The call to be mastered by anything already feels sort of out-of-balance with the world in which we live. We are called to be masters of our own selves, masters of our own fate, and masters of anything that we wish to use for our own advantage. However, with Scripture – with the holy inspired words of God – they are of most use to us when we work not to master them but to be mastered by them.

The Pitfall of “Mastering” Scripture

Pitfalls come along unnoticed and often in a manner in which one could scarcely imagine why they might exist. That is their mode of attack – to catch those ignorant enough to believe they do not exist. These pitfalls are present within our lives, especially in places that seem to us as if they are most secure – as is often the case with the Bible. It is the Bible-reader who strives to dominate the pages of Scripture that will find himself swallowed up within those pages. The words of God, given to us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, are an ever-increasing ocean of knowledge, revelation, insight, application, and truth. To think that we are able to take hold of the thoughts of God in a way that we may be able to master them is foolish. But we try. We try because we like to make gods of ourselves. We like to make gods of ourselves because we don’t know the true God as we ought. The Triune God that lives. And, in making gods of ourselves, the first wave of attack is usually brought against the Bible. It is assumed that if we can master Scripture then we can mold it to our liking. History shows that changing the Bible to fit social and worldview outlooks always moves people further from Christ and closer the world.

The Joy of Being Mastered by Scripture

When we give ourselves up to the life-changing work of the revelation of God that is found within the pages of the Bible we come to find that there is joy in being mastered by Scripture. It is joy to know that the great and glorious God of the universe has not hidden himself from his people. It is joy to know that God has revealed himself in the written word and has been pleased to care for that written word over thousands of years of copying and translation. And it is joy to know that this book that contains direct revelation of God is mainly about God. We are called to be mastered by a book that tells us who God is and, in that, there is joy. A joy that comes with the realization that within the pages of the Bible we can come to know who Jesus is – this Jesus that died and was resurrected in such a way to atone for and secure to himself those that would call him Lord and Christ.

Five Ways to Be Mastered by Scripture

Read a lot of the Bible. Take big gulps of the Bible. Read the Old Testament in 90 days, the New Testament in 30 days. Read the Gospels in one week. Read great amounts of the Bible in shorter periods of time. Ask God to give you the strength to read the Bible in a year.
Read the Bible consistently. Follow a reading plan. Stay regular with your readings, not off and on or when it feels right. Ask for God’s grace to discipline you to read every day from the Bible.
Memorize verses in the Bible. Memorize a verse a week. Memorize verses that are beneficial and helpful in your walk with God (verses about God’s faithfulness, righteousness, love, mercy, and grace). Write down the verse on a 3”x5” card and take it with you throughout the week. Ask God to help secure his word in your heart.
Read about those that have been mastered by Scripture. Learn from the lives of those that have given themselves to conforming to Christ through their reading of the Bible. Charles Spurgeon said that if you pricked John Bunyan anywhere, he would "bleed Bibline." Examine the lives of people that are greatly steeped in Scripture and see how it has shaped their lives. Ask God to give you people to shape your life.
Look for Jesus in all of the Bible. Jesus is not just found in the New Testament; he is found in all of Scripture. Look for him. The prophets spoke about the Messiah. Read their writings and soak in the hope that they had for a savior. Ask God to show himself to you within the pages of the Old Testament.