read differently.

It is not only our attitude toward Scripture that we should consider. We should also be aware of our attitude toward God. Do we see him as holy and righteous? Do we know that he is the source of all good? Do we recognize that we fall short of his glory? If so, we will be driven to an attitude of prayerful and humble dependence in our Scripture reading.

So, the next time you read the Bible, take a minute to remind yourself what you are doing: you are about to open the Word of God. Spend some time praying that God would use His Word to form you into His image.

Attention

It is far too easy to lose focus while reading. When I worked as a reading comprehension tutor, the number one piece of advice I would give was to be an active reader—that is, to engage with the text.

The best way to engage with the text is to ask questions as you read. You might ask questions the text raises—for example, where is that place? What does that mean? Or you can use your own questions to stay engaged.

For general reading comprehension, I like to ask two big questions: (1) What is the big idea? And (2) How does each part relate to the big idea? These questions help me stay on track and ensure that I understand what I’m reading.

For Bible reading specifically, I like to ask another set of questions:

• (1) What does this passage tell me about myself or people in general?
• (2) What does this passage tell me about God?
• (3) What should I do about it?

Another set of questions you might ask while reading Scripture is:

• (1) What does this say? Meaning, what is the big idea the author is trying to convey?
• (2) What does this mean? Meaning, what does this tell me about myself, humans in general, and God?
• (3) What do I do about it?

Whatever questions you ask, the most important thing is to engage with the text rather than passively trying to absorb the information.

Action

James 1:22 says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

Apart from application, Scripture reading is incomplete.

But application can be challenging. The Bible is full of different genres, and most are not straightforward commandments or guides to daily life. And yet, all of Scripture is applicable to all of life.

This means that faithfully applying Scripture takes work. Once you understand what a passage tells us about ourselves and about God, you are prepared to consider what we should do about it.

I have found that meaningful application often comes by making an abstract concept concrete.

For example, you might read in Isaiah 44 about the foolishness of idols and God’s faithfulness in redeeming his people. Meditating on this truth alone can yield the fruit of application, but you might also consider how to apply it concretely.

You might realize that you regard something too highly in your heart—that something besides God has become a god to you. So, the application might be to turn from your false deliverers and turn to the true deliverer.

You can make this application even more concrete by asking: how? In fact, whenever an application seems too abstract, you can keep asking “how?” until the application is clear and concrete.

Conclusion

We can make the most of our time in Scripture by seeing God’s Word for what it is, engaging with each text by asking questions that lead to a greater understanding of God and his Word, and considering how we can apply Scripture concretely and specifically.

Remember, the goal of Scripture reading is not merely to fill our heads with knowledge. It is to experience God Himself through his revelation of Himself. Therefore, it is well worth considering how we can make the most of our time in Scripture.