Do you read the Bible to grow spiritually?

Do you read the Bible in order to know God better?

J. I. Packer, in his book, Knowing God (InterVarsity Press, 1993), writes that having a relationship with God is our primary purpose. “What were we made for? To know God. What aim should we have in life? To know God. What is the eternal life that Jesus gives? To know God. What is the best thing in life? To know God. What in humans gives God most pleasure? Knowledge of himself.” The Bible is the means by which we encounter God, get to know and enjoy him, and fulfill our purpose in life.

Did you know Bible Gateway has dedicated a section of our site to different Scripture engagement methods (provided by Taylor University)? It offers ways that Scripture can be interacted with that might allow us to more openly receive God’s words and, therefore, come to know him better. In it, you’ll find creative ways to dive into the Word—everything from memorizing Scripture to dramatizing Scripture. There’s a lot here.

If this sounds intriguing to you, I recommend scanning the entire page before rapid-fire clicking all the links you see. Because there are so many methods of Scripture engagement, and because they’re so well-documented, it’s easy to get lost…

So, here’s the basics: on our Scripture Engagement page, there are some introductory articles about why engaging with Scripture is important. Of these, in my opinion, the “Not This Way” article is the most interesting. Everyone has specific reasons for turning to the Bible when they do, and this page talks through a few common but “inadequate” approaches to the Bible. It’s not intended to make you worry that you’re reading the Bible incorrectly. It’s only a list of mindsets we should attempt to expunge before opening the Bible. As with prayer, God would like us to set aside certain ways of thinking before engaging with his Word, and I’ve definitely found this article helpful for future reference.

The other introduction links are important, but if you’ve got your sleeves rolled up already, scroll down to the Scripture Engagement Practices. Bam! Huge bulleted list. It’s actually not as overwhelming as it looks. In this list there are 14 different devices for engaging with Scripture. I recommend selecting just one for now. Maybe you’d like to focus on one of these methods for the remainder of the year—through Thanksgiving, through Advent, get a head start on your New Year’s resolutions. No time like the present!

For most of these ideas, there are three links below:

• Practice Tips
• Small Groups
• Resources

Sometimes there are examples of how this has been done effectively or creatively. Take ten minutes or less to explore the method, gather some specific ideas and examples, and then go and try it with the Word. The last thing we want to do with the Scripture Engagement page is to distract you from actual Scripture.