God's Word

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105

"For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" Hebrews 4:12

  I fully believe those verses. God's word is vitally important to our lives. It is imperative that we spend time reading it, studying it and applying it.

 When you read the Bible however, do you ever find yourself wondering afterwards - What did I read? That has certainly happened to me. I read it fast, I read it with a distracted mind and then I can end up absorbing very little. I have been working to battle that in my life. 

   The things that I had personally found helpful were to concentrate better and force myself to find one verse after I was done that I really liked or that convicted me in some way. Now I admit there are a few chapters in the Bible (likes lists of names for example) that I struggle with this but still it has helped me to better pay attention. Memorizing has also helped to really absorb God's word in my life and reading out loud to my kids helps a lot! They love to discuss things and will ask questions and totally keep me on my toes. I feel very blessed to have them!

  Not long ago at church we were discussing this and the teacher shared some more thoughts on how to get the most out of your bible reading. I liked the tips so I thought I would pass them on:

When you are reading a passage:

• Figure out a title for it. (That means you can summarize what it is about)
• Choose the "Best Verse" (What I was already doing.)
• Answer that question - What is this passage calling me to do?
• Pray about what you have read and how to apply it to your life.

What have you found helpful in getting the most out of your Bible reading?