A Simple Way to Read the Bible

Posted on July 6, 2026 by Wayne Davies

Here’s a simple way to read the Bible that you may have never thought of:
Scripture “writing.”

You pick a passage and copy it onto a sheet of paper. That’s it.

How simple is that?

Just to clarify – this method is often called Scripture “writing.” And writing means copying. It does not mean you are writing anything new. God already did that. He wrote the Book. And a simple way to read it is to copy it.

But maybe you want to know more about this method. Maybe you’re like me — when I first heard about it, I wondered whether this is really a good idea.

So, for more info on this method of writing (and therefore reading) Scripture, here’s a great resource:

Ready to Try Scripture Writing?
by Rebekah Matt
https://greatandnobletasks.com/2021/12/20/ready-to-try-scripture-writing/

Rebekah begins with this statement:

“Since 2018, I’ve been reading the Bible daily without fail, and I can give credit to one simple thing that has made this change possible. Scripture writing has utterly transformed my spiritual life (no exaggeration), my mornings, and my Bible time.”

In this blog post, three women (Rebekah and two of her friends) share their experiences with Scripture writing by answering these questions:

Why did you begin Scripture writing?

How did you begin and how do you do it now?

What method do you use?

This post also has links to other articles on the topic, such as:

“Getting the Most Out of Scripture Writing”
(an update of the above post, with more tips and info)

“A Gift for Your Scripture Writing”
(a free downloadable Scripture writing tracker)

“Letting Go of Bible Reading Expectations”
(many practical Bible reading tips here)

And yes, I’ve been doing Scripture writing for the past few months, and it has become a good habit that I find hard to break.

I learned about this method from a good friend who does it regularly. After he’s finished, he photographs his notebook and posts it to a Facebook group called “7-Day Scripture Writing Challenge.”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/201593511177942/

There are over 7,000 people in this Facebook group. So if you’re looking for other people who practice Scripture writing, you don’t have to go far to find them.

Why should you try Scripture writing? Because when you’re writing Scripture, you’re reading it.

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A Man, A Dog, A Bone, and the Bible

Posted on June 28, 2026 by Wayne Davies

Once upon a time . . .

There was a man, a dog, and a bone.

The man was training his dog to be obedient, to learn the meaning of the word “no.”

So the man would take a bone, or a doggie treat, and he put the treat in the middle of the floor next to the dog, look the dog right in the eye, and say “no.”

 

The first time, the dog saw the doggie treat, didn’t even think twice about it, grabbed the treat, and ate it in one gulp. The master came over and gave his dog a loving smack.

Then the master got out another treat and did the same thing.  He put the treat in the middle of the floor, next to the dog, and once again said “no.”

The dog did the same thing – saw the treat, went right for it, and swallowed it down, resulting in another loving smack.

So the master does it a third time – takes out a treat, puts it in the middle of the floor, and says “no.”  This time, the dog doesn’t take the treat.  Instead, you know what the dog does?  The dog never looks at the treat.  While his master was putting the treat on the floor, the dog never for a moment took his eyes off his master. The dog knew that if he looked at that treat, he would never be able to resist the temptation, so he maintained a steadfast gaze into the eyes of his master. And this time, the dog did not go for the treat.

*************

Temptation is something we all have to deal with.

What temptation have you been facing lately? What is your bone?  What is your doggie treat?

Maybe it’s alcohol. Or nicotine. Or chocolate.

Maybe it’s pornography. Or adultery. Or the lust that resides in our hearts.

Maybe it’s anger. Or resentment. Or bitterness. Or jealousy. Or discontentment.

We all have something.  1 Corinthians 10:13:  “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man” (1 Corinthians 10:13). What temptation seizes or overtakes you?

More importantly, what are you doing about it?  What are you doing to resist temptation?  How are you doing in your battle against sin?

The purpose of this post is to share the good news that there is hope in the struggle against sin’s grip on us. Regardless of the temptation you are struggling with, the Bible offers hope:  The Word of God promises victory in the battle against temptation, and the key to that victory is found in the story about A Man, A Dog, and A Bone.

When did the dog stop going for the bone?  When he started looking into the eyes of his master.

The Bible teaches us that the only way to experience victory over temptation is a steadfast gaze into the face of our Master, the God-Man, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.”
Hebrews 12:1-2

Yes, sin can “cling so closely” to us, can’t it? What do we do to lay it aside and get rid of it?

We look to Jesus!

But what does that mean?

