I love sitting on the couch with a hot cup of coffee and diving into a brand new book. It’s not long before my mind is captured by the key elements of the story line including the hero, villain, and almost always an insurmountable problem that must be solved. When it comes to reading the Bible we find ourselves in a somewhat similar position. As we read through the stories of Moses, Ruth, Joseph, David, Esther, and even Samson, we find ourselves captured by the bravery and might of these incredible men and women of God. This is where things can get very dangerous because it can be incredibly easy to stop with the conclusion that we need to be more like them! The danger is that as we read the Bible, we are not meant to read it as if these figures are the hero. Rather, we are meant to see them as a reflection of the greatest hero, Jesus.
How Should We Read The Bible?
It’s easy for us to go through the motions when reading the Bible. One of the most important things we need to keep in mind as we study the scriptures is that Jesus is the point of the story. Every book, chapter, sentence, and word of the Bible leads us to the glorious arrival of Christ, his victory over sin and death, and his promise to return. So when we read the Bible and the various men and women throughout the pages of scripture, we always need to ask the question, “How does this point me to Jesus”? As we ask this question we will find that our understanding of the scriptures begins to come alive and relate to us in a powerful way.
Seeking Christ in Every Scripture Trains Our Mind
The practice of seeing and unpacking how Christ is being exalted and referred to in the scriptures trains our mind to see Christ as both sufficient and satisfying. While there are great principles to learn from figures such as Joseph, we also need to realize that they have their own epic failures. For instance, for all the good that Joseph did for the people of Israel, It’s interesting to see Joseph neglect grace to the Egyptians in the midst of the famine, and rather enslaves them to Pharaoh in order to pay off their debt for the grain that they need to survive. Needless to say, it’s not hard to imagine why the Egyptians grew to hate the Israelites and in turn enslaved them. Jesus on the other hand extends ultimate grace asking God the Father to forgive the people for they do not know what they do as he is hanging and dying on the cross. While Joseph enslaves a group of people that are not his own, Christ forgives and redeems all people. Jesus, is simply better. This training of our mind causes us to see Christ clearly in all of scripture and in turn helps us to grow in our affections for Jesus and be continually drawn into His goodness.
Steps To Seeing Christ In Every Bible Story
Sometimes It can be hard to change something that we have been doing for a long time. Some of us have been reading the Bible the same way for as long as we can remember. The following are some steps you can take to intentionally read the Bible and focus on Christ.
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Read the entire story in one sitting
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Re-read the story and write down the major points, issues, and questions that you may have
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Pray – Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the depth of Christ’s Word to you and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ
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Identify areas in the story where there is success and failures
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Ask the following question – How Is Jesus better?
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Pray – Thank Jesus for his love, sacrifice, and his goodness
This is wonderful advice. Great tips for getting more out of our devotional time. Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely! Thanks for the comment, and excited to hear about the insights you get in God’s Word!
I read a lot of blogs but this is the first one I’ve come across specifically about the Bible. Very interesting!
-Dasha
http://windycitywardrobe.com