A way to re-engergize your Bible study

A while back, I realized something about my Bible study - it was boring. In fact, it had become dry and academic. So many passages of Scripture and wonderful stories of faith had become too familiar. As a pastor, this is obviously a major problem. As a follower of Jesus Christ, reading the Bible became empty religion.

Now, of course, one could argue that even though systematic reading may seem like you are getting no where, the Holy Spirit is still at work "below the surface" transforming you into the person that God wants you to be - transformed into the image of Christ. This is very true. However, I was at a place in my walk with the Lord that I needed a drastic change in the purpose and goal of reading Scripture.

The first principle that re-energized my Scripture study is simple: I stopped reading the Bible.

I can just about hear the collective gasp of those Christians that are reading this that hold a high view of Scripture. Let me explain.

I stopped reading the Bible because it had merely become an academic exercise to prepare sermons on the one side and on the other it was a practice that I felt like I had to do because that's what Christians are supposed to do.

I stopped reading the Bible, and I started letting the Bible read me! When I came to the Bible, I committed myself to allowing the Holy Spirit to examine my life and challenge me to yield to the Lordship and will of Jesus Christ.

How do I do this? There are two simple practices that have truly been transformative for me and re-energized my Bible Study - or should I say the Bible's study of me! These simple practices work hand-in-hand, and I encourage you to do both of these in your study.

The first practice is the ask the right questions of the text - or should I say, allow the text to ask the right questions of you. I ask myself three important but simple questions that serve to slip below the surface of my life and explore my soul. The second practice that works hand-in-hand with these questions is journaling. Several years back, I was going through one of the most difficult, challenging, and discouraging seasons of my life. I had heard of people keeping prayer journals in the past, but I always dismissed it as "sissy" spirituality. However, during this season of my life, I needed a way to process what I was experiencing and the emotions associated with those experiences. So, I went to the local office store and bought a blank journal in which to write. Initially, I recorded my discoveries and thoughts on leadership. Later, I began journaling through my personal study and meditations of 1 Peter 5 and 1 Timothy so that I could process my growth as a pastor.

I want to encourage you to do both - ask the questions that I am going to give you and then keep a Scripture meditation journal. The meditation journal is an incredible spiritual tool that will help you process what you are discovering the Scripture's study of you! There is something significant about writing out your responses to the questions and seeing them on paper as opposed to merely thinking them only later to wish you could remember what you learned earlier in the day or week. Therefore, the journal becomes a personal record of how the Holy Spirit is speaking to you through the Word of God. It is a record for you to go back to again and again to encourage you, challenge you, and help you see how much more mature you have become as a believer.

Before I give you the questions, let me suggest two types of Scripture reading. First, there is always the need for "bulk" reading. In other words, nothing replaces reading large amounts of Scripture in one sitting. This could be reading an epistle, a book, or a Gospel in one sitting. Or, it may meaning reading several pages in one sitting (Did you know that if you read a Bible that has two full columns of text per page [with no footnotes], and you read only eleven pages per day, you will read through the Bible in 90 days?) The purpose of reading "bulk" passages of Scripture is that it helps you understand the "big picture" of salvation history, it helps you distinguish those principles that hold continuity and discontinuity through the covenants, and can help you see life from God's perspective.

The second approach to personal Scripture study that is best for what I am suggesting here is taking a small, manageable passage of Scripture and letting it explore your soul and challenge you to transform. The passage chosen could be a parable, a narrative, a psalm, or a proverb and mediating on it by asking probing questions.

Before you read the text and ask the questions, pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal the will of God in your life and that your life will truly be yielded to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Here are the questions:

The first question I ask myself is, "What is this text doing to me?"

Write this question in your journal and think about what the test is doing to you. When you read the passage of Scripture, how does this text "hit you"? What is it saying to your soul? What is your first impression? Is it revealing a sin, motive, attitude in your life that needs to change? Is it revealing something about God that you did not know before?

There is another reason this question is important and fruitful. Let's say that there is a passage of Scripture that you have heard all of your life and somehow along the way seems to have lost the power that it once had. If a passage of Scripture has simply become too familiar, then it is time to be honest about it. I have journaled in the past, "This verse just doesn't seem to be doing anything for me." It is okay to be honest to God about what is going on in your soul. It is also important to be honest about whether the text seems relevant, at first impression, to your life. If the verse(s) don't seem relevant, write it out. Be honest with God and yourself.

Confession is the first step to transformation. When you are asking what the text at-hand does to you, you are being honest with yourself and with God. Write out your answers to the question and confess your dependence on him.

The second question that you ask is, "What should this text be doing to me?"

By asking this question, you are asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the purpose for this text. What is the function of the principle found in the Scripture you are reading? What did it do to the original readers or participants in the text?

When you ask this question, the principle or text becomes relevant and exciting again. Let me give you an example: John 3.16. I have heard that verse so many times in my life that it became too familiar. When I asked question #1, "What does this text do to me?", I had to be honest with myself and with God. Somewhere along the way, I lost the joy and hope that this verse once gave. It just seemed cliche (don't get mad at me - I'm just being honest with myself and God. Oh, and by the way, God can handle your honesty. In fact, he prefers your honesty to a spiritual facade).

But, when I ask question two, the Holy Spirit begins to infuse power in my life through the Word of God. What should John 3.16 be doing to me? What should this truth do to me? What purpose does this truth have in my life?

Now, I can begin to process the implications of this verse and apply it to my life! When I understand what the text should be doing, I can now mature as a believer when I yield to its truth.

The third question you ask is, "Why isn't this text doing to me what it should be doing to me?"

This question is very important because you need to allow the Holy Spirit to explore your soul and identify the barriers in your life that keep you from maturing as a believer. Again, you need to be honest with yourself and get it on paper. Then, you must commit to removing those barriers from your life.

Let me give you three final thoughts about this spiritual discipline. First, this will take time. You must be intentional and plan to spend time with the God. I love what my former pastor used to say: "Hurry is the enemy of fellowship with God."

Second, it may not be effective or realistic to practice this discipline everyday. It may be more effective to ask the questions and write on one day and then process through what you have written over the next two or three days and apply what you have learned to your life. Then, journal again your experience as you apply the biblical principle to your life.

Third, as you practice this discipline, don't think and then write, as if you are writing a dissertation. Think by writing. Use your writing to think. As the Holy Spirit speaks to your soul through the word, get it on paper quickly.

I pray that the Lord truly transforms your mind through this healthy practice.

I would love to hear about the journey and experiences of anyone that practices this discipline. Please let me know by commenting!