Teddy James
AFA Journal staff writer
June 2013 – Before my wife and I were married, she spent three months in California as a summer missionary. While gone, she wrote me several letters that I read repeatedly, pouring over every word as only a love-struck person would do.
A few weeks before she left, I was experiencing my last final exams of college. During exam week, I read my notes and books as only a caffeine-fueled, crash-studying college student can.
Both writings were important, but one was read to deepen a relationship while the others were read to grow in knowledge and wisdom.
My wife’s letters were just representative of her, and my textbooks were just a collection of facts. They communicated truth, but they were just words on pages. Fortunately for Christians, the Word of God is more than a love letter, a history book, a biography, a poetry collection. We read the Word of God for more than to gain knowledge and wisdom. We read it to see the person of God.
Some books give readers a desire to curl up in a blanket, get comfortable and find themselves lost within their pages. They get caught up in the story, the characters, the plots. They find themselves seeing the story like a movie in their minds and become acutely aware of a message for them within the text. Every avid reader has at least one book on the shelf with a wrinkled cover and fractured spine because it is his favorite and has been loved into literal pieces.
The Bible was meant to be that type of book for believers. It was meant to excite, enthrall and inspire. It was designed to be read as the ultimate, sweeping story of God’s grace and an invitation to fellowship with him. But so often Christians see having a quiet time or devotion as a chore, rather than a gift. Today there are several methods of reading the Bible devotionally that can help change that perspective.
Reading a book once will reveal its story and acquaint the reader with the characters. Reading it 10 times will reveal hidden nuggets of beauty and make the characters feel like friends. Reading a book every day for an entire month will make it a part of the reader’s life and the characters feel like family.
That is why well-known pastor John McArthur, when reading the Bible devotionally, picks one book of Scripture and reads it daily for a month. He started this practice with 1 John. After that, he wanted to try a larger book and turned to the Gospel of John.
Knowing it was too long for him to read in a single sitting every day, he split it into three sections. He read seven chapters daily. In an article about his Bible reading method, McArthur said, “By reading the Bible repetitiously, you will find that your total comprehension increases dramatically. That’s because the Bible explains the Bible. God didn’t write it to trip us up; He wants us to understand it.”
Another method to give a fresh perspective on devotional reading is reading the Bible chronologically. A great resource for this is a one year chronological Bible. These come in several translations, and many have study notes. They separate Scripture into daily readings that are in the order in which many scholars believe the events occurred. This is especially useful in grasping the story of the Old Testament.
Many believers have deepened their fellowship with God through the use of great devotionals written by men and women who spent their lives pursuing God. Some favorites include Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon, My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers and Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. When considering a devotional book, make sure the readings are centered on Scripture and the writer is trustworthy in the handling of Scripture.
Some Christians love the Bible but just cannot make themselves enjoy reading. No matter how often or how hard they try, reading feels like a chore that takes the joy out of devotion times. For them, or for anyone who would like to redeem the commute to and from work, an audio Bible is a great tool for listening to Scripture.
For the technologically adept, there are websites like Bible Gateway that host several translations of Scripture. Visitors can choose a method of reading through the Bible or through a section of it in a predetermined amount of time and have their daily readings sent directly to their email inbox. For those with smartphones or electronic tablets, numerous free apps are available that sound an alert as a reminder to have a quiet time. A great app for this is the ESV Bible app, available for free on all mobile devices.
Good devotions will always lead to good Bible studies, and good Bible studies will always lead to good devotions. Just as for reading devotionally, there is a plethora of methods and resources for studying the Bible.
Kay Arthur did not invent the inductive Bible study method, but she has written extensively about it. In her book, Lord Teach Me to Study the Bible in 28 Days, Arthur uses the inductive method to examine the book of Jonah. Put as simply as possible, inductive Bible study means using the Bible to understand the Bible. The student pays close attention to who is speaking, who is being addressed, where the action is taking place and many other details.
One major difference between devotionally reading Scripture and studying the Bible is the resources used. To get every drop of wisdom from its pages, it is wise to use tools designed for digging deep and finding spiritual gold.
One such resource is a Greek-English interlinear Bible. This resource displays Scripture in three ways: the original Koine Greek, the word-for-word English translation in between lines of Greek and a modern translation such as the NIV or ESV in the margin. The usefulness of this tool cannot be overstated.
Many interlinear Bibles will include an abridged concordance. Some will even advertise themselves as using the Strong’s number system. But investing in a Strong’s Strongest Exhaustive Concordance, either in its digital or in hardback form, will not disappoint. Concordances are used for seeing how and where single words are used throughout Scripture. Using the word study method, meaning to pick a single word or idea and discovering what the totality of Scripture says about it, capitalizes heavily on this type of resource.
Using commentaries to study the Bible has been an encouraging practice for generations. God has gifted select men and women with incredible insight and articulation when it comes to understanding and teaching the Bible. Most of these people take their teachings and publish them for future generations’ benefit.
For Christian leaders of long ago, e.g. Matthew Henry, their commentaries are now in the public domain and available free on the Internet. While they do not and should not hold the same weight as Scripture, reading their insights and research on God’s Word is very beneficial for a deeper understanding of the Bible.
For those who learn better by hearing than reading, there is an abundance of sermons, seminary classes, seminary chapels and lectures by Christian leaders on YouTube and on podcast directories. Many of them are available free.
Ultimately, how we study the Bible is not of supreme importance, as Augustine said, “The point of Scripture is to see Christ.” Whatever method you use, make sure you are reading the Bible to better see and understand Jesus Christ. It is, after all, His story. 
Resources for devotional reading:
▶ Read Your Bible One Book at a Time by Woodrow Kroll
▶ One Minute Bible for Students edited by John R. Kohlenberger III
▶ YouVersion App for iPhone and Android at Bible Gateway
Resources for Bible study:
▶ How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart
▶ Word Study Greek-English New Testament edited by Paul R. McReynolds
▶ Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance by James Strong
▶ Faithlife App for iPhone and Android
▶ Ligonier App for iPhone and Android
▶ New American Commentary by various authors
▶ Exploring the Word with Alex McFarland and Bert Harper on AFR Talk, (American Family Radio)
▶ Behold Your God DVD 12-week Bible study available at the AFA Store.
