A 5-Day Devotional

HOW TO READ THE BIBLE

With so many distractions vying for your time and attention in today’s world, it can be
challenging to study God’s Word in a focused, consistent way that transforms you from the
inside out and helps you fall deeper in love with its Author every single day. To help you
overcome the obstacles and grow in intimacy with God, these five messages explore the
MAPS method of engaging the Scriptures:

Meditate on and memorize God’s Word,

Apply the Scriptures to every layer of our lives,
Pray the Bible with bold faith that God will give us what we ask, and
Share the Word with the people right around us and around the world

Studying the Scriptures is meant to be much more than a dry, scholarly exercise. God has
sent His Word as a love letter to us, and as we engage it wisely and consistently, we will not
only grow in knowledge but also encounter a life-transforming love—a love that is well worth
giving our all to pursue.
DAY 1
GOING DEEPER BY MEDITATING ON SCRIPTURE
Scripture: Psalm 1:1-3, Joshua 1:8

There is a significant difference between Bible reading and Bible meditation.

Reading the Bible can involve merely seeing—or even saying out loud—the words on a page
without pausing to ponder what they mean. Too often, the goal of Bible reading can become simply
checking off a box, even seeing how quickly we can get our reading done in order to move on to
something else. If we’re not careful, we can approach Bible reading the way we go through a fast-
food restaurant. We’re focused on getting in and out, and our expectations for food quality are fairly
low.

But meditation is different. Meditating on the Bible involves thinking deeply about what we’re reading
and reflecting prayerfully on what it means. It’s more like sitting down for a fine meal. Your focus is
on enjoying every bite because you know this food will not just strengthen you; it will satisfy you.

God calls us not to just read his Word but to meditate on it day and night, as we read in Psalm 1:1–
3. (We see a similar picture in Joshua 1:8.)

So where do you start? My first encouragement is for you to identify a daily Bible reading plan.
Instead of just opening the Bible to different places on different days, I strongly encourage you to
find an intentional way to walk through all of God’s Word. Multitudes of options exist that are used
by other followers of Jesus, or you can create one on your own.

I would also encourage you to get a good Study Bible that uses an accurate translation of Scripture.
A Study Bible contains notes for different verses that help you understand the context and meaning
of what you’re reading. It’s wise for us to receive counsel from brothers and sisters in Christ who
have studied the history, culture, and original languages of the Bible far more in-depth than we
have.

Regardless of which Bible translation or reading plan you might use, set aside a regular time in your
day, or multiple times in your day (morning and evening, as Psalm 1:2 talks about), to meditate on
God’s Word. How do you meditate? By listening and looking.

Pray and Reflect

Lord God, teach me to meditate on and delight in your Word day and night, as I trust you to sow it
deeply into my heart and mind. Amen.
DAY 2
MEMORIZATION BUILDS INTIMACY WITH GOD
Scripture: Psalm 119:11, John 11:35

Memorization is one of the most practical and helpful ways to meditate on God’s Word. It involves
repeating God’s Word over and over again in our minds, and sometimes with our mouths, until it
becomes hidden deep within us. It is the process of “storing up God’s Word in our hearts” (Psalm
119:11) in a way that helps us walk with God.

Some people may say, “But I’m not good at memorization.” People certainly have different
capacities to memorize. But what if I told you that I would give you a thousand dollars for every
verse you could memorize between now and this time tomorrow?

I’m guessing you could learn to memorize at least a few verses. John 11:35 says, “Jesus wept.” Just
like that, you’d have a thousand bucks. Now think about Psalm 119:72: “The law of your mouth is
better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.” Do you believe that? The real question is
not, Can you memorize? but, What is worth more to you: money or God’s Word?

You might start with a simple goal. As you meditate on the Bible, look for one verse to memorize.
Write out the verse. Then say it out loud, phrase by phrase. Start with the first few words and repeat
them several times. Add a few more words and then say all of them multiple times. Keep doing this
until you can say the whole verse out loud without looking at it.

Once you have this foundation, don’t stop. About an hour later, try to say it again, and if you can’t,
go back and review until you can. Then try to say the verse again after another hour or two, and so
on. Whenever you have an idle moment, say it out loud again. Keep doing this throughout your day,
then let the verse be the last words you say out loud before bed.

When you wake up the next morning, try to say that verse again. All throughout the day, multiple
times, say it again and again, up until bedtime. In the process, realize that you are starting to
meditate on God’s Word day and night!

Pray and Reflect

Heavenly Father, please help me to store your Word in my heart and mind so that I might walk with
you in every way. Amen.
DAY 3
APPLYING THE WORD TO YOUR LIFE
Scripture: James 1:22–25, Matthew 7:21–23

Is it possible to meditate on and memorize God’s Word yet actually miss the point? Absolutely! God
warns us, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22). As
that passage continues, God emphasizes listening and looking into his Word. But if we stop there,
we’ll deceive ourselves and miss the point altogether.

