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This is the Life series
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Welcome to this series called "This is the Life." I want this weekend to be helpful as we study God's word together.
Let me start with a story. On Christmas Eve 2002, a man named Jack stopped at a convenience store in Hurricane, West Virginia, and bought a Powerball ticket—something he'd done for about a decade whenever the jackpot exceeded $100 million. When he woke up on Christmas Day, he discovered he'd won $315 million, the largest single jackpot in American history at that time.
But something remarkable happened. As his dreams seemingly came true, everything began to unravel. Reporters camped on his lawn. People came out of the woodwork asking for money. Lawsuits piled up. His marriage ended. And years later, Jack made a shocking statement: "I wish I had torn that ticket up."
How does someone go from longing to win the lottery to wishing it never happened? Jack discovered something crucial: what the world says leads to the good life is very different from what Jesus says leads to the good life.
The world tells us: Get more money, more success, the right relationship, the bigger house, the promotion—then you'll have the good life. But Jesus tells us a different story.
In John 10:10, Jesus says: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
Jesus wants us to have a full, good, abundant life. The question isn't whether He wants that for us—it's how do we experience it? And I would argue that if we want to experience the good life, the word of God is absolutely essential. We can't experience the life God has for us if we don't spend time in His word.
Here's what I've discovered: many of us are grasping for this good life, this full vibrant abundant life, and it always seems just out of reach. That's because we know we should read the Bible, but knowing where to start, what to read, and how to make it a habit feels overwhelming.
Last week we launched a new feature where you could answer some questions. When we asked, "Which area of your spiritual life do you want to grow in the most?" 52% of you said: spending time with God. That's encouraging!
But then we asked a second question: "Which spiritual habit is hardest for you to practice consistently?" The results were revealing. 58% of you said the hardest thing to do consistently is to spend time with God in His word.
So we know it's important. We want to do it. But we struggle with consistency.
Here's what's remarkable. Over a decade, an organization called the Center for Bible Engagement surveyed over 600,000 people. Their finding is absolutely staggering:
The most powerful predictor of spiritual growth in a person's life is consistently engaging with God's word.
Not prayer. Not church attendance. Not being in a small group. Not serving others. Not your favorite worship playlist. All of those things are good and important, but the number one predictor of spiritual growth? Consistently engaging with God's word.
Now, here's the good news and bad news combined:
The good news: God has made it so easy for us. Your heavenly Father longs to give you guidance, direction, and instruction—and He has written it down, preserved it through generations, and given us access in ways no generation before us has ever experienced. It's never been easier to consistently engage with God's word than right now.
The bad news: If you do everything else—if you pray, go to small group, show up at church, worship, and serve—but you don't consistently engage in God's word, you will grow at a fraction of the rate you could or should. You will literally stunt your own spiritual growth.
This is why Bible engagement is called a keystone habit—a small foundational routine that triggers a domino effect, naturally sparking positive changes in other areas of your life.
That same study over 600,000 people found stunning results. People who consistently engage with God's word:
Why? Because God's word is that powerful. No wonder Satan wants to prevent you from consistently spending time in God's word. He knows the difference it makes.
Now, what does "consistency" actually mean? According to this research, it means spending time in God's word four or more times in a given week. People who spend less than four times a week in God's word show statistics the same as non-believers. So the key word here is consistently spending time in God's word.
I believe for most of us, the problem isn't that we don't want to spend time in God's word. The problem is we don't know how. Sometimes God's word feels confusing. But I think for most of us, it's not that we lack desire—it's that we lack direction. We don't lack passion; we lack a process.
So here's my goal today: I want to help you become the kind of person who consistently spends time in God's word.
Every person I know who is consistent with this keystone habit has already answered four key questions. These are the questions we need to answer today.
This seems simple and foundational—because it is. But here's the reality: if you never decide when you're going to meet with God, chances are you won't.
Think about everything else in your life. You don't accidentally make doctor's appointments. You don't accidentally show up to work. You didn't accidentally catch your flight. Those things require planning and scheduling. The same is true of our time with God.
"What gets scheduled gets done, and what's merely intended doesn't."
It's great that we all have the intention of spending time with God in His word. Amazing! But if we don't schedule it, it won't happen.
Jesus modeled this for us. In Mark 1, we read:
"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up. He went out and made his way to a deserted place, and there he was praying."
If it was that important for Jesus to have an appointment with God every single day, it's probably pretty important for us too. Jesus had a rhythm. What's yours?
For some of you, it might be 5 or 6 a.m. before everything else wakes up. For others, it might be during your lunch break, sitting in the car line, or after the kids go to bed. You need to find a time that works for you—but it actually needs to be on your calendar and in your schedule.
