The importance of Bible reading and meditation is nothing new to us as believers. It's no secret to us how important the scriptures are to us. It's one of the primary ways that God speaks His truth and commands to us and our way to experience success here on earth (Joshua 1:8).

2 Timothy 3:16 tells us, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."

But sometimes we take one look at some scriptures in the Bible and they seem to be anything but useful.

That's a wrong impression since, truly, there is value in every word written in the Bible. With the right tools and practices, we can extract all the life and principles in the Bible that can help us grow and mature the way God would have us.

Are you looking to improve your personal devotions today? Here are six ways to grow in your Bible reading and how you can start making the most of God's Word.

1. Remove All Distractions

There could be so many things distracting us from God's Word today. Some are common to all such as gadgets, social media and work, while others are not so common. I know some people who have a hard time meditating with music and others who love reading with worship songs. The key is to find whatever improves your personal focus.

2. Memorise Scripture

There is both a physical and spiritual value to memorising scripture. In the same way that we memorise songs, poems, spoken word and business codes and grow in them more, we also grow more into scriptures when we internalise them enough to memorise them.

3. Ask for the Holy Spirit's Leading

I can't stress enough how extremely crucial the Holy Spirit is to reading the Bible. The Word of God without the Spirit of God is like a body without spirit—it exists and speaks, but there's no life.

4. Look Through the Lens of the Cross

When reading scripture, I find it helpful to answer two simple questions: What is the fallen condition of man in this word? How does the cross fix the brokenness in this scripture?"

5. Journal Your Thoughts

When God speaks to us a revelation, it's not going to stay in your head forever unless you have perfect memory. That's why it's always best to write down what revelations and ideas you gain from Bible reading and reflecting. As the old saying goes, "A short pencil is better than a long memory."

6. Find Out How You Can Apply the Scripture to Your Life

The Bible is not some old and outdated piece of literature. It's a book filled with timeless principles that can still apply to us today. When reading the Bible, we must ask ourselves how we can apply the principles taught in scripture.