There are very few spiritual exercises with such life-changing potential as the study of God’s Word. Most believers readily agree that the Word is necessary for their growth and even for their survival, but it is far too easy to mechanically read a chapter or two every day, without ever digging below the surface for the hidden treasure. Maybe you think that in-depth study of God’s Word belongs to scholars who can analyze and compare obscure Greek words, and have never disciplined yourself to carefully study any part of it. If so, I hope to encourage you to try studying a book of the Bible, using a very simple but effective method.
Many people are surprised to learn that over half the books of the New Testament can easily be read in less than twenty minutes each. For your exercise, choose one of those short but meaningful books, such as Ephesians, Philippians, James, or an epistle of Peter or John. Incidentally, this study should not replace your regular quiet time. Rather, it is something extra, a special exercise that will greatly deepen your love for God’s Word.
The only things needed for this exercise are a Bible, a pen, a notebook, and an open heart. Other books or commentaries are helpful sometimes, but in this study you will use only the pure Word of God. The goal is to hear what God is speaking to your heart, and not to read what He has revealed to another person. Begin each session by expressing in prayer your desire to learn, and inviting God to be your teacher.
For example, let’s suppose you choose to study the book of Philippians. For the first week, you simply read through Philippians every morning and evening. Don’t spend time analyzing individual verses at this point. Just read it from start to finish each morning and evening and feel the heartbeat of the book. Think of Paul writing from his prison cell, and try to feel the reason why he was moved to write this letter. What is the main theme? What are some important recurring words and thoughts? During this first week, learn to appreciate Philippians as an inspiring book, instead of just focusing on a few of its well-known verses.
Having read Philippians fourteen times in the first week, you will find each verse becoming so familiar that you may be tempted to read too quickly or carelessly. Instead, as you begin the second week, discipline yourself to read even more carefully and slowly and begin making notes of outstanding truths and promises. Compare your notes with your mental impressions of the first week. Do you still see the same main themes? Can you sense the ‘heart’ of this letter? Continue reading it slowly each morning and evening, making notes of any new truths that inspire you.
During the third week, you will only read Philippians once a day, but you will take more time for this reading each morning. Read slowly and meditatively and make notes of how challenges or promises apply to you personally. For example, when you read Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus,” make very personal applications. How will the mind of Christ affect the way you relate to your family? How will it change your prayers? How will it change the way you deal with temptation?
As you slowly read Philippians each morning, let God speak to your heart. Make notes of things you believe He wants to change in your life, and write about experiences or trials God brings into your life to effect those changes. Make a list of the goals you have been inspired to reach as a result of your study, and claim by faith the promises that will help you reach those goals.
By now your mind should be continually filled with Philippians, and you will discover that your life is slowly being transformed by the constant renewing of your mind. Furthermore, your mind will be so occupied with God’s Word that the devil will have a hard time finding an idle moment to insert a temptation. I believe you will be eager to keep strengthening those once-flabby muscles and dig right into the next book, and the next, and the next! By the time you come back to Philippians, you will have grown so much that your second study of it will thrill you with all new insights and inspirations! And hopefully by this time, what was once a special spiritual exercise for you will have become a daily habit.