Here's what I've observed: the people with the most vibrant spiritual lives, the people who clearly spend time with Jesus, all meet with God first thing in the morning. Every single one, without exception.
Sometimes you need to find what works for you. But there's something special about starting your day with God. There's something biblical about giving God your first and your best.
When you seek Him early, you will see Him often.
So if you want to see God in the rest of your schedule, start your day with the scriptures.
This also seems simple, but it's important: you need a consistent place that you meet with God.
Research consistently shows that habits become dramatically easier when they're tied to a consistent location. Angela Duckworth, who developed the grit test, explains it this way:
"There's a mountain of research studies that show that when you have a habit of practicing at the same time in the same place every day, you hardly have to think about getting started. You just do."
This is like a sigh of relief for those of us who've struggled to be in God's word every day. The way we're wired and designed is that if we show up at the same time in the same place every day, we don't have to muster up discipline, ethic, or courage. We just do it.
So set yourself up for success. You need both a time and a place.
For you, maybe it's your favorite chair at home that nobody else is allowed to sit in. Maybe it's your kitchen table early in the morning before everybody wakes up. Maybe it's your back porch with a cup of coffee. Maybe it's the corner booth at the coffee shop. Maybe it's your truck before work. The point is: when you show up there, your brain knows what you're about to do, and it helps you become consistent.
Throughout Scripture, we see that God has a habit of turning ordinary places into sacred spaces. Your place doesn't have to be impressive, but it does need to be consistent.
I know people who sit at their kitchen table every morning and literally pull out an empty chair and set a place for Jesus—reminding themselves that's why they're there: to meet with Jesus. I know people who pour two cups of coffee, one for them and one for Jesus. If that tells your brain what you're here to do, it's worth it.
Remember: this is not a spiritual checklist. The point is not to read the Bible. The point is to meet with Jesus. This is the only book where every time you open its pages, you get to engage with the author, because the Holy Spirit has taken up residence inside of you. When we read this book, we get to spend time with the author.
The point obviously is not to get into the Bible. It's for the Bible to get into us.
Now we're getting to where many people get stuck, even if you've been walking with the Lord a long time.
Some people say: "Okay, I've got my time, I've got my place. Lord, what are we going to read today?" And they just open randomly. But this is not a plan.
Does God speak that way sometimes? Maybe. But if you consistently engage with God's word and you know what you're reading—whether you're working through a plan, going through the Bible in a year, or reading through a book—God speaks through that every single time. The Holy Spirit can work through random reading, but the Holy Spirit deserves better than that.
And the verse of the day is not a plan either. It's great—I love the verse of the day. But that's about saturation, not study. Those are two different things.
Here's an analogy: anybody who's gone to the grocery store with children knows the misery. You need to go with a list! If you don't, you get whatever sounds good and looks good. Your kids pull random things off the aisles—cotton candy, salsa, KitKats. You get home and realize you didn't even get dinner for the week.
That's what we do if we just pick and choose what to read. It's not a consistent, healthy spiritual diet. We need to be intentional.
Feelings make terrible planners.
Instead, decide ahead of time what you're going to read. Follow a Bible reading plan.
My favorite is the Bible in a Year. Yes, it sounds daunting. But the plan takes an Old Testament passage, a New Testament passage, usually a psalm or proverb, and you read those and move on to the next day. In 365 days, you've read the whole Bible. Don't wait until January 1—start tomorrow. Your 365 days can start anytime.
There are literally hundreds of Bible plans available on the Bible app. We put stuff out all the time as we go through different series. You might work through just one book of Scripture. Whatever you do, find what works for you.
But you need a plan. Why?
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
So if you've struggled to be consistent: you need a designated time, you need a designated place, and you need to show up having already decided what scriptures you're going to read.
Not just what am I going to read, but how am I going to actually engage with the scriptures? The goal isn't to check a box—it's to hear the voice of God.
One of my favorite tools is called the SOAP method. It's a simple acronym where each letter stands for something you can do every single time you read God's word.
Here's why I love the SOAP method:
You never outgrow it. Whether it's your first time reading the Bible or you've been walking with Jesus for 30 years, you can do this every time. This is a tool that grows with you.
Just like real soap, you should use it every day. We have conversations in our house right now about the importance of using soap daily. It's a big deal!
When you're not using it, other people know it. Let's be honest: if you're not consistently spending time in God's word, everybody else in your life notices before you do.
Here's the acronym:
Start with the scripture you've already planned in advance. Read it several times—silently or out loud. I recommend reading it in at least three different Bible translations (ESV, NIV, NLT). The point is to get focused on the scripture.
