Making the Most of Meditating on Scripture

In a little over a week, we'll launch , our 2020 Advent Scripture reading plan. It's an invitation for you to set aside a little time each day to meditate on Scripture. We'll publish devotional thoughts at The Bookery each day, but you can also simply follow our overview.

Whether the daily practice of reading Scripture is a new to you or a regular part of your life, here are a few ideas to guide you.

1. Remember that Jesus has called you to abide. Take a few minutes and read over John 15:1-8. Take note of the number of times Jesus used the words "remain" or "abide." We are called to abide—to persist, rest in, live with, continue in—the love of Christ. Spending time in His Word is a way of abiding, of connecting with the True Vine. The goal is not to just gain more biblical knowledge or read more verses; it's to get to know the character of God, to spend time with Him, and grow to trust Him more.
   

2. It's an invitation. Reading Scripture is a spiritual discipline, which means that for some of us, it can quickly become a checklist. Read verses from the Old Testament? Check. Finished the Bible in a year? Check. Spent exactly 30 minutes reading the Bible and 20 minutes in prayer each day? Check. The invitation is to abide, to simply spend time with Jesus. So resist the urge to create a checklist or a formula and seek to simply spend time with the One who loves you most. While it can be helpful to set aside a specific block of time each day to meditate on Scripture, it doesn't have to look exactly the same each day. Start with an honest, pliable heart and ask the Spirit to guide and teach you each day. God doesn't want the right answers or rote rituals; He wants you. Accept the invitation to spend time with Him.
   

3. Avoid the trap of comparison. Your time with Jesus is about you and Him. It doesn't have to look just like your pastor's, your best friend's or ours at The Bookery. The point? Your time with Jesus doesn't have to look like someone else's. While your time meditating on Scripture may follow a pattern or a schedule, there's no one right way. Your relationship with Jesus may look different than your pastor's, your best friend's, or ours at The Bookery and that's fine! Simply seek to get to know Jesus, to become familiar with God's character, and listen to the Spirit's leading. And fight the temptation to compare your so-called "quiet time" with anyone else's.

Dark to Light starts on Nov. 28, right here at The Bookery. While each of us may study God's Word at different times of day or using different patterns or tools, we can't wait to take this journey with you, knowing God's Word never returns void Isaiah 55:11.

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