Get the Most Out of Reading the Bible

The Bible is a collection of stories illustrating God’s character and His desire to be reconciled with the souls He created. The Story Plan summarizes the Bible’s key accounts, highlighting the events and people that played a part in God’s story of redemption. No matter your age or where you are in your faith journey, The Story Plan is a great place to start.

THE R.E.A.P. METHOD
Get the Most Out of Reading the Bible


We don’t want you just to read the Bible to check off some Christian to-do list. Our hope is that you’ll meet with God through the pages of His Word. Using the acronym R.E.A.P. will help maximize your time in the Bible. As you set about to read the day’s passage, keep the following things in mind.

R—READ
You’ll not only begin your time reading the Bible, but first prepare your heart and mind with a simple prayer. “Lord, here I am. Speak to me today.”

E—EXAMINE
Make sure to notice the context of the passage you’re reading. Who is talking? Who are they talking to and what about? Don’t forget the basics: who, what, where, when, why and how. Then finally, what did I learn?

A—APPLY
Ask God to show you how this passage of Scripture applies to your life. How does God want me to live differently based off what I’ve read?

P—PRAY
Don’t forget God is with you. As you read His Word, view your time as a conversation instead of a monologue. God speaks through the Bible, but as in any conversation, communication and understanding occur in the context of a back and forth dialogue.

WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR WHEN I READ?

As you read, keep your eyes open for lessons to be learned, people to imitate, promises to claim or truths to base your life upon. When you are ready to write in the journal, use these guidelines to organize your thoughts:

First, what did you learn? This would include what the writer was saying and what God told you during your time of reading. These comments don’t tend to be personal but will be more general in nature. This is just the raw truth laid out in the Word. Next focus on your life — how should you live based on what you learned? This is where you turn your writing more toward what you need to do in your life to claim, confess, correct or complete what God said to you. Then you may write briefly about how you can lead others to better understand God or point them to Christ.

The final part of your writing is your prayer. Prayer is conversation with God, and in this journal, you will talk to God on paper. Make confessions to God, ask for help from God, thank Him. Whatever it is that you want to say to God based on what you have just read and the conversation you just completed, let it
flow from your pen to the paper into the presence of God.