Once upon a time, a young evangelist preached his heart out, night after night, but no one came to Christ. Discouraged, he went out for a walk one afternoon and came upon a graveyard. There he found the tomb of a great church leader, knelt by it and prayed, "Lord, if You have really called me to preach and win souls, You will have to equip me."
God answered John Wesley's prayer in a mighty way. One of the hallmarks of God's "equipping" in his life and ministry expressed itself in insatiable Bible reading.
Wesley, based on his own experience and practice, identified six principles for reading the Bible devotionally.
First, set aside time, morning and evening, for reading God's Word. It won't happen on its own. You must take the initiative, adivised Wesley, and commit personal time, you will see results—both in your inner and outer life. The psalmist testified: "I have hidden you word in my heart that I might not sin against you" (Psa 119:11).
Second, Wesley suggested, read a chapter from the Old Testament and one from the New. Acknowledging that not everyone has that much leisure time, he offered an alternative: Read a single chapter, even part of a chapter! Read the Bible through in a year by following this Bible reading schedule.
Wesley's balance of reading from both Old and New Testaments is commended. St. Augustine taught us that the Old Testament anticipates the New and that the New Testament fulfills the Old. The Christ prophesied in the Old (e.g., in Isa 53:4-5) actually comes in the New Testament. Moreover, the balance of law and grace comes to vivid light when we study both testaments.
Third, Wesley exhorted, read to discern God's will. Firmly determine to find the Sovereign God's purpose for you!
Following Wesley's empowering experience as a young evangelist, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 became part of his daily experience: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
Forth, Wesley showed us how to see God's will in the Bible: Put on the spectacles of faith, he exhorted.
That's exactly what Mary Jane did. Reading the Bible with faith brought her a new and personal understanding of its statements about sin, faith (Romans 1:16-17) and the new birth (John 3:1-17). She discovered grace and power over sinful thoughts and acts (Eph 2; 1 Thess 4:3-5, 7). All of this helped Mary Jane to align her will with God's.
Fifth, advised Wesley, read prayerfully.
Mary Jane discerned God's will when reading prayerfully. In fact, one day during her devotional time, she experienced an "Aha!" moment: She could comprehend Scripture meanings with the help of the Spirit of Christ, and when she prayed, the Spirit interpreted God's Word to her. John 16:13 resonated within her: "But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth."
Earlier, God had used Colossians 1 to initiate this discovery, especially verses 9-11: "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power..."
Mary Jane now imitates Wesley's practice, opening and closing her devotional times with prayer.
Finally, Wesley suggested that, as we read the Bible, we pause now and again, asking ourselves whether we really live by what we have read and whether in our hearts we actually believe the words just read.
Both John Wesley and Mary Jane made "pause-and-reflect" part of their quiet times. The result? The took seriously James 1:22: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."
A few years ago one Christian couple, Joe and Sue, learned about Wesley's six principles of Bible reading but wrestled with how to implement the guidelines into their devotional lives. They experimented with several approaches.
One day, they came upon a method suggested by Billy Graham: Read some psalms and a few proverbs each day. This practice, according to Mr. Graham, puts one in fresh relatedness with God when reading psalm, and enhances relationship with fellow human being when practicing proverbs.
Joe and Sue followed this Psalm-and-Proverbs pattern for quite some time. After awhile, they sensed that they needed to get into more of the Bible. A little fold-out card at their local Bible book-store outlined a program for reading through the whole of Scripture in a year's time. The plan did not require a lot of time each day, but it did demand a daily commitment to reading the assigned chapters and to be determined to give it a try.
Joe and Sue enjoyed the discipline of reading chapters each day. and they had a good feeling about their spiritual progress at the end of the year. Then they discovered still another way to get through the Bible in roughly a year's time. They found this fresh approach in a Bible at their Christian book-store: It set off specific readings a day at a time. They disciplined themselves to follow it, and ended that year with a sense of joyful accomplishment.
Whatever scheme you follow, daily reading in God's Word will see you mature into a stronger Christian, increasing in joy and freedom, efficiency in service and devotion to God.