Take time to write out the verse you're studying. This helps you focus and begins the process of memorizing God's word, which is incredibly important.
This is where most of your time should be spent. This is the most important step. Here you ask questions of the text:
For observation, you probably need to consult other tools and resources. Why? Because before we ask, "What does this mean to me?" we must ask, "What does this mean?" A passage cannot mean something to me that it does not actually mean.
To understand God's meaning, we must consider context. There are three types:
1. Literary Context
Every book of the Bible falls into a different genre with different purposes. You have narrative books, poetry, law, history, prophecy, and epistles (letters). Never read a verse in isolation. Read before and after it. What's happening in this passage? Where does it fit in the arc of the one story the Bible tells? Remember the four plot movements: Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration. Where does your passage fit?
2. Historical and Cultural Context
Ask historical and cultural questions:
These questions help us understand what it means, not just what it means to me.
3. Linguistic or Grammatical Context
Words really matter. Are there key words? Are there repeated words you should underline or circle? What is the author calling your attention to? What did those words mean when they were authored? The meaning of words changes over time.
Most of the Bible was written in Hebrew (Old Testament), Greek and Aramaic (New Testament). Understanding the original languages helps us grasp the true meaning.
This is what many of us jump to first. Here you ask:
Because it's not about information—it's about transformation. If I read a verse that tells me to love my enemies and I walk away without doing anything, I've missed the point.
There must be application. Write down your application: How does this scripture apply to your life?
Write out a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to help you live out what God has revealed to you in His word.
Let me show you how this works in practice. Let's look at Matthew 4:4:
He answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
As soon as you read this, you should ask questions: Who is "he"? Where is it actually written? What does this mean?
Let's go through the SOAP method:
You've read it several times in multiple translations and written it out. You're focused and ready.
Genre: This is a gospel—a historical narrative that's both biographical and theological. It's the life of Jesus.
Author: Matthew, one of the disciples who spent time with Jesus. Historically, we believe Matthew the tax collector wrote this gospel.
Audience: Matthew was a Jewish man writing to a Jewish audience. How do we know? Because he includes details that only his Jewish audience would care about. He wants them to see Jesus as the Messiah, the fulfillment of what they've been waiting for.
Context of the passage: Read before and after. Jesus is in the wilderness, fasting for 40 days and 40 nights. He's hungry. Satan attacks Him at His moment of weakness, tempting Him to betray who He is and disobey God's word.
When Satan attacks, Jesus responds with this scripture: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that comes from the mouth of God."
Footnote connection: This verse connects to Deuteronomy 8:1-3. Follow the rabbit trail! This is how we get to the meaning.
In Deuteronomy 8, Moses reminds the Israelites about the 40 years they spent in the wilderness. God fed them daily with manna—bread from heaven. They experienced hunger, but God provided. The lesson wasn't about food; it was about obedience. Will you keep My commands? It was a test of their hearts.
Spoiler alert: They didn't keep His commands. They grumbled and complained.
Now in Matthew 4, Jesus is also in the wilderness for 40 days (not 40 years), and He's tempted to do what the Israelites did—disobey God, do it His own way, not listen to the Lord.
But here's the contrast:
Jesus illustrated for us the real value of God's words. He showed us that real life is sustained by trusting God's voice rather than satisfying our immediate appetites.
There are several applications here:
Satan attacks at moments of weakness. When Satan attacks Jesus, what is the only weapon powerful enough for the Son of God to use to defeat the attacks of the enemy? Scripture. The word of God. You need to be armed with the word of God because He will tempt you at your point of weakness. The only way we stand firm is if we stand on the word of God.
We need to be hungry for God's word. The Israelites woke up every morning longing to see the manna, the bread of heaven, to satisfy their hunger. Bread can sustain your body for a day, but only the word of God sustains your soul for a lifetime.
We not only need to be armed with Scripture—we need to be desperate for, dependent on, the word of God every single day, the way the Israelites depended on manna from heaven for their very lives. That is how you and I ought to treat this book. We are desperately dependent on the word of God in our daily lives.
Jesus, thank you for Your word which does not return void. God, I pray that each and every one of us would not only be armed with Scripture so we're prepared for the attacks of the enemy, but more than that—would we be dependent on every word that flows from Your mouth, for it is our source of life? Help us to hunger for Your word. Help us to depend on it daily. Help us to become the kind of people who consistently engage with Your word every single day because we want to encounter the author. We want to spend time in Your presence, and we want our lives to be transformed by Your truth. In the mighty and matchless name of Jesus, Amen.
