You might call it your “quiet time” or “devotional.” I call it personal Bible study. In this post, I will give you some basic tools and strategies to make the most of this time each day. When you think of personal Bible study, what comes to mind? Is it a quiet comfy place in your home with a warm cup of coffee and your Bible or devotional book? Or is it at your kitchen table or desk with a laptop and, of course, a warm cup of coffee?

For many, this time with God is difficult to prioritize because it can seem mysterious, at least at the start. When you really don’t know what to expect or how to do it, studying your Bible personally can feel like a chore. Let me start with what you don’t need to get started.

What You Don’t Need for Your Personal Bible Study Time 

1) You don’t need a devotional book.
Sure, they can be helpful. However, they are unnecessary. Spending time with God each day only requires His Word. If you read a verse or brief passage of the Bible and read a much longer passage from a person, you are spending time with that author rather than spending time with God. Again, it can be helpful, but the bulk of your time with God is a priority. I will list some helpful tools later. The idea is to know what a Bible passage means before you can really apply it. Devotional books will often help you apply the passage without truly understanding it.

2) You don’t need a lot of time.
You can spend as much time as you want, or your schedule allows. Don’t feel you need 30 minutes every morning to study your Bible personally.

What You Need for Your Personal Bible Study Time

1) An Accurate & Understandable Modern Bible Translation.
When you read something as important as God’s Word, you need to understand it before you can know what it means or how to apply it. This is where an understandable modern Bible translation comes in. The English Standard Version is a great choice but so is the Christian Standard Bible. You should stay away from books like The Message and the Living Bible. These are paraphrases of the Bible and should only be read if you are using another translation.

2) A Study Bible AND a Whole Bible Commentary
If the ultimate goal of Bible Study is to know God better and to apply His Word to your life, you need to first understand what it means. You can’t apply something without understanding its meaning. This is where a Study Bible AND a Whole Bible Commentary come in handy. I find the ESV Study Bible and Bible Knowledge Commentary to be great resources in helping me understand the Bible.

3) A Regular Time
You don’t need a lot of time, but you need to dedicate a regular time each day to spend time in personal Bible study. This will help you develop the habit of personal Bible study.

4) An Understanding of the Context
Again, the goal is application. Application can only happen when meaning is understood. Understanding the context of the passage you are reading is essential to understanding its meaning. This will also protect you from believing false things about God. This is where the Study Bible and Whole Bible Commentary can be extremely helpful.

5) A Worshipful and Prayerful Attitude
When you open the Bible, you are opening God’s words to His Creation. This includes you. What a treasure you have in your Bible. Interact with it. Worship God because of what you read. Pray in response to how you should live because of it. You don’t have to have to include music.

Your personal Bible study time will change your life. Personally, I have spent the past two years slowly reading through the whole Bible. I am now going even slower and reading the whole New Testament in two years.

Why so slow? I want to know the God I am reading about in the Bible. I want to be transformed by His Word. I want my life to reflect the Bible and Jesus. Quickly going through the Bible to mark it off on my daily to do list won’t accomplish those goals. There’s no hurry. There’s not a big exam coming up at the end of the month. Go slow. Let the Bible soak into your mind and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, it will transform your life.

Article Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

About the Author

Gary joyfully serves as Senior Pastor of White Plains Baptist Church in Scottsville, Kentucky and writes books and resources to help you know and follow Jesus. He earned his Master of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies from Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Gary is the founder of Discipleship Studio.

Email: gary@floydgarypierce.com
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