A couple of weeks ago, I finished my fourth read-through of the Bible. These daily readings were my primary form of daily devotions. I read four chapters out loud, and then prayed. But I have concluded that this method is no longer adequate. It was effective for immersing myself in Scripture, but now I need something more concentrated. I've been reading through the Bible too quickly for it to have as much impact as it can. So this is what I've been doing lately:
1. Find a quiet place and pray the Bible study prayer of Bede.
2. Read one chapter out of my study Bible out loud.
3. Look up relevant materials to that chapter in a Bible dictionary that I have.
4. Read the chapter outloud again, letting the Scriptures sink deeper into me.
5. Pray.
I'm going to replace the Bible dictionary with a good commentary as soon as I can find one appropriate for my purposes. It also has to be available for checkout at my seminary library, which narrows down the list considerably. I'm cerebral enough as it is, and need something more spiritually formative than a dictionary.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
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7 comments:
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God Bless!
hey john,
what study bible do you use?
Why outloud? Is it a personal preference, or is there a devotional aspect to it?
I use the Zondervan NASB Study Bible.
To answer anonymous for myself:
I read outloud, because the word of God (the Bible) was originally an oral tradition and in some ways should always keep this aspect. I find that the passages "speak" when heard.
How about you John?
To discipline myself to pay attention.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc.i.html
Matthew Henry commentary available online. John Wesley's explanatory notes also online at:
http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=wes
I'm not a seminary student, just a regular person.
Emily in TN
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