Connecting with Christ means a daily practice of reading, meditating on, and following His Word.
Connecting with Christ through His Word
The first thing that may come to mind when we mention “daily disciplines” is reading the Bible and prayer, or what many of us call a “quiet time”. Taking time each day to read the Scriptures has great benefits: learning about God’s character in the Old Testament, knowing Christ through the gospels, and seeing how we should live from the New Testament letters. Reading the Bible is a way to let God speak to us, and we communicate also with him through prayer. Overall, a discipline of daily reading the Bible and praying helps us to connect with Christ.
How much do you long for Christ?
1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
Psalm 42:1-2 (NIV)
How did your best friend become your best friend? A few of the things you may have done to build the friendship are:
- spend time together
- do things together
- be around each other
- take an interest in what each other is doing
- talk to each other
We want to do all of these things because we long for the relationship. We find ourselves like a thirsty deer, longing for a drink of water. We impatiently ask when we can go and meet with our friend.
To connect with Christ, we need to have a genuine longing to be with Him. We need to thirst for times of prayer and reading the Word so that we can get to know Christ. In this post we’ll discuss connecting with Christ through the Word of God, and in the next we’ll explore the topic of prayer.
Why a daily discipline of reading God’s Word?
18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20 and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
Deuteronomy 17:18-20 (NIV)
This scripture is from the OT “book of the law” (Deuteronomy) and describes what God expected when the people called for a king. The key expectation was that the king would read the words of God’s law all the days of his life, for three reasons:
- Fear the Lord: to keep him from sin and focus him on God as the real King.
- Obey God’s word: so that he could lead the nation to carefully follow God’s law.
- Humility before his brothers: so that he would not consider himself better than others, but just a servant.
I Love Your Law
The New Testament church in Berea gives us an example of how we also can also fear, obey and walk in humility before God through his Word.
11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Acts 17:11 (NIV)
As with the kings of Old Testament Israel, study of the word will help us to know what is true and keep us from being led astray. It leads to us having a “noble character” like the Bereans. They were commended first for their eagerness, their longing to know the truth from the Scriptures. Second, they were lifted up for their diligence, their searching of the Scriptures every day to see if Paul was speaking the truth. A daily discipline of Bible reading shows we are seekers of God’s truth.
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.
Psalm 1:1-2 (NIV)
Our time with God in His Word will lead to a blessing. We’ll find ourselves not following the ways of the wicked or sinners around us, but focusing on doing what the Word says. We need to not only read and follow the Word, but also to delight in it, meditating on it all day and all night.
My Meditation All The Day
What does it mean to “meditate on his law”? Foster’s “Celebration of Discipline” includes a chapter on the discipline of meditation. In it he states “Meditation is not just a mystical trance-like state or an emptying of the mind – it’s filling the mind with what you need to repent and obey!” Meditation in a Biblical sense is not like the Eastern religious view of meditation, which focuses on an empting of the mind. Biblical meditation is filling our minds with God’s Word so that we can better follow the life He calls us to live.
One practice that helps with meditation is memorization of scriptures. In each blog post of the “daily disciplines” series, we present a few recommended scriptures. This is a good place to start, but make it a practice to find and memorize scriptures that speak to you about a conviction you need to have or a change you need to make in your character. A mind and heart full of scripture will help you stay close to God and help you to share your love for God with others.
What are some ways to study God’s Word?
There are many methods and suggestions you can find for studying the word. A good start is to get a good Bible translation and a notebook, and set aside a time and place where you can spend time without being distracted.
A good way to approach your study of the Word is to read multiple translations of the passage and consider the interpretation technique used by the translators. Here are some general thoughts from my blog post Philippians 4:10-13 – Paul’s Secret to Contentment:
Some English translations are “word for word” (for example the ESV and KJV version), others are “thought for thought” (NIV and CSB), and others are “paraphrases” (NLT and The Message). An article with a good chart and summaries of various translations is here. (Note that I am not familiar with the authors of that site and their opinions are theirs alone and don’t necessarily align with those of myself or my fellowship of churches.) The translators of the various English versions are scholars of the languages and have put careful thought and review into their word choices. Through considering various versions and the context of the passage, a non-scholar “unschooled and ordinary” (Act 4:13) reader of the Bible can study the word of God and apply the scriptures responsibly and effectively.
BentonBlog, Philippians 4:10-13 – Paul’s Secret to Contentment.
Bible Study Tools
Once you’ve chosen a good translation, learning some methods of study and understanding it’s structure are important. Some resources for learning how to read the Bible are below (note that BentonBlog may receive a commission for any purchases you make from these links – see this disclaimer):
- How to Read the Bible Book by Book: A Guided Tour by Gordon D. Fee, Douglas Stuart
- Getting the Most from the Bible: A Guide to In-Depth Study by G. Steve Kinnard
Many other Bible study tools are available. Some of the standard tools include the following, along with some of my personal favorites:
- Bible dictionary
- Study Bibles
- Commentaries – I prefer compact commentaries but large commentary sets are available and can be purchased in volumes, typically covering one book of the Bible.
Many online resources are also available, many free but others by subscription. Many also have apps available for Apple, Android and Windows devices. Here are a few of many (Mention below doesn’t necessarily constitute an endorsement by the author or BentonBlog):
- Bible Gateway – provides several translations and tools (some require subscription)
- Bible Project – a rich resource for videos that explain Bible themes and concepts, along with a new app for 2022! (Please consider donating to their non-profit work.)
- Blue Letter Bible – great resource for free commentaries and expository sermons, including from David Guzik, John MacArthur, Charles Spurgeon and others.
- Olivetree – my personal favorite app, available on almost any platform, with the ability to purchase numerous integrated Bible tools.
- Read the Bible in a Year – Christianity.com hosts a page with many one-year reading plans (other sites have them as well).
- YouVersion – app that provides many translations, reading plans and the ability to easily share scripture with others.
Bible Study Methods
Just as there are many tools available to help with Bible study, there are many different methods. Two basic but different types of study are devotional and interpretive. Devotional study is focused on reading the Bible to know God, while interpretive is focused on knowing the text in order to apply it. Each method is good for it’s purpose, and students of the Bible should include both methods depending on what they want to get out of their personal time in the Word.
Devotional Bible Study
Devotional Bible study is less academic but more personal and meditative. Foster’s “Celebration of Disciplines” lists four steps for devotional study:
- Repetition: repeat reading the scripture, memorize it, read it in different translations.
- Concentration: focus on the passage, the words used and what they say.
- Comprehension: think about what the passage means, what the author was saying and the original readers hearing.
- Reflection: think about how it applies to your life, reflect on what it means to you.
Another resource for learning BIble study methods is the Anchor Academy lessons on “How To Have Great Quiet Times“. Lesson One of that series presents a seven-step process for daily quiet times using a devotional approach:
- Ready: Prepare your heart through prayer, but also by making sure you have a quiet place and your Bible and notebook ready.
- Read: “Become an active, engaged reader. Look for great truths, points of conviction, even questions that need resolution.”
- Reflect: “Picture it, Paraphrase it, Personalize it, Pray it”. Take time to meditate as discussed before and let the Holy Spirit fill your thoughts about the passage.
- Record: Write in your notebook the key takeaway from your time of reflection. The Anchor Academy lesson suggests the following as possible items to record:
- Promise to Claim
- Command to Obey
- Sin to Avoid/Confess
- Example to Imitate
- Truth to Believe
- Question to Resolve
- Change to Embrace
- Resolve: Set in your heart that you will act on what you’ve learned. Reading alone won’t necessarily change you. From James 1:22: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
- Remember: Commit what you’ve resolved to your memory. As discussed earlier, memorizing scripture is a great way to remind you about your convictions and have scriptures to share with others.
- Reply: This step involves prayer, which we’ll discuss in our next post.
Interpretative Bible Study
Interpretative Bible study is focused more on understanding the passage so that we can apply it to our lives. The approach is one of “practical exegesis”, where “exegesis” is from the Greek word meaning “to interpret”. Using an interpretative method helps us to understand the meaning of the passage then apply it to our lives.
The Anchor Academy’s Lesson Two presents an approach for the deeper interpretative approach to the Scriptures:
- Survey the Text: read through the passage, re-read it, and read it again. Look for the “Big Idea” and use multiple translations for your readings.
- Investigate Context: Consider the historical context: who it was written to, what were the circumstances, etc. Also consider the literary context: how does the passage relate to other passages, what genre is the author using, etc. Use a Bible dictionary or encyclopedia to help investigate cultural, social, and literary context.
- Detail the Content: Ask questions about the details of the passage that you discovered when investigating the context. Example questions are on the Anchor Academy lessons page.
- Summarize It All: “Make it clear, capture the big idea, the conviction, and the application”.
- Apply It: As mentioned above about the devotional approach, be sure to take time to apply what you’ve learned.
When you set aside your time for Bible study, decide what approach you want to take, devotional or interpretative, then focus on the purpose of your study, learning about God or digging into what a passage means. After your time of study, be sure to pray and apply what you’ve learned.
Overall: decide what type of reading you want to do at the time – devotional or interpretative – then focus on either learning about God or learning what the passage says.
Other practicals
Here’s a list of practicals for quiet times:
- Quiet Place: Find an environment that helps you read. Find a quiet spot in the house or get out and find a place where you can spend time alone with God.
- Consistent Time: Schedule the time and keep it daily.
- Memorize Scripture: This should be a part of your devotional reading. Repeat the scripture to memorize it. Write it on a card that you can carry with you through your day.
- Reading Plan: Find a Bible reading plan to help you focus and be consistent. Many of the online Bible resources above have plans. For plans to read through the Bible in a year, I prefer plans that have daily readings during the week with weekends open to catch up, devote to deeper study, or keep in synch with what my congregation is currently studying for Sunday worships and midweek services.
- Other Study Methods: Beyond the basic devotional and interpretative approaches, consider a focused study on a particular topic. This could be a character study, a word study, studying through a particular book of the Bible, or a specific conviction or character trait where you feel you need to grow.
- Share It: Share what you are reading and learning with others. This will inspire both you and your brother/sister!
How much do you love God’s Word?
My prayer is that you’ll develop a life-long love for God’s Word. God wants to speak to you through His Word, and will do it in different ways throughout your life.
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.
Psalm 119:97-104 (NIV)
Several years ago after a time of reflecting on my life, I realized that my Bible study and quiet times had become stale and lacked impact. I decided to rebuild my love for God’s Word through a study of Psalm 119. I read through it daily, sometimes the whole psalm, sometimes only one of the eight-verse stanzas, and even some days just one verse. I prayed and asked God to speak to my heart, to help me to love Him and His Word in new and deeper ways. God answered my prayer over and over, in ways I didn’t expect.
In 2020 as the pandemic began, I used my notes about Psalm 119 to start a haverim group, which has led to many blessings for me and others who have embraced the Read, Talk, Pray approach to Bible study. I now eagerly seek God’s Word every morning, think about it through the day and meditate on it before the end of my day.
Commit yourself to a daily discipline of reading and meditating on God’s Word. May the time you spend fill your heart with love for God and His Word.
Suggested Memory Scriptures
Discussion Questions
- How is your level of longing for God related to your time spent studying God’s Word? What do you need to do to better connect with God: grow in your longing or be more disciplined in your time?
- What is your favorite way to read God’s word? Do you prefer devotional or interpretive study?
- List all of the resources you use or have used in your study of the Word. What are your favorite resources to help you study the Bible?
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