For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.(Ezra 7:10)
As a person sets their heart, they are moved to action and begin to absorb the Word of God. New believers often drink the Scriptures down like milk, devouring chapters and even books on a daily basis (1 Pet 2.2). But, normally the appetite starts to subside. This is a critical time for coaching. At this point there are three important ingredients for successful long term intake of the Word: Strategy, Consistency, and Accountability.
My Strategy is to start small and increase as they gain strength in the Word. I usually start them in the Gospel of Mark (reading about Jesus), one chapter daily. Mark is only 16 chapters long and they can finish it in just over two weeks. As they gain steam, I add portions of the Old and New Testament but encourage them to continue to cycle through the Gospels and keep reading Jesus. In about six months, they can be reading up to four chapters daily (reading through the Bible in a year). Eventually, Bible study and Scripture memory round out their steady diet of the Word and they are being saturated (Deut 6.6-9).
Consistency is more important than quantity over the long haul. Even if they only read a short section of the Bible every day, it is more effective than a "hit or miss" approach (Ac 17.11). Generally, a person will gain enough steam to add more content as they continue on a daily basis.
Finally, I have found Accountability to be the number one encouragement for them to consistently read the Scriptures. I start by enthusiastically sharing my findings in the Word during Bible study or Man to Man time. Then, I begin to ask what God is revealing to them from the Bible. This develops a pattern of mutual sharing and encouragement around biblical concepts and applications (Heb 10.24-25).
For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com or click the envelope below to send this post to a friend...
