As we have learned in the previous articles, our time with God is very much like cultivating a beautiful garden. With everything from creating a design, laying a foundation, and building a structure (your plan) to planting (Bible), watering, weeding, tending (prayer), and lots of sunlight (Holy Spirit) you will have everything you need to ensure that your garden flourishes. However, sometimes it can be beneficial to use supplements to help struggling plants grow or just to deliver key nutrients to sustain healthy plants.
In this final article, I want to share some additional resources to help you on your journey to cultivate and maintain the discipline of meeting with God through Bible reading and prayer. In terms of our time with God, we want to make sure to use things that help to point us to God and the Bible and don’t distract or take away. With that said, I believe these resources will encourage and inspire you with the practical advice and years of wisdom to do just that.
John MacArthur
The first resource I would like to recommend is John MacArthur’s Series, How to Get the Most from God’s Word. In this series, John MacArthur will go over tried and true ways to ensure you get the most out of your Bible reading with specific methods he has utilized throughout the years.
- The Character of God’s Word
- What It Takes to Study God’s Word
- The Inspiration of Scripture
- How to Study Your Bible: Interpretation
- How to Study Your Bible: Closing the Gaps
Edith Schaeffer
The second resource I recommend is the Bird’s Eye View of the Bible lecture by Edith Schaeffer. In this lecture, Edith gave an overarching view of the Bible’s story line. This is crucial to understand in our Bible reading and Edith explains with such clarity and revelation that I am certain you will be blessed and inspired by her message.
Elisabeth Elliot
Another person who I believe has good practical advice on meeting with God is Elisabeth Elliot. I understand she can be hard for some people to listen to because she is so straight forward. But I personally appreciate her style because she doesn’t sugar coat or dance around issues that need to be addressed—an acquired, but necessary, taste for our modern ears.
However, once you get past her honest-to-goodness style of teaching, I believe you will learn so much from her. Especially, in an effort to build our collective memory. In fact, I believe her practical message of faithful discipline and simple obedience is desperately needed for such a time as this. The following are some of her messages on having a quiet time (even with kids in the house).
- Devotion to Christ: Spending Time with God
- Time Alone with God
- Quiet Time
- A Mother’s Quiet Time
- A Mother’s Quiet Time
- The Shaper of Destiny: Elisabeth & Val – Quiet Time & Discipline
- Regarding Children: Quiet Time and Children
- Finding Quiet Time
- Hints for Quiet Time
John Piper
Another person who I believe has great resources on the importance of Bible reading is John Piper. As I have listened to him over the years, I have been inspired by the way he unfolds and exposits scripture in a way that makes it come to life. As you listen to these sermons on the Bible, I am sure you will be just as inspired as I have.
- Sweeter than Honey, Better than Gold
- Series: Praying from the Fullness of the Word
- I Will Meditate on All Your Work and Muse on Your Deeds
- Holding Fast the Word of Life
- If My Words Abide in You
Carole Joy Seid
Finally, I would like to recommend Simple Tools for Meeting with God from Carole Joy Seid’s podcast, Homeschool Made Simple. In these two episodes, Carole lays out practical ways to meet with God, even if you have kids. As you listen, Carole is like a good friend giving you a tour of her garden with years of knowledge and wisdom under her belt.
Books and Other Resources for Bible Study & Bible Memory
- Women of the Word
- Search the Word
- Scripture Memory Guide
- Vines Expository Dictionary
- Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance
Devotionals
When it comes to devotionals, I think many of them distract us from focusing our time and attention on Jesus and the Bible. However, there are a few that I believe help to keep our focus on God, such as My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. If John the Baptist wrote a devotional, I think it would be very much like this. In one way or another, every entry seems to say, “He must increase, I must decrease.” With that in mind, the following are tried and true devotionals that I believe will be a benefit to you.
Journaling
Finally, start a journal. I have been journaling for years and after Bible reading, memorizing, and prayer, journaling is one of the major things that has helped me through life. I have found it is the best way to sort out thoughts, ideas, decisions, prayers, worries, and questions while also tracking God’s goodness and faithfulness in my life. When you go back to read something you were struggling with years ago that you are no longer struggling with, or see how God has answered prayers, it strengthens your faith and trust in God. Best of all, when it comes to Bible reading and Bible study, journaling is a good way to help you understand what you are learning. As I have heard John Piper say, “Writing is a way of seeing.”
So, when it comes to Bible reading and the use of devotionals, books, and other resources outside the Bible, remember that they are only a supplement to Bible reading. The Bible is to nutritious food as devotionals, books and podcasts are to health supplements. When we take supplements such as multivitamins, it is not on an empty stomach. It is commonsense that supplements are not a meal in and of themselves. The main source of our nutrients should come from healthy food. Supplements, however, are to increase key nutrients where we are deficient.
In the same way, devotionals and books are to help us understand the Word of God to increase knowledge where we may be lacking. When you read or listen to resources outside the Bible, it is crucial to think critically and question what you are reading and hearing to ensure it lines up with the Word of God. God is the ultimate authority on His book, just like any other author is. Therefore, it is important that what we consume about the Bible lines up with The Author’s intent.
As you glean from this series of articles and the resources I have shared, you will see that similar advice is woven throughout. The important thing is to figure out what works for you to be faithful and fruitful. My hope is that you are inspired to cultivate your relationship with God through regular Bible reading, study and prayer. In doing so, I pray that you would ultimately gain an understanding of who God is with the help of the Holy Spirit, in order to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40).