Question: What is the best way to spend time in the Word in the morning?
Answer: From our experience we have learned that there are two profitable ways of handling the Bible—the way of being nourished and the way of reading. The way of being nourished is to spend at least ten minutes to pray-read a few verses. We can first read not more than ten verses and then pray every word of each verse to digest them. We will be enlightened and can pray according to the enlightenment we receive. This is to mingle our reading of the Word with our praying, and it is truly nourishing. If possible, it is better to do this in the morning before doing anything else. Of course, we can be flexible about this. For instance, it may be difficult for someone who works a night shift to do this. In any case, the principle is to begin our day by being nourished through pray-reading the Word. To come to the Bible in the way of reading is to read a few chapters. If we have set aside thirty minutes to come to the Word in the morning, we can spend the first ten to fifteen minutes to be nourished and then spend the remaining time to read a few chapters. We could also divide our time into two or three sections in which we first pray-read and then read. The principle is first to be nourished and then to read.
To come to the Word for nourishment, we should not randomly select verses to pray-read. After selecting a book of the Bible through the Lord’s leading, we should pray-read from the first verse to the last consecutively. Our reading should also be consecutive. We need to read one chapter in the New Testament each day beginning from Matthew 1 until we finish the last chapter of Revelation. Then we should begin again from Matthew 1. Likewise, in the Old Testament we should begin reading from Genesis 1 until we finish the last chapter of Malachi. Consecutive reading is the most balanced and safest way to read the Bible.
Question: Is there another way to come to the Bible besides the way of being nourished and the way of reading?
Answer: Everyone needs to read and pray over at least a few verses every morning and then read a few chapters later in the day. Our time in the Word in the morning should be in the way of being nourished, and our time later in the day should be in the way of reading. These are the common ways of reading the Bible, which all believers should practice. Besides these two ways, some saints should also take a third way, the way of studying. This way is to study a particular book of the Bible. In order to study the Bible, we first need to ask the Lord what book we should study. If the Lord tells us that we need to study Romans, we should study Romans in a thorough way. We should first study every word according to the Greek text with the help of concordances and lexicons. After we study Romans in this way, we should expound each verse. By expounding each verse we will get into the depths of the Bible. After we finish studying a book by finding the meanings of each word and expounding each verse, we should study the entire book according to some of its main topics. For instance, sin and sins are two topics that we could study in Romans. Then we could study righteousness and justification. Other topics include being in Christ, being in the spirit, being in the flesh, and our old man. If we study Romans according to forty or fifty topics, it will become transparent to us. We can also use the Life-study messages in our study of the Word.
Question: You have previously shared concerning our need to have a time with the Lord in which we are open to be enlightened by the Lord concerning our condition. How is that word related to our contacting the Lord through the Word?
Answer: When we contact the Word either to be nourished or to read, we will spontaneously be enlightened. Through our reading of the Word, our condition will be exposed in the light of the Lord. If we only pray for the Lord to shine on us but do not come to the Word, it will be difficult for us to be enlightened concerning our condition. Without the Word there is no instrument, no means, that the Lord can use to enlighten our situation. Many saints are daily enlightened and have their true situation and condition exposed in the light of God through their reading of the Bible.
Question: When I feel that I am aware of my condition, I sometimes try to find a portion in the Bible for my reading that relates to my condition. However, you have shared that we should read through the Bible consecutively. As we are reading consecutively, will the Lord shine on our condition regardless of the portion that we are reading?
Answer: Sometimes light comes when we are reading, and sometimes light does not come. However, light may come through a portion of the Word days, weeks, or even years after we read it. This is up to the Lord, but we need to be faithful to accumulate, to store up, the Lord’s word in our being.
Question: Does the time we have with the Lord in reading the Word need to be individual?
Answer: To have a corporate time of reading the Word, such as in a corporate morning watch, is beneficial. However, having a private, personal contact with the Lord by reading the Word is more important. Neither one of these two aspects can replace the other. We need both the private aspect and the corporate aspect of contacting the Lord through the Word. According to God’s ordained principle, nearly everything has two aspects. This principle is even visible in our physical bodies—we have two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, two arms, and two legs. We need the corporate contact with the Lord, and we also need the private contact. However, if we cannot have both, it is better to have the private contact.
Question: What does it mean that spending time with the Lord in the morning is the greatest honor we can give to Him? Also, because I was recently saved out of the world, I do not know how to pray. What should I do?
Answer: Going to the Lord first thing every morning is a great honor to Him. We should pray, “Lord, before I do anything, I come to contact You.” Even to utter only a few sentences of prayer in the morning is very pleasant to Him. We do not need to know a particular way to pray, because we can simply pray-read the Word. It is best to use the same book of the Bible every day until we pray-read from the first verse until the last. Every morning we can come to the Lord by pray-reading three to five consecutive verses. This may be a little awkward at first for new believers, but they will gradually learn by doing. If we honor the Lord in this way, we will surely receive a reward.