Most Christians understand that daily Bible reading would be a great benefit to their walks with the Lord, yet few develop this vitally important spiritual habit. We live in a fast-paced society with a long list of tasks and distractions all vying for our attention. But for our spiritual survival, we must make reading the Bible a priority.
Jesus said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Just like we cannot survive and grow without physical food, Christians cannot live without a regular intake of the spiritual food of the Word.
Reading the Bible in a year may seem like an intimidating goal, but in your hands you hold a proven method to help you with this rewarding journey. Scripture reminds us that there is wisdom in having a plan before beginning a task (cf. Proverbs 24:27).
The LSB Daily Reading Bible provides an easy-to-read plan that will help you go through the entire Bible in one year! Each day lays out four refreshing portions of Scripture, which can be read in under 15 minutes. Each week includes a quote from godly men and women, to encourage you on your journey.
Over 150 years ago, Charles H. Spurgeon, called the “Prince of Preachers”, gave a sermon with seven principles for getting the most benefit when reading the Bible. We’ve included a brief summary of his sermon so you can get the most out of reading God’s Word.
1. READ & DEPEND
In order to properly understand the holy Word we need to have the Holy Spirit to be His own expositor … the divine Author, who must know His own meaning, is ever ready to lead you into its meaning. He dwells in you and shall be with you, and Christ Jesus said, “When he, the Spirit of truth is come, he shall lead you into all truth.”
It is an incredible gift that the Father would send the Holy Spirit to live inside of Christians and to directly teach us. God desires all Christians to understand the truth. We need the Spirit of truth in order to truly understand what He has spoken in His Word. So, remember to pray and ask God to help you depend on the Spirit before, during, and after reading the Bible.
2. READ & MEDITATE
For lack of meditation the truth runs by us, and we miss and lose it. Our treacherous memory is like a sieve, and what we hear and what we read runs through it and leaves but little behind … I often find it very profitable to get a text as a sweet morsel under my tongue in the morning and to keep the flavor of it, if I can, in my mouth all the day.
When reading the Bible, you may find it easy to forget what you just read. So, it is important that we meditate on what we read. Unlike pagan meditation, which focuses on emptying the mind, biblical meditation involves pondering the truth over and over again—like a cow chewing the cud. The righteous man in Psalm 1:2 “meditates [on His Word] day and night.” As you read, slow down, make observations, and jot down questions. It is a good habit to ponder the Word throughout the day and into the night.
3. READ & APPLY
See what precepts are binding upon yourself, and then, as a child of God, be your feet swift to run in the way of His commandments. … Do with the Bible as the sick man does with the doctor’s prescription. Follow it by personally doing what it bids you.
The Bible tells us when we apply God’s Word to our lives, He makes us more like Jesus. This process is called sanctification, and it is motivated by God’s loving work in our hearts (cf. Psalm 119:32). James 1:22 warns us about not consistently obeying His Word: “But become doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” Jesus, our great Physician (cf. Luke 5:31), has given us a prescription for our spiritual sicknesses through His Word, so it is for our good to obey Him.
4. READ & PRACTICE
The world will learn better and will more likely be brought to know Christ when the lives of Christians are better, and when the Bible of the Christian life shall be more in accordance with the Bible of Christian doctrine! God, make us holy, sanctify us, spirit, soul, and body, and then we shall be made finely serviceable both to the church and to the world.
As God’s ambassadors we must purposefully apply His truth to our lives and show others what it means to belong to Him (2 Corinthians 5:20). As we are more saturated in His Word, we can then carry out His will within His church, our homes, our workplaces, and our communities. Consider how to practice what you read in your daily life.
5. READ & PRAY
A text is like a treasure chest which is locked, and prayer is the key to open it, and then we get God’s treasure. … To only read is unprofitable, to pray without reading is not so soul enriching, but when the two run together, they are like the horses in the chariot, and they speed along right merrily.
The Bible is a treasure more valuable than gold (Psalm 19:10), and God freely offers it to us. Since the Word of God belongs to Him, we must ask Him by prayer to give it to us and to plant it in our hearts. So, pray like the Psalmist: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law” (Psalm 119:18).
6. READ & TRY
Try what you hear, try what you profess, try what you read. … If you ever have a doctrine of God in your mind, find out the text or texts which prove it! If there should happen to be other texts which seem to point the other way, do not cut and pare any of them down, but accept all and wait until the Spirit reveals wherein they really agree! Scripture is not to fit your opinions, but your opinions to conform to the blessed word!
It is good to “try” (that is, “test”) what we hear, believe, and read. The Bible encourages Christians to examine our own beliefs and the beliefs of others by looking to the Scriptures (cf. Acts 17:11). Although written across thousands of years and by dozens of authors, God’s Word never contradicts itself. When we read Scripture and hard questions arise, we should pray for God’s help. As we discipline ourselves to study the Word, over time the questions may continue, but the answers will often be revealed as we make every effort to anchor our lives to the truth of the Bible (cf. Deuteronomy 29:29).
7. READ & TELL OUT
When you have read for an hour or so, spend another half hour in communicating to a child, or a servant, or a seeker, or to some bed ridden saint, the thing that has enriched and helped you. … if you have been brought into personal contact with divine truth, let it be the first impulse of your soul to—“Tell to the sinners round What a dear Savior you have found.”
As you read, telling others about what you’ve been learning from the Lord helps set the minds of your family members, coworkers, and friends on heavenly things and the saving love of Jesus (cf. Colossians 3:1-4). Finding creative ways to talk about what you have been reading is one of the best ways to share the hope of the gospel (Romans 15:4).
