Continuing with our ‘Bigger Picture’ series, we also looked at specific ways we can engage with the Bible in 2016 so that we remain devoted to God’s Word and can grow in grace and in our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are many different ways to engage with the Bible:
- Reading it all the way through! Reading the Bible cover to cover in one year is a measurable and realistic goal. The ‘Bible In One Year’ is an app you can download or you can receive the readings by email. The One Year Bible Online consists of passages from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs to read every day. Having a daily guide through the Bible gives a framework to reading all of it.
- Reading it meditatively (‘lectio divina’). Here, the aim is to read a smaller portion of Scripture (eg ‘the Lord is my Shepherd’) and to ‘chew’ on this, thinking about what you have just read from different angles. Meditation is like ‘letting a very slowly dissolving lozenge melt imperceptibly in your mouth’ (Baron Friedrich von Hügel, quoted in Eugene Peterson’s ‘Eat This Book’ P 2-3) It involves using the imagination and taking time to ponder what we are reading, rather than rushing through our Bible reading.
- Memorising Scripture. It’s good to learn verses and passages off by heart. Jesus quoted Scripture when faced by temptation (see Matt 4:1-11) and often this is the only way we can overcome temptation too! Ps 119:11 says, ‘I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.’ Knowing God’s word is the first way to avoid sin. There are a number of online resources that can help you with choosing verses to learn: Fighter Verses and Remember Me, for example.
- Singing Scripture. We often remember things better if we sing them! Websites that help us focus on this include the Bible Gateway store, but we can all start this by reviewing the lyrics of songs we know and finding where these come from in the Bible. Col 3:16 says ‘Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.’
- Writing out verses. Writing (or typing) out specific verses helps us to learn them. Deut 6:6-9 recommends this: ‘These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.’
- Reading Scripture aloud. Often, we skim over things when we read silently; reading aloud (see 1 Tim 4:13) is a useful way of focussing our attention.
- Engage with the Bible through the arts. Throughout history, artists, sculptors, musicians and authors have created many amazing works inspired by the Bible (eg da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’ or Dutch artist Rembrandt’s ‘Return of the Prodigal’, or the Creation Window at Chester Cathedral.) ‘Christians in Visual Arts’ seeks to help Christians ‘to rehearse and remember the biblical story’ through the arts.
- Studying the Bible. We can do this either in groups (eg on alternate Thursday nights at church) or on our own, using books, commentaries and concordances to find out more about the context and meaning of the Bible. We can study books, characters or themes.
Whichever method or methods suit us best, what matters is that we engage with the Bible, opening this wonderful book and allowing it to guide, inspire and change us (see Psalm 119:105-112).