When you are reading something, in order for it to have any lasting effect on you, it has to mean something personally to you. It needs to capture your imagination or relate to you or your interests in some way.

If the Bible is going to make a difference in your life, you need to read it in such a way that you apply its truths to your individual life situation. To do this you need to ask yourself three questions when you’re reading: What does the Bible say? What does the Bible mean? What does the Bible mean to me?

Take, for example, in John’s biography of Jesus when he explained why Jesus came to earth. He said, “To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” The meaning of these words is that anyone who personally believes in Jesus as Savior will be immediately and forever adopted into the family of God.

But to make a difference in my life, I need to go beyond the meaning of those words and ask, “What does that mean to me?” The personal application of this Bible teaching is that if I receive Jesus as my Savior and believe in his name, I will have the right to become a child of God. To personally apply the Bible to yourself is to receive Jesus.

Have you done that?