To take this one step further, according to Jesus, we won’t just miss the point; we’ll miss eternal life
(Matthew 7:21–23). Many people who claim his name will be shocked to stand before him and hear
him say, “I never knew you. Away from me.” These are people who professed Jesus but didn’t follow
his words.

There’s a sense in which the devil would delight for us to meditate on and memorize God’s Word, so
long as we do nothing about it in our lives. This is a recipe for not only personal deception but for
eternal destruction. Of course, no one obeys God’s Word flawlessly, so we shouldn’t expect
perfection. But for those who have God’s Spirit living in them, there should be evidence that the
Word is gradually transforming their lives.

As followers of Jesus, a new heart lies at the core of who we are. The Holy Spirit lives in us,
transforming everything about us from the inside out. The Spirit of Jesus in us transforms our mind
to think like him, according to his Word. In turn, Jesus changes our affections to want what he wants
and hate what he hates. The more we think as Jesus thinks and desire what Jesus desires, the
more the Holy Spirit transforms our will to walk as Jesus walked. Then, the more we live as Jesus
lives, the more we will love as Jesus loves, and this transforms our relationships with others. In all of
this, Jesus revolutionizes our ultimate purpose for living. Our deepest desire is to follow Jesus and
make him known from our neighborhoods to all nations.

So today, let us consider the importance of applying what we learn in the Word to every layer of our
life, asking God to lead us according to his will.

Pray and Reflect

God, keep me from merely hearing your Word and deceiving myself; help me to apply it by the
power of your Holy Spirit to every layer of my life. Amen.
DAY 4
PRAYING YOUR WAY THROUGH THE SCRIPTURES
Scripture: John 15:7, Matthew 6:7–8

Have you ever prayed for something and then found that God didn’t answer in the way you hoped
he would? I suspect every follower of Jesus can think of times when this has happened. This is part
of what it means for God to be God and for us to be human. He knows things we don’t know, sees
things we don’t see, and does things we don’t understand, even as we trust that he always hears us
and always responds according to his power, his wisdom, and his love.

But what if I told you that God guarantees answers to some prayers? Would that embolden your
prayer life? Would you pray for more things if you knew God was definitely going to do what you
asked?

Consider Jesus’ promise to his followers: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask
whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). This is one of my favorite Bible verses.
Jesus is guaranteeing us answers to our prayers in this world when we pray according to his Word.

And so, this third step in experiencing intimacy with God through studying the Bible—pray—is vital
for faith and spiritual growth. What makes it even more life-giving is the fact that neither prayer nor
Bible study is a one-way street. Through studying the Scriptures, we hear from God as we spend
time with him, and this naturally (or better put, supernaturally) leads to expressing our hearts to him
as he hears from us.

That aligns with another Scripture, Matthew 6:7–8, which warns against wordy, empty prayers and
reminds us that “your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

And let’s not forget who we’re talking about here: the God who spoke all creation into being; the God
who causes the sun to rise and calls the stars by name; the God before whom mountains quake and
seas roar; the God who rules and reigns over all things everywhere. This God wants to speak to you
and hear from you. Even more than that, he guarantees to give you what you ask when you ask
according to his Word.

Pray and Reflect

O Lord, please help me to pray with confidence that you will act in the world whenever I pray
according to your Word. Amen.
DAY 5
SHARING GOD’S WORD WITH OTHERS
Scripture: Matthew 28:19–20, Deuteronomy 6:6–7

In Jesus’ parting command after his resurrection, we find him instructing his followers to go and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them in his name (Matthew 28:19–20).

When we see the word teaching, many of us think, Since I’m not a preacher or don’t have a gift for
teaching God’s Word, this is not for me. And yes, the Bible does talk about gifts and callings related
to teaching God’s Word, but that’s not the only way it speaks of passing on his Word to others.

In fact, God says to all of his people, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your
heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your
house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deuteronomy
6:6–7).

These instructions from God in the Old Testament lay the foundation for Jesus’ instructions in the
New Testament. Jesus is telling each of us to pass God’s Word on to others in a way that helps
them know and obey it.

This means that God’s Word is not intended to stop with us. It’s intended to spread through us. I
have often asked followers of Jesus this question: Are you a receiver or a reproducer of God’s
Word?

When I spent some time studying the Bible with a group of persecuted brothers and sisters in
Sudan, I noticed that each of them was writing down all that we discussed. Why? As they told me
afterward, “We are going to take everything we have learned, translate it into our languages, and
share it with our tribes.” They were not just listening to receive; they were listening to reproduce.

What about you? Are you prone to stop at just receiving God’s Word? Do you ever find yourself
stuck in a mindset that asks only, What can I get out of this? This is not uncommon! Yet Jesus’
command to “go” and to “teach” reminds us to approach his Word not just for our own needs but
also to ask, How can I share what I learn with others?

Let us go and do just that!

Pray and Reflect

God, please help me to share your Word faithfully so that others might experience intimacy with you.
Amen.
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