Read your Bible, pray every day and you’ll grow, grow, grow.
I sang those words so often as a child I got the message—regular, daily Bible reading was necessary for my Christian growth. Trouble was, no one taught me how to read the Bible, at least not in any kind of meaningful way. I muddled along on my own for years. I often gave up, tried again only to give up once again. Today, after over 60 years of stopping and starting daily Bible reading, I’ve become more regular and more aware of how it has shaped and continues to shape my life in the Way of Jesus.
Why bother to read the Bible?
I invite you to read your Bible with me, using these devotions as a guide to teach you to read more meaningfully. Sometimes the devotions are focused on a season in the church calendar year, such as Advent, Lent and Easter. And sometimes they are for any time of the year, such as the Mark devotions (a journey to Jesus with Mark as our guide). Read with me and let me know what insights you see in the text, how you experience an encounter with God in Christ Jesus.
I sang those words so often as a child I got the message—regular, daily Bible reading was necessary for my Christian growth. Trouble was, no one taught me how to read the Bible, at least not in any kind of meaningful way. I muddled along on my own for years. I often gave up, tried again only to give up once again. Today, after over 60 years of stopping and starting daily Bible reading, I’ve become more regular and more aware of how it has shaped and continues to shape my life in the Way of Jesus.
Why bother to read the Bible?
- Our relationship with God will only develop if we do. Through Scripture God speaks and we listen. Therefore, we need to read the Bible in ways that bring us into living encounters with the Triune God. I write these devotions with the intent to create space for you who read to listen and experience God in Christ.
- Faith (that is, trusting confidence) comes through hearing the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). By prayerfully reading God’s Word, letting it shine a light on our lives, our faith/trust will become stronger and more real. Suggestions for reflection are given each devotion.
- Bible reading, like all spiritual disciples, gets rid of our illusions so that we can be more fully present to God in the world because we’ll recognize God, not our illusions of God. you'll often be asked to reflect on your image of God as presented in the passage.
- God’s Word, not what we say about it, nourishes our spiritual lives, even when we think we got nothing from it. Because I believe this, what I write here isn’t important. The words of Scripture are.
I invite you to read your Bible with me, using these devotions as a guide to teach you to read more meaningfully. Sometimes the devotions are focused on a season in the church calendar year, such as Advent, Lent and Easter. And sometimes they are for any time of the year, such as the Mark devotions (a journey to Jesus with Mark as our guide). Read with me and let me know what insights you see in the text, how you experience an encounter with God in Christ Jesus.
