Three levels of Bible Reading
- Devotional Reading
- Meditative Reading
- Studying Scripture
1. THE SCRIPTURES INSPIRED
The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct.
2 Timothy 3:15-17
1 Thessalonians 2:13
2 Peter 1:21
https://ag.org/Beliefs/Statement-of-Fundamental-Truths
2 Timothy 3:15-17
“… from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God p may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. ”
We should saturate our Bible reading with prayer.
A Prayer for Bible Reading
Lord, I desire to meet you in the pages of Scripture today. Open my eyes to read your truth. Open my ears to hear your truth. Open my heart to love your truth. Open my mind to reflect on your truth. Activate my body to live out your truth.
We don’t read the Bible just for information, we desire transformation.
Devotional Reading
- Have a Plan
- Make a Time
- Set a Place
Soap Method for Bible Reading
- Scripture
- Observation
- Application
- Prayer
Meditative Reading
Psalm 1:1-3
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Biblical meditation is filling one’s mind with the word of God and reflecting on the attributes of God.
Four Movements of Lectio Divina
- Lectio (We read the text)
- Meditatio (We meditate the text)
- Oratio (We pray the text)
- Contemplatio (We live the text)
John 15:1-17
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other
Studying Scripture
Investigating Books, Topics, Themes, Images, and People in the Bible that resonate with you.
Blueletterbible.org
BibleProject.com
Biblegateway.com