Reading God's Word is like putting a fruit in a juicer -- you want to make sure that you get the most of it. There are countless believers who have been reading God's Word for decades, but in every opportunity to do so there is always a fresh revelation or experience.
The Bible is not just a collection of old stories, poems and letters. It is God's written word that He has given to us for enlightenment, encouragement, understanding and direction. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."
As Christians, some of our goals should be to get the most out of reading God's Word and, in doing so, understanding who Jesus is, what He has done for us and how we are to respond.
One of the simplest yet effective tools that are used is the SPECK technique. It's actually an acronym that stands for five things that we can look for when studying scripture -- sin to avoid or confess, promise to claim, example to follow, command to obey and knowledge of God to acquire.
Sin to avoid or confess
God is very specific about heart issues and actions that do not please Him and that cause us harm. When reading scripture, we can look out for these specific sins that God calls us to avoid or confess so that we may experience the Holy Spirit's transforming and enabling power.
Promise to claim
The Bible is also full of promises of life and abundance, and we are to look out for those promises so that we may be reminded of how faithful God is and what we can now claim through the finished work on the cross.
Example to follow
We also see a lot of narratives in the Bible of people who acted commendably -- men and women who acted in faith, devotion, courage and obedience. When we see the lives of these people and catch the same fire they had, we grow more into the men and women that God want us to be.
Command to obey
God's Word is like a user manual in that we catch principles and commands that govern the world that we live in. When we align ourselves with God's Spirit and stand by these principles that cover anything from finances, work, purpose and relationships, we open ourselves up to greater commissions and blessing.
Knowledge of God to acquire
The chief end of the scripture is to introduce to us the person of Jesus Christ and the person of God as a whole. As we come to know God and His attributes more, we understand how we are to live and conduct our very lives.
