January 17, 2012 with 8 Comments

494.

The Point of Reading the Bible

A friend recently asked me to explain to her how to journal.

If you’re not familiar with journaling, it’s one of those additional disciplines that often gets talked about in Bible study, especially women’s Bible study.

I love journaling. I’ve journaled for years, ever since someone told me it would help me grow in my walk with the Lord.  I have closets full of journals, and I now have even transitioned to blogging, which is a form of online journaling.  That’s how much I believe in journaling.

But as I sought to answer my friend’s question, here’s the first thing that came to my mind:

Journaling is your way of writing down what God tells you during your daily quiet time with Him.

I then went on to mention a pneumonic I’ve used in the past when journaling. My mom shared it with me and I’ll share it with you. Every time I read the Bible, I try to use the pneumonic SPEAK. 

  • S is for any Sins to Confess, as in is there any sin in my life I need to confess?
  • P is for a Promise to Claim, as in what is the promise that God is giving me today?
  • E is for an Example to Follow. You got it. Write down an example from God’s word to follow.
  • A is for an Action to Take. Easy. What does God want you to do today based on what you’ve read?
  • K is for any Knowledge to Grow in. Perfect. Now you’ve got the pneumonic complete.

You may be wondering where I’m going with today’s blog.

Great question. Let me explain the problem with my line of reasoning as outlined thus far.

We have made reading the Bible an activity completely about us. We sit down in front of a book and ask ourselves these questions: how will this book make my life easier/better/richer today?

And we miss the entire point of the Bible.

Does the Bible offer us the answers to our every day challenges? You better believe it does.

Does it direct our thinking and convict us of sin? Absolutely, without a doubt in my mind.

But at the end of the day, the Bible is not a book about me and it’s not a book about you.

We are not the heroes of the Bible.

The Bible is a book written by God about God.

So when you read the Bible, or when you journal, instead of asking “what does this passage mean to me?”, perhaps you and I must start asking the inevitable question:

What does this passage say to us about God? 

It is only as we place God at the center of our attention and make him the focal point of our mindsets do we begin to understand anything about life.

So journal away, but make sure you’re asking the right questions!

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  • Milo

    Of course the Bible is God’s story. We need to seehowHe moves things and people around according to His will and plan.

  • deborah connery

    Good post and sorely needed in these times when there seems to be more of a focus on how God meets the felt needs of the sinner rather than on the gospel.

  • Sandra Varela

    I like this a lot Lina, I have to be honest i’m a baby Christian and I still don’t know where to begin to read the bible. I want to learn it, and get interested in it, sometimes when I read it, it completely confuses me, but I know that little by little I will get the hang of it. Thank you for your posts they are AMAZING!!! and encouraging =)

  • Ruth

    Awesome point…it’s not about me!

  • susan nelson

    sigh….

  • Gina

    Love this and exactly what Milo and Ruth said.and Sandra! Im a newness too.I love reading God’s book & learning. My journaling has become more meaningful and deeper since I starting going to Harvest,biblestudy. Night!

  • Gina

    Sorry that was meant to read.im a newbe too.i really wish I could have been there tonight at biblestudy. The lecture sounded great.see you guys soon.

  • amber

    What does this blog say to me about God? Well, it always makes me think just like God’s words. I’m going to use this question in my small group tomorrow and the weeks to come.