“Discipline without direction is drudgery”. What if you are totally behind the idea and it is still too daunting? What if all of your best efforts have left you discouraged and disillusioned? It can happen. In fact, it happens all of the time.

Donald Whitney, professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary is the author of Spiritual Disciplines of For the Christian Life. In the coming days I will be rehashing the book as I walk through it myself in an effort to open discussion, answer some questions, and encourage others in their pursuit of Godliness.

The first and second chapters cover Bible Intake. Let’s discuss the first of these two chapters.

Whitney asserts, “No Spiritual Discipline is more important than the intake of God’s Word.” He continues, “Nothing can substitute for it.”

There are three methods of Bible intake to discuss in the first chapter on the subject: hearing, reading, and studying the Word of God.

On the subject of Hearing God’s Word:

• First, we know that “… faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ.” – Romans 10:17
• We hear the Bible through the preaching ministry of New Testament churches. This is one of the most important steps toward Christian maturity. Is your church properly teaching the biblical text? Are you like the noble Bereans in your examination of your pastor and his teaching to make sure that what he says is true?

On the subject of Reading God’s Word:

“A man can no more take in a supply of grace for the future than he can eat enough for the next six months, or take sufficient air into his lungs at one time to sustain life for a week. We must draw upon God’s boundless store of grace from day to day as we need it.” – D. L. Moody

• Find the time – same time each day
• Use a reading plan – one that works well for you. Fifteen minutes each day and you will read the entire Bible in a year.
• Meditate on what you have read – think deeply on what you have read. Question, apply, and cross- reference what you have read.

On the subject of Studying God’s Word:

• Dig deep – the more you look the more you will find.
• Be comprehensive – what does the whole Bible say about the subject?
• “Don’t let inadequacy keep you from the delight of learning the Bible on your own.”