The Lord has given us a great privilege of being able to hold in our hands and read His Holy Word. Knowing it has been fully inspired by God, we have the confident assurance of its absolute truth written on every page and that it has total relevance for us today. He has given us His Word for purpose, and may it be our passionate desire to learn and grow in our understanding of these Holy Scriptures.
In order to grow in the grace and knowledge of God and in an understanding of ourselves and His sovereign design for our lives, it is critical to make and take time to be alone with the Lord in the reading of Scripture and in prayer. This must be a sincere discipline and should be a natural response for the believer – the growing desire to spend time in God’s Word, and therefore growing in relationship with Jesus Christ. However, this will not come naturally. It takes work; it takes discipline.
The Psalmist said, Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day (Psalm 119.97). He had a deep, heart-rooted love for the Lord and His Word. He also understood the importance of God’s Word directing His life through the easy as well as the most difficult times: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119.105).
So, we ask the questions: Do we love the Word of God? Is that love manifested in our desire to learn and grow in our understanding of our Lord, His Word, and ourselves? Do we have a heart-rooted desire for His Word to direct our every step and every moment? Are we willing to trust our Lord regardless of life’s situations? Foundationally, do we love God?
Though the discipline of regular and meaningful reading of Scriptures can at times be difficult, perseverance can prove to be exceedingly rewarding. This can be a special time of expectation and blessing, of joy and thankfulness, of hope and refreshment, all by the working of God’s Holy Spirit and enabling grace.
The following five commitments can help us develop this discipline.
One – the commitment to time.
Time. We never seem to have enough time to do all we want to and believe we should be doing. However, it is important to remember that God made time, that He made us in time, that He made us with purpose, and He has given us all the time we need to fulfill that purpose. Therefore, it is important to discipline our lives to ever be in harmony with the Lord in all things; to discipline our lives to maintain appropriate time quietly and alone with the Lord.
Two – the commitment to have an open heart.
This is not just going through the motions, but prayerfully seeking to have a heart which is open to the truth of God’s Word, to learn His Word, and to hear His Word. May our desire be as the Psalmist: With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commands (119.10). We can dutifully read Scripture and follow a plan for reading, without honestly having a whole-heart or and open-heart to think about what we read and a willingness to be confronted with God’s Truth. This leads to the third commitment.
Three – the commitment to interact.
Believing His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence… (2 Peter 1.3-4), it is critical for us to carefully think about what we read. I have found that one of the best ways to keep focus in this discipline is reading Scriptures with a pen. We want to interact with God’s Word; we want to think. Interaction helps us think. Using a pen to underline, to highlight, to write in margins, to ask questions, to mark awareness’s all helps us think. Meaningful time in God’s Word is not just reading; it is thinking and meditating on what God is saying, why He is saying what He is saying, and how we should be responding to it. It is good to ask questions such as: do I need to make changes in my life; how can I grow in faith; what am I learning? Using a pen helps us think; writing in a journal helps us think and interact with God’s Word. There is no need to write volumes, but it can be helpful to write a few sentences to reflect and remind ourselves of what we have read, and then to think, honestly reflecting on God’s Truth.
Four – the commitment to prayer.
We have been given a great privilege of being able to confidently draw near to the throne of grace, knowing that it is here we are able to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4.16). Therefore, having read God’s Word, it is important to consider what we have read as we come to prayer before His Gracious Throne. This is a time for praying what we have learned from His Word, for confession of sin and praying to move forward from it, for seeking encouragement in particular areas, and for resolving to make changes, as we seek strength and boldness for the tasks before us. God’s Word is our template for prayer, and in praying Scripture we can better focus on what God desires for us. Prayer is also a time to be thankful for the privilege of having God’s Word, of being able to read His Word, of learning from His Word that we might be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12.1-2), and for being able to approach His Throne of Grace; it is a time to praise and give God all glory.
Five – the commitment to commitment.
In making a commitment to keep our commitment, we should be careful that this does not result in a Pharisaical response to God’s Word. Rather, our commitment should be born out of a heart-rooted love for the Lord and His Word and a desire to closely follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2.21). May this be the earnest desire of everyone who claims the Name of Jesus as Savior.
Ever remembering, may we anticipate and enjoy our special times with our Lord, knowing we have much to be thankful for, each day –
Terry Burlingame
My Morning Desk 