Years ago I heard of a poet who left a note on his door when he would go to lunch with his friends: “Publishing poetry is fun, but my morning’s work is done, so I went out to brunch with others as a bunch, and I’ll be back at one.”[1] Now that’s a man who practiced what he preached. He applied his job (as a poet) to a task (of writing a sign on his door telling people he’d gone out for food).
As Christians we need to be people that apply God’s word to our lives. If we say we believe in God, that we love God, and that we want to follow God, then the only logical step is to apply to our lives what he has given us.
In Paul’s second letter to Timothy he tells us about what God has given us. “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16–17, NASB).[2] In those two verses Paul tells us that if we are Christ followers we should be doers of what Christ says.
From these two verses we learn that Scripture is supernaturally given by God for the sanctification of God’s people and preparation for ministry and life. We can conclude an authentic disciple embraces God’s word into his or her life.
So, how do we embrace God’s word into our lives? There are three ways we do this.
First, we read it devotionally. We might read a couple of verses, a paragraph, or a chapter a day. The amount is less important than the regular practice. For many years I read through the entire Bible each year by reading four chapters a day. Recently I spent five years reading through the Psalms by reading the same Psalm every day for a week before moving on to the next Psalm (an exception was Psalm 119, of course!).
Second, we study it methodically. There are different ways to study God’s word, but I prefer the Inductive Bible Study method. The Inductive Bible Study method starts with “observation” and answers the question, “What’s the text say?” Then moves on to “interpretation” which asks, “What’s the text mean?” It finishes with “application” which asks, “How do I apply the text?”[3]
Third, we listen to it regularly. Find some good podcasts or radio broadcasts that you listen to each week. Here are a few. I’ve provided the Bible teacher’s name as well as the name of the ministry in parenthesis: David Jeremiah (Turning Point), Charles Swindoll (Insight for Living), J. Vernon McGee (Thru the Bible), Chip Ingram (Living on the Edge), John MacArthur (Grace to You), or Charles Stanley (In Touch Ministries).
I believe we learn from 2 Timothy 3:16–17, as well as the rest of the New Testament, that an authentic disciple embraces God’s word into his or her life.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion:
- What is your current process for reading God’s word?
- How can you learn more from what God has provided?
- How can you apply more of what God has provided?
- Is there someone you can discuss what you are reading and learning with regularly?
[1] Adapted from the text of Frank & Earnest, June 20, 2023.
[2] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.
[3] You can learn more about inductive Bible studies in the following books: Robert Traina, Methodical Bible Study (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1980); Howard Hendricks and William Hendricks, Living by the Book (Chicago, IL: Moody, 2007); Charles Swindoll, Searching the Scriptures (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2013).