Do you find it difficult to read the bible? Do you get distracted? Ana last week talked about character and spiritual formation in the Leadership Training Course. Ana gave some tools to help us in spiritual formation and reading and meditating on the Bible.
We need to remember to put ourselves under the Bible – let it speak to us rather than trying to find an answer and bringing in our biases. The Bible is bigger than us – we are a part of Gods story.
SOME PRACTICAL GUIDELINES
- Have a Bible reading plan but learn to be flexible. Allow yourself to be surprised. If a word or phrase stands out, stay with that and let it go over and over within you.
- Read or listen to different versions, this allow us to always be surprised.
- Follow a Lectionary, in that way you can’t decide what you are going to read, but also you will be reading with a larger community, but its important not to allow it to become your master.
As you come to the Scriptures you can ask some of the following questions:
- How do I feel about what is being said?
- Where do I find myself resonating deeply?
- Where do I find myself resisting, pulling back, and wrestling with what the Scriptures might be saying?
- Why do I feel this way? What aspects of my life is being touched or spoken through this Scripture?
- What do my reactions tell me about myself, my attitudes, my relating patterns, my perspectives, my behaviours?
- Am I willing to look at in God’s presence?
Take some time this week to read a passage and think through some of these questions and allow God to speak to you through His word.