Note 003 - The Manner of Reading the Word most Profitably

Summary : The word of God is our spiritual food that keep us grow. We shall read the Bible in sequence, with a prayerful heart. While reading, we shall meditate, receive His word in faith, and put into practice in our daily life.

"Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, thay you may grow thereby; if so be you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." 1 Peter 2:2

As growth in natural life require proper food, so in the spiritual life. If we desire to grow, we need the word of God. It does not state that "the reading of the Word may be important under some circumstances". That you may gain more by reading tracts, or books. It states clearly that "the Word" that we will grow.

Spiritual Food - the Word of God

There is such babes being neglected, and they never become healthy men or women. They do not obtain proper food, and do not attain to the full vigour of manhood or womanhood. So with our spiritual life. We need to obtain the right spiritual food, the sincere milk of the Word, to nourish our inner man.

Consecutive Reading

We ought not to turn over the Bible, and pick out chapters as we please here and there, but to read it regularly through. I speak advisedly, and as one who has known the blessedness of thus reading the Word for the last forty-six years. I say forty-six years, because for the first four years of my Chrisitina life I did not carefully read the Word of God. I used to read tracts, or books; but I knew nothing of the power of the Word, and made no progress in my spiritual life.

For young believers, you can read the Gospel of John and Mark first, then read through the New Testament twice. After that, you can start with Old Testament. When you have read a chapter or two and are about to leave off, put a mark that you may know where you will start next time. And you read the New Testament also, and again put a mark where you leave off. And thus go on always, whether in the Old and New Testaments, putting in mark, and reading alternatively the Old and New Testaments. Thus by little and little, you will read through the whole Bible. Also it will very helpful to read a Psalm or part of a long Psalm daily.

"All scripture is given by inspiration, and is profitable." If we do not read in consecutive way, we will lose a great part, and cannot grip the whole revealed will of God.

Consecutive reading keeps us from making a system of doctrines of our own, and from having our own particular favourite views, which is very pernicious. We are more often apt to lay more stress on certain views of the truth which affect us particularly. However, this may not be the whole mind of God. In order to understand our God, we shall not only stayed at those verse that affect us most, but read through the whole Bible.

Reading the Word Prayerfully

We shall always read the Bible prayerfully, and never suppose we are clever enough to understand God's Word by our own wisdom. The Holy Spirit will guide us, and enlighten us.

I locked my room, and put the Bible on a chair. I went down on my knees at the chair. There I remained for several hours in prayer and meditation over the Word of God; and I can tell you that I learned more in these three hours, than I had learned for many months previously. I found the blessings so great, that all the manuscripts, which I had written down from the lectures of the professors of Divinity in the university that I previously attended, I now considered to be of so little value. This was because I now found the Holy Spiritis a better teacher than professors of Divinity.

Meditate on the Word

It is not enough to have prayerful reading, but we must also meditate on the Word. I meditate on the Word, not simply reading it, nor simply praying over it, but in addition, pondering over what I have read.

However short the time you can afford, give it regularly to reading, prayer, and meditation over the Word, and you will find it well repaid.

Besides, we shall meditate over the Word of God with reference to ourselves and our own heart. Ask yourselves, "How does this suit me, either for instruction, for correction, for exhortation, or for rebuke? How does this affect me?" If you thus read, and get the blessing in your own soul, it will soon flow out to others.

Read in Faith

Reading shall be accomplished with faith. "The word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." We shall not read the Bible as we read a story, nor statement. We shall listen, and receive it with faith.

Doers of the Word

After we have read His word, we shall carry it into practice. God does expect us to be obedient children, and will have us practice what He has taught us. Jesus says, "If you know these things, happy are you if you do them." And in the measure in which we carry out what our Lord taught, so in measure are we happy children.

Satan will seek with much earnestness to put aside the word of God; but let us seek to carry it out and to act upon it. The Word must be received as a legacy from God, which we have by the Holy Spirit.

by King, December 28, 1999 (Excerpt from work of George Muller)

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