For those of you not familiar with this catchphrase, it can be translated “get her done,” meaning, get the job done. Today, let’s take this idiom a new direction.

One bad habit young readers have is guessing at words. They avoid slowing down to blend sounds together and to examine context clues. They ignore that their guess makes no sense because their goal is to just “get ‘er done!”

What about us adult readers? How do we approach reading God’s Word? Is our goal to simply get through a chapter or complete the devotion for the day? Or do we slow down to comprehend and absorb text?

Here are a few tips to consider:

• Pray before reading. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you focus and to open your heart and mind.
• Read the text slowly and deliberately.
• Re-read the text.
• Ask questions like who, when, where, and why. See if your questions might be answered in surrounding verses. Also ask, “How does this speak to me?”
• Meditate, think on, and remember what God taught you and take action to apply His teaching or truth.

Recently, I heard a gal speak on a few verses that I’d read many times. I was amazed at the gems she uncovered that I had never considered and questions she raised that had never crossed my mind.

Scripture is exceedingly rich and our God longs to teach us, give us clarification and insight, and help us unearth treasures in His Word.

May we be like the early Christians in Berea who “examined the Scriptures every day” (Acts 17:11) and not like the Sadducees whom Jesus corrected with, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matthew 22:29).

We will never “get ‘er done” but we can sure dig in!