Other translations help unpack the meaning of the word “look” –

“fixing our eyes on Jesus” (NIV)
“keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus (NET)
“looking only at Jesus” (NASB)

How do you resist temptation by looking only at Jesus?

What do you do to keep your eyes fixed on Him?

Let me know by leaving a comment below.

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The Purpose of Hearing the Word

Posted on June 21, 2026 by Wayne Davies

I’ve been reading the book of James.

Here’s a passage to read and meditate on often:
James 1:22-25 (NASB)

22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an active doer, this person will be blessed in what he does.

I like how the ESV summarizes these verses:
“Hearing and Doing the Word.”

James’ point is obvious: we are to be hearers and doers of the Word. Hearing alone is not enough. It’s a classic case of both/and. A true believer in Jesus must be both.

Having said that, it’s good to remind ourselves that we are to be hearers!

What is a “hearer” who is also a “doer”?

A hearer-doer is a person “who has looked intently at the perfect law” (v. 25). The phrase “looked intently” is one Greek word (parakupto), and it means “to bend over and carefully examine something from the clearest possible vantage point. It is the verb used by Luke to describe Peter’s looking into the empty tomb after Jesus’ resurrection (Luke 24:12).

“The person who looks intently at God’s Word, the perfect law, the law of liberty, examines it to discover its deepest and most complete meaning. For him, it is not a mere exercise of curiosity, as with the forgetful person just mentioned. When he discovers a truth, he abides by it, understanding that this is the purpose for the Lord’s revealing it to men. God did not reveal His Word simply to be learned, but to be obeyed and applied.” (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary – James).

In other words, the purpose of hearing the Word is to live it out. We want to know the Word so we can obey the Word. And we want to obey the Word because we love Jesus.

Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). And again, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me” (John 14:21). He also said, “If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word . . . He who does not love Me does not keep my words” (John 14:23-24).

In James 1:25, note that the Word is referred to as “the law of liberty.” The Bible is the only instruction that provides the power we need to live in freedom from the bondage of sin. Jesus made this clear in John 8:32 – “you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

We cannot do the Word if we don’t hear it. Indeed, we cannot even believe the Word if we don’t hear it, because “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17).

Hearing only is not enough, but hearing and doing are essential and indispensable practices of the Christian life. Oh how I need God’s help to hear, trust, and obey Him. I can’t do His will on my own; that’s a recipe for spiritual disaster.

Meditating on the necessity of hearing and doing causes me to cry out to God . . .

“O God, I need your power to be a hearer and a doer of your Word. Please enable me to engage wholeheartedly in both hearing and doing – from the heart – because I love you and want to please you, and because I want to be like your Son. May my motive for listening and obeying be your praise and glory, so that you get the credit for transforming me into the image of Christ, “from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). May all your people experience the freedom that only you can provide, by the power of your Spirit and your Word.”

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A Psalm about The God Who Loves and Saves

Posted on June 14, 2026 by Wayne Davies

I’ve been working on Volume 4 of my series, “Psalms Bible Study Guides” — How to Pray Like David: A Bible Study on Psalms 107-150.

The following is an excerpt. Lord willing, it will be published later this year.

 

A Psalm about The God Who Loves and Saves — Psalm 107

“The Bible is a book about God.”

So wrote Jen Wilkin in her book, Women of the Word.

The profound truth of that sentence has been embedded in my brain since the day I first read it. It is my favorite way to answer the question, “What is the Bible all about?”

God is certainly center stage in Psalm 107. More specifically, the unnamed psalmist wants us to thank God often for his attribute of love and his action of salvation.

Please read the psalm and note how often the psalmist mentions God’s love and salvation:
God’s love: verses 1, 8, 15, 21, 31, 43
God’s salvation: verses 2, 6, 13, 19, 28

Another favorite quote of mine is “Repetition is a great teacher.” We see that here, don’t we?

The words “save” or “salvation” do not actually appear in this psalm, but two synonyms of “save” are used: redeem (v. 2) and deliver (v. 6, 13, 19, 28).

In Scripture, God’s attributes and actions are inseparable and therefore appear together often. The character of God is demonstrated through the conduct of God.

The psalmist begins by saying that “the LORD… is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” (v. 1). Then he says, “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands” (v. 2-3).

God’s goodness and love (two magnificent attributes) are demonstrated through God’s redemption of his people from exile (one amazing action). The opening three verses set the stage for the main section of the psalm (v. 4-32), the centerpiece of this hymn. Here we find four easily identifiable sub-sections — based on the four paragraphs of the ESV or NIV:

Story #1 – v. 4-9
Story #2 – v. 10-16
Story #3 – v. 17-22
Story #4 – v. 23-32

If you are fond of alliteration, these paragraphs could be entitled: “4 Stories of Salvation,” or “4 Pictures of Peril,” or “4 Tales of Trouble.”

Q1. Read through verses 4-32 and record your thoughts on each of the four stories by answering these questions:

a. In your own words, describe the perilous situation. What kind of trouble are God’s people experiencing?

b. What is the cause of their trouble? (Story #1 may not reveal the cause, but Stories #2, 3, and 4 certainly do.)

c. How does God show his love for his people? Specifically, what does he do for them?

Q2. All four stories focus on God’s provision of physical, temporal salvation for his people. As you reflect on your own life, how has God delivered you from one or more of these physical perils? Write out a brief description of a troublesome time and what God did to save you. Examples could be: an illness, a financial setback, a death in the family, an accident, a job loss, etc.

Q3. When answering Question 1, you may have noticed that Story #2 and Story #3 include clear references to the sin of God’s people, as well as God’s response to that sin, as the cause of the trouble. Can you recall times of trouble that you brought on yourself because of your sin? What did God teach you through that situation? Did you confess your sin and repent?

Q4. In each of the four salvation stories, we see this repeated verse:
“Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble” (v. 6, 13, 19, 28). In your own life, what does it look like when you “cry out to the LORD in your trouble”? For example, do you tend to do this by yourself, with other believers, or both?

Q5. In Story #3, we read that God “sent out his word and healed them” (v. 20). As you reflect on your own salvation stories, what impact did the Word of God have in God’s provision of your deliverance? What specific passages of Scripture did God use to facilitate his salvation? Take time to read them now and offer praise to God for these precious words!

Q6. As you meditate on God’s physical salvation, please note the psalmist’s repeated exhortations to offer thanksgiving to God for both his attribute of love and his action of salvation (see verses 8, 15, 21, and 31). Maybe you have done that many times already. Or maybe not. Either way, please take time now to express your gratitude to God in writing. Use your pen or keyboard to pour out your heart to him. Tell him how thankful you are for his goodness, love, and “wondrous works to the children of men.”

Q7. Verse 32 encourages us to “extol him (God) in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.” Why not set a goal to express your thankfulness to other believers this week, either in a formal or informal setting, whether in a worship service, a small group, or a one-on-one conversation? You are more likely to accomplish this goal by writing it down right now and asking God to empower you to “extol him” in the presence of others.

Posted in Attributes of God, Thoughts on the Psalms | Leave a comment

What Your Pastor Is Doing Today

Posted on June 7, 2026 by Wayne Davies

Do you ever wonder what your pastor does every day?

You may see him on Sunday morning, in the pulpit, preaching a sermon.

What about the rest of the week? What does he do?

Here’s one man’s take on that.

The following is a letter written by a 61-year old father, an itinerant evangelist who spent thousands of hours in hundreds of churches, to his 34-year old son, a college professor, who is considering a call to become the pastor of a church:

“Now I want you to remember a few things about the pastorate.

“Being a pastor today involves more than merely preaching and teaching.

“You will be the comforter of the fatherless and the widow. You will counsel constantly with those whose hearts are broken. You will have to handle a divorce problem and a thousand marital details, divorces, and situations.

“You will have to exhort and advise young people involved in sordid and illicit sex, with drugs and violence. You will have to visit the hospitals, the shut-ins, the elderly. A mountain of problems will be laid on your shoulders and at your doorstep.

“And then there is the heartache of ministering to a weak, carnal, and worldly apathetic group of professing Christians, very few of whom will be found trustworthy and dependable.

“Then there will be a hundred administrative responsibilities as a pastor. You are the generator and sometimes the janitor. The church will look to you for guidance in building programs, in church growth, in youth activities, in outreach, and in extra services.

“You will be called upon to arbitrate all kinds of problems.

“At times, you will feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. Many pastors have broken under the strain.

“If the Lord has called you, these things will not deter you or dismay you, but I wanted you to know the whole picture.

“As in all our Lord’s work, there will be a thousand compensations.

“You will see the people trust Christ as Savior and Lord. You will see these people grow in the knowledge of Christ in His Word. You will witness saints enabled by your preaching to face all manner of tests. You will see God at work in human lives.

“And there is no joy comparable to this.

“Just ask yourself, son, if you are prepared, not only to preach and teach, but also to weep over men’s souls, to care for the sick and dying, and to bear the burdens carried today by the saints of God.”

Source: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3816317742010359

That’s what your pastor is doing today and tomorrow and the next day.

How can you help? Pray for him, as often as you can.

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Why Would a Good God Make a Bad Place Like Hell?

Posted on May 31, 2026 by Wayne Davies

Have you ever heard this question . . .

“Why would a good God make a bad place like hell?”

It’s a common question. Perhaps you have asked it.

And perhaps you are still asking this question because you have yet to hear a good answer – an answer that is reasonable and biblical.

Here’s one that I read recently. It’s written by Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason.

“The simple answer to the question of why a good God would make a bad place like Hell is that it’s precisely because God is good that he made Hell. Further, Hell isn’t a bad place. It’s a good place.

“I realize that sounds counterintuitive, but it’s true.

“No good government allows guilty criminals to roam free. It locks them up in prison. Incarceration doesn’t just isolate felons, though, preventing them from harming law-abiding citizens. It also punishes them for the wrongs they’ve committed. Any government that didn’t sentence outlaws wouldn’t be good because it wouldn’t be just.

“In the same way, God would not be good if he simply let evil people go free. When people are punished in God’s court, they get exactly what they deserve. The books of death are opened for all to see. (See Revelation 20:12-13. I call them “the books of death” because they’re contrasted with the book of life, a record of all the redeemed.) Every wrong anyone has ever committed is recorded there.

“At that great white throne judgment, God dispenses perfect justice – punishment for everything a person has ever done wrong, and God misses nothing. Those whose names are written in the book of life, though, do not get punished since Jesus has taken their punishment for them. They receive perfect mercy – forgiveness for everything they’ve ever done wrong, and God misses nothing. Either Jesus pays, or we pay. That’s the calculus.

“Hell, then, is a good place in the same way that prisons are good. It may not be subjectively good – it’s no fun going there – but it is objectively good because a good purpose is accomplished there: justice.”
Source: https://www.str.org/w/rapid-fire-part-1

I believe that you just read one of the most compelling yet concise explanations of the reasonableness of hell. I like that it’s based on the character of our holy God – the One who is both gracious and just. A gospel without the justice and wrath of God is a truncated and distorted gospel. May God help us to present the gospel in its entirety, as Greg Koukl has done above.

What do you think of Mr. Koukl’s explanation of why hell exists? Let me know by leaving a comment below.

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3 Habits That Will Change How You Read the Bible

Posted on May 26, 2026 by Wayne Davies

I keep finding well-written articles about how to spend quality time with God in His Word.

A few weeks ago, it was this one:
How to Get in the Routine of Regular Bible Study

Here’s another one:
3 Spiritual Habits That Will Change How You Read the Bible

It’s written by Joe Carter, senior writer for The Gospel Coalition and associate pastor at McLean Bible Church in Arlington, Virginia.

He writes wonderfully and begins by answering the question, “What are spiritual habits?”

Then he explains three distinct habits that enable you to engage Scripture:

1-Breadth: Hearing the Whole Story
2-Depth: Reading the Same Book Again and Again
3-Internalization: Getting God’s Word into Your Heart

Any one of these three habits will enhance your understanding of Scripture and your love for the God who wrote it.

I commend these free resources to you today.

Let me know how you benefit from them by leaving a comment below.

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What to Do When the Darkness Closes In

Posted on May 17, 2026 by Wayne Davies

I like the way David makes bold statements about his zeal for God.

Here’s one, from Psalm 138:1.

“I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart.”

 

I want to take a deeper dive into this prayer, especially the phrase “with my whole heart.”

What is the heart? It is usually defined as the emotions. And that’s a good start.

Let’s take a look at what the Hebrew word means (“lev”). According to one well-respected Hebrew dictionary (Brown-Driver-Briggs), “lev” refers to “the inner man, mind, will, heart . . . the inner man in contrast to the outer . . . i.e., the soul, comprehending mind, affections, and will.”

In the Bible, the heart is much more than our feelings. Yes, it can mean the affections, but it also includes the mind, the will, and the soul. It’s the entire inner person, the control center for the real you – all of you.

So David is making quite a statement here. He is saying to God, “I will give you thanks with all my heart” (NASB). Whoa! This is quite a declaration.

The Message captures the meaning well: “Thank you! Everything in me says ‘Thank you!”

Do I give thanks to God with that kind of wholehearted devotion? Sometimes, yes. But sometimes, no.

Some days my desire for God isn’t what it should be. I have days when I just don’t feel like praising God, so I don’t. I may do it anyway, out of duty, because I know I’m supposed to. And that doesn’t feel good either because then I feel like a hypocrite.

And sometimes I don’t want to thank God. That, too, feels lousy.

Then there are days when I don’t feel like reading the Bible. But again, I still do it because I find it a hard habit to break. Yet doing it only out of duty is a downer.

I have days when I’m on fire for God. And then there are days when the fire goes out, and I’m flat. My zeal can vary from day to day.

I ask God to forgive me for my fickleness. I confess my inconsistency, and I ask God to renew my love for him.

When I read the Bible, even when I don’t want to, I usually end up in a better place; specifically, in the presence of God. When I read the Word, He is speaking to me whether or not I am listening. And when I finally tune in, He is speaking loud and clear.

I had one of these spiritual dry times recently, back in March. It lasted about two weeks. I didn’t like it. And I don’t think God did either. I’m glad it’s over. I missed Him.

He was there the whole time. And I missed Him.

He was there, but where was I? Ironically alone, a sad and dark place to be.

Like Paul, I was in Romans 7. He was transparent about his ongoing battle with sin. He confesses that he continues to sin, even though he hates it: “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (v. 15).

He grows weary of the never-ending war against his flesh – “Wretched man that I am!” (v. 24).

Fortunately, in the same breath, he acknowledges that there is a solution to the problem – “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (v. 25) because He “will deliver me from this body of death” (v. 24).  Jesus, whose name literally means “Yahweh saves,” is able to rescue us from the tyranny of sin.

So there is hope for me, too, when my passion for God dissipates, and the darkness closes in. I can go to Jesus, my high priest who is interceding for me, and confess my apathy and dryness of soul, and cry out for mercy, and He will forgive me and restore me to Himself and to my Father.

By the end of March, that is what happened. God granted me the gift of repentance and Jesus “drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure” (Psalm 40:2).

It didn’t happen suddenly or abundantly. But it happened, slowly but surely, over several days. I tend to drift away from God as a stubborn stoic and return as a bankrupt beggar.

What do you do when your zeal for God goes flat, and the darkness will not lift?

Posted in Bible reading, Thoughts on the Psalms | 1 Comment

A Mother’s Day Message

Posted on May 10, 2026 by Wayne Davies

Happy Mother’s Day to you!

To Moms everywhere, thank you for all you do for us.

The Lord bless you and keep you;
 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26

And may your time with God in His Word be a source of spiritual nourishment for your soul.

As a gift for you this Mother’s Day, here’s a free eBook for you to download:

Mom Enough: The Fearless Mother’s Heart and Hope

This is a collection of 24 articles on all things motherhood, including . . .

Motherhood Is a Calling (And Where Your Children Rank)
Motherhood Is a Mission Field
How Eternity Shapes Our Mundane
Desperate, Breathless, Dependent Parenting
and much more.

Enjoy!

 

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How to Go Deeper in Your Understanding of the Bible

Posted on May 3, 2026 by Wayne Davies

Here’s an easy way to understand the Bible at a deeper level:

Listen to good Bible teaching.

I trust you get to do that every Sunday at your local church.

How about the rest of the week? I hope you’re spending time in the Word on a daily basis, reading and studying it on your own.

And perhaps you’re part of a small group Bible study that meets during the week.

But back to the practice of listening to the Word . . .

Over the past few years, I’ve gotten into the habit of listening to a number of evangelical Bible teachers while taking daily walks in the neighborhood.

Thanks to the internet and a smartphone, I can listen to many sound Bible teachers with the click of a link. Don’t you love it when modern technology is used for the glory of God?

One of my favorite Bible teachers is John Piper. Here’s one of his resources that has become one of my favorite ways to hear God’s Word:

Look at the Book

You can check it out on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/@desiringGod/playlists

It is also available via Apple Podcasts here:
https://www.desiringgod.org/podcasts

These videos stand out for their in-depth, verse-by-verse expositions of complete books of the Bible. In short 10-15 minute segments, Dr. Piper takes you through a book of the Bible from start to finish, unpacking each verse, explaining the meaning of paragraphs, sentences, phrases, and words, and teaching God’s truth clearly and profoundly.

Make no mistake – this is a “deeper dive” into the bottomless wellspring of God’s Word. I find this type of teaching to be captivating, edifying, and sanctifying. So I commend this resource to you.

To date, these New Testament books have been covered:

Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and 1 Peter.

Enjoy!

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