All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 2 Timothy 3:16 NLT
Paul wrote to Timothy, the young man he was mentoring, explaining the purpose of Scripture. It is God-inspired, of course, and it transforms us to be able to live like Jesus. It wasn’t information Timothy needed to be a good pastor. It was what God would use to transform him personally into the image of Jesus.
Since familiar Scripture makes it easy to skip the details, we especially need to shift our focus from looking for added information to experiencing personal transformation. You might want to switch up your methods occasionally to give you a fresh look at familiar Scriptures.
Read a different translation. We all have a go-to translation we read most of the time. Change it up – read The Message, The Passion Translation, New Living Translation, or any one that’s not tour usual. You Version is a free app you can put on your phone with many versions at your fingertips. The different sentence structure and slightly different choices of words enable fresh processing.
Pray the verses. Read the verses as an intimate conversation with God. You can praise, confess, request, worship, dream.
If it’s an account, try a new perspective. Instead of focusing on the main character, consider the thoughts and experience of a secondary character. For instance, consider the reaction of a mourner who helps unwrap Lazarus when he walks out of the tomb.
Highlight every active verb in the passage. Ask yourself what God is calling you to actively do, change, or release based on the Word He has just given you.
Write what the passage means to you in your own words. You will process deeply and differently when you express what you understand from your perspective.
Every now and then, take the time to call a friend or write a note. Express to them how this passage has helped you and what you are praying for them as a result. Human nature ensures that we are most often permanently changed by what we share.
- God’s Word is precious for many reasons, but none more wonderful than for its transformative power. The most familiar passages can speak to us with new power when we don’t let them easily become routine.