"Where do I begin?"
"What book do I read next?"
"What Bible study should I do?"
"What is the book of Revelations even talking about?"
"What did I just learn?"
"Why am I not learning anything?"
It's easy to set a regular time to get into the Bible and hopefully, if you were coherent at seven o'clock in the morning enough to understand what you read, will carry out what you learned logically and in your heart.
When I was first saved, I had every intention to get into the Word. I bought books, magazines, and read things here and there on the internet (I barely used the internet at the time, by the way). I chose the glossary and index out of my Gideon Bible over anything else. I looked at verses and dissected them with glee more than the frog I did in my sophomore Anatomy class. I was excited for my faith, and surprisingly had creative ideas to study the Word. The way I switched from one way of studying to the next kept me wanting to come back for more and be strong day to day in my walk with the Lord.
So all this said, I wanted to share these ideas with you. Ones that I have loved, enjoyed, or even found humbling to remind me of who God is. There is no limit to what we can do to get to know Him better. So pick as many ways as you want.
1.) Thou should find a good Bible translation (and get a study Bible)- When I got my first study Bible for Christmas, I was ecstatic. There I was in 2006 using an old fashion index and glossary to find Bible verses and praying about them. Blah, the horror! No, but seriously. Having a study Bible and a translation I can understand not only helped me in understanding who God was, but the circumstances that surrounded the time period the Bible was written and inspired the writings. Also the NIV seemed to read less harsher than the King James Version. Does anybody know what I'm talking about? Good!
2.) Find a good Christian speaker and listen to them when you are on the internet- We've all been there. A long day at work and all you want to do is zone out on the internet by going on
Facebook, answer emails, and reading the latest news (a.k.a celebrity gossip). One way we can make this part of our day productive is to fill our minds with things that are good. We maybe so out of it that we couldn't even comprehend something as simple as someone in the house speaking to us. It's called being incoherent, and that's the time I figure it's time to head into my room and zone out. I either lay in bed or sit at my desk. But for me, if it's a nap I do not want, then I have to be doing something productive. So I look to YouTube a lot of times to look up great speakers, like Francis Chan and John Piper to better understand my knowledge of Scripture. I may not get all of it, but sometimes I do go back when I have more time and am more coherent. Then I look up the verses.... Oh, you're never zoning out on Facebook? Oh, okay, never mind.
3.) Look up verses topically- I tend to do this when I am dealing with something that I am trying to figure out. One time I had a friend who was going through depression, and I wanted to find verses to share. So I looked up verses on "joy" and other words that were encouraging in a search engine, along side the word "Bible." "60% of the time, it works every time."
4.) Buy a Bible magazine- These are pretty cool. They are magazines, something I like to flip through because they feed my short term memory and ADD at the same time, but it's the whole Bible. I bought three over the course of a few years and I still love looking through them. Though some of the side notes can be corny and predictable, they sometimes have words of wisdom and interesting commentary on some verses. Great reminders in living a full life. Who knew you'd find that in a magazine? (You may find them at your local Christian bookstore)
5.) This may seem a bit morbid... go to a cemetery. I'm not saying you have to do this one, but listen to why I liked sneaking off to one when I was away at school. When I was getting frustrated at people and depressed at life, I wanted to go to a place where people wouldn't talk to me. A place of peace and a place of reality. You may have the fake smile from the stranger on the street as you walk by, but what you really crave is a dose of reality. I cannot even walk the sidewalks by my house without someone saying "hi" to me (that's not a bad thing btw). However, when I was away at school, getting overwhelmed, I knew of one place to go that no one would want to bother me. The graveyard off the side of a highway. There I prayed. Walked around. Read inscriptions on headstones and wondered about the lives those people might have lived. Some were young, others were old. Some were veterans. Others were mothers and fathers. Sisters and brothers. I teared up a little. Some of the headstones bore names of babies and teenagers. A one year old had "Our Daughter" on her grave, as if the family would never stop claiming that title for her because they loved her and cherished the short life she lived. It was both humbling and good for me to have gone there, having been reminded that life is short and all things compared to eternity is small. It made me think of the book of Ecclesiastics, when Solomon said, "Life is meaningless." It made me reconsider what I was doing with my day to make it meaningful because it could be my last.
6.) Memorize verses- It may seem like a given, but honestly I have a problem memorizing verses, and I'm sure a few of you have the same problem, too. There is a lady at the church I was attending up north who is memorizing chapters from Psalms before her eyesight is too bad. It was encouraging to hear and see a eighty something year old lady claim that as one of her goals in life now. It made me wonder something similar to what my last point mentioned. I am not guaranteed the youthful abilities I have tomorrow, so I should take every advantage I have to absorb the knowledge of Scripture so I can live it out even in trials that prohibit me from going straight to the text itself. It also is a great thing to whip out at parties... wait, maybe not.
7.) Take care of yourself- This is hard for me to write because I have not been taking care of myself the last few months as I once did, but I am getting back to my element of what I once ate and how often I worked out. Whenever I have been through a rough season in my walk with the Lord, even I do not notice it right away, my eating habits have been noticeably different. Instead of being satisfied with food that steers my hunger pains away, I stuff myself or I eat too little. I am off balance, if you will. Can you relate? Good. The Bible does talk about whatever we eat, drink, or do, do all for the glory of God, but what we forget is plainly stated in the Bible-- "...keep your body healthy." (Ecclesiastes 11:10) What more do we need? Studies have shown throughout the years how to take care of our bodies, so we ought to do it. It's in the realm of the fruit the Holy Spirit bares in us of self control. Can we control ourselves for two minutes to see if we even hungry? Or maybe even see if we are hungry to be fed spiritually? Maybe it's a stressful time in your life, but consider all things in what you do. It's hard and it's a rough lesson, but coming from someone whose weight has fluctuated up and down the scales, the healthiest time of my life was when I was striving to know the Lord and noticing what I took in myself. Both healthy food and His Word.
8.) Find a good book to read- Ask around for what might be a good book to read. It's no big thing. Just like looking for a good speaker on YouTube, ask for who is a good author. Again Francis Chan is an amazing author, as well as Beth Moore, Lysa TerKeurst, Wayne Mack, and C.S. Lewis. Finding a good book is one thing, actually reading it is another. So don't get too far away from your summer reads or any good book for that matter.
9.) Journal prayers- If you like to write, it's no big whoop. If you do not like to write, then sorry, this may not be for you. However, consider the fact that if you set one time a day to write a prayer out, maybe right after you have gone through your devotions, you can look back and see any progress you might have made because you have been seeking the Lord. Or you may even see some areas you may need to recheck. Either way, it's hard to go wrong when you record what is on your heart to the Lord on paper. Just be sure it'll be in a place no one else will read.
10.) Stop asking, Start Thanking- When was the last time that you worshiped God in prayer? To not ask to get, but to give back to Him for all He has done. I think it's hard not to impulsively say all that is on our heart and mind before the Lