The Right Way

When we engage with the Bible, our goal should be

"to draw meaning from Scripture rather than reading one's presuppositions into it,"

as John MacArthur wisely noted. The Bible is the primary way we learn God's ways and what God has to say about things. Written 2000-3500 years ago, we need reliable methods of interpretation to avoid misunderstanding what we read.

As George H. Guthrie points out,

"Various surveys in different cultures, over the past half a century, have determined that the number one predictor of a person's spiritual health is the regular practice of personal Bible reading. Nothing else comes close."

Our Three-Week Journey

Over the next three Sundays, we'll explore:

• The Right Way to approach the Bible (this week) - focusing on our heart and motivations
• The Right Perspective (next week) - understanding the original writer's meaning, genres, and contexts
• The Big Picture (final week) - finding ourselves in the greatest story ever told

It All Starts With Our Hearts

Has anyone ever thought "I need to read the Bible less!"? Probably not! But many of us, at different times in our lives, have felt challenged to read the Bible more. While it's important to consider when and how we read the Bible, I believe the key to reading it consistently and transformatively goes much deeper than scheduling — it comes down to our hearts.

Psalm 1:1-3 tells us: "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, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 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."

God's Word is a resource of life, refreshment, and nourishment. Those who delight in it, meditate on it, and set their hearts on it will be blessed, fruitful, and prosperous.

Our hearts need to be in good condition — teachable, open to hear, in the right posture before God, and receptive to the Holy Spirit. As we read and meditate, we will be transformed and our reading will be life-giving. As Proverbs 4:23 reminds us:

"Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life." (CSB)

Four Motivations for Reading the Bible

Guidance

"Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path" Psalm 119:105

The image of a light illuminating dark paths where footing can be uncertain beautifully illustrates our need for God's Word as we navigate difficult situations. Regular Bible reading helps us think the way God wants us to think, shaping our decisions and actions.

Correction

"For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" Hebrews 4:12-13

Like a surgeon's scalpel cutting away cancers and infections, God's Word cuts out harmful motivations, sins, and attitudes at the deepest levels of our thoughts.

Stability

"Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn't collapse, because its foundation was on the rock" Matthew 7:24-25

In our unstable world, acting on Jesus' words provides stability, belonging, and confidence even amid massive uncertainties.

Delight

"How sweet your word is to my taste—sweeter than honey in my mouth" Psalm 119:103

The Bible is a delight because it leads us to know God himself. Through His Word, we meet with God, learning to know and love Him. God's Word reveals the heart of God who is with us, powerful over anything we face, and beautiful beyond all others.

Cultivating Good Soil

In Mark 4:13, Jesus shares the parable of the sower, telling his disciples that unless they understand this parable, they won't understand any other parable—it must be important! The parable describes four different soils where seed is planted, but only one type produces a harvest.

The soil we should cultivate in our hearts is good soil—soil that has been well prepared. In farming, cultivation involves plowing, weeding, removing obstacles, watering, fertilizing, controlling pests, and removing weeds.

This is a perfect analogy for our hearts—we need to prepare our hearts as we come to God's Word and keep tending them as we live. This is how we thrive in the Word and produce good fruit. Remember, the Bible is not primarily a historical document or information source, but the way we get to know the God of the universe.

We can meet with God in the pages of the Bible, but we can also study the Bible for knowledge or out of routine and miss God entirely. Listen to Jesus' stark words to the Pharisees in:

John 5:37b-40 "You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life."

The Pharisees were committed to Bible study, but their approach was spiritually unproductive. They read to reinforce their understanding rather than allowing the Scriptures to lead them to Jesus.

We are invited not merely to read or grow in knowledge, but to spend time with God and read for relationship. As George H. Guthrie writes,

"the solid bedrock for a lifetime of transformational reading is relational."

Practical Takeaways

If your Bible reading has dropped off the priority list or has become more of a to-do item each day, I encourage you to approach it afresh this week and make it about a face-to-face encounter with the living God.

Here are two simple takeaways:

1) Read Spiritually Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you and speak to you in your reading. The Bible tells us that when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide us into all truth (John 16:13). Charles Spurgeon said,

"…the Spirit, who inspired Holy Scripture, lives forever, and he delights to open the Word to those who seek his instruction."

2) Read Rhythmically Choose a place and time to meet with God regularly. Many of us have busy schedules, but be encouraged by these words from Leah Boden:

"…what if the real formation comes from the in-between moments; the sacred spare time; the tea break; the quiet; the closed door; the unpaid no-one is watching time. Maybe, it's our recreation and rest, how we read and relate to others, that truly marks our lives."

Reading our Bible should be a time of recreation, a precious in-between moment of sacred spare time when only God is watching. Bible reading such as this will mark our lives, transform and bring life to us, deepen our relationship with God, and elevate our everyday.

Join us next Sunday as we continue our series with "The Right Perspective" - understanding the original writer's meaning, genres, and contexts.