Reading the Bible is one of the most essential practices of the Christian life. Reading by itself isn’t enough, though. We must reflect on and respond to the Bible’s invitation in our lives. In 2 Timothy, we read:
“Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.”
2 Timothy 2:7
There are three steps in which we receive the Word:
Reading:
I assume you’ve got this one down since you’re reading this! But I am often asked where in the Bible to begin reading. A natural place to start is the beginning, Genesis. Or in Matthew – the beginning of the New Testament. Either way, you will begin to see God’s story. Another great place to start is by reading The Story. The Story isn’t in its entirety the Bible. It’s an abridged compilation of some of the Bible’s most integral stories that give you a good sense of the overarching theme. Its contents are from the NIV (New International Version) and contain some simple transitions that help move along God’s story quickly and easily.
Be sure that whatever you read, whether Old Testament, New Testament, or a little of both, you will do it consistently. The more you read the Bible, the more you want to read it. It’s a beautiful cycle and pursuit that will never end! Now, you may think that you have tried reading the Bible before but couldn’t get through it. I’ve been there. I did two things to remedy that. First, I asked God to help me fall in love with His Word. Second, I just read it anyway. Somewhere down the road, the two met, and now I can’t get enough!
You will find it helpful regardless of what you read in the Bible.
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to Timothy:
“All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
When we read the contents of the Bible, we aren’t doing so in vain. We are gaining an invaluable asset for ourselves. It will come alive in you in times of need to equip you to handle any situation that comes your way. But how can mere words on a page change your heart? When read alone, they can’t. That is why you must reflect on them.
Reflect:
If you’ve sat in church, read the Bible, or heard a Christian talk more than once, chances are you’ve been at an utter loss as to what they are talking about. Since the days of Jesus, people have argued over the meaning of his words. Even before that, we hear of sects of Jews who couldn’t agree on the meaning of the law. Regardless of your church/bible background, one thing we all have in common is our complete lack of awareness of who God is. Christian or not, no one has a correctly proportional view of just how great God is. But we can begin to understand more of him through His Word. And we can start to know how he wants us to live. But even that can remain a mystery until we take the time to chew on what it means. There are commands like “do not murder” that are pretty straightforward. But what about when Jesus says that we aren’t even to be angry at our brother? How can we possibly live in such a way? I would tell you if I knew what that looked like in your life. I have a faint picture of what that looks like in my life through much reflection. It came through God granting me revelations of his love. But that is something that each of us must realize on our own.
Revelation is not for the unobservant; we must be looking for it.
To reflect is to contemplate, not see the command of God as words on a page or even as rules to follow, but instead as a lifestyle to embrace. When Jesus tells us to love our enemies, we cannot do so without seriously considering how to do so. It takes thoughtful consideration.
The more you reflect on something, the more it will always be on your mind. This is part of what God meant when he said to Joshua:
“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.”
Joshua 1:8
As we read and reflect, God leads us to a decision. But unlike a momentary, one-time decision, this is a decision we face daily. Will I do what God has commanded me? Will I respond to his invitation to love him? To love others? That’s where your response comes in.
Response:
What good does any of the above do if you live a life contrary to how God has commanded us, out of love, to live? Nothing matters if you don’t respond.
God grants us daily opportunities to respond to what we’ve learned of him in the Bible. Since I believe that a loving, caring, forgiving, benevolent God saved me from an eternity of hopelessness, will I choose to live a loving, caring, benevolent lifestyle myself?
Jesus says that we should love one another (John 13:34-35). Not only that but the world will know Christians by their love. Ultimately, they will know Jesus by our love. When we respond to God’s Word by doing the very thing he commanded us to and did for us, that is when we begin to see life change, both in our lives and the lives of those around us.
So what?
When we stop at reading alone, and it hasn’t sunk it, we risk growing numb to the very Word of God that has made us alive in the first place. Similarly, when we stop at reflection and internalize it, we may suffer from a purely Pharisee-like lifestyle. It’s not enough to read and internalize the Word of God. We must do something with it. We must live and show it as an outward expression of our belief. When that happens, it becomes more than just about yourself. The focus is on God by avenue of loving others. Be blessed as you do just that!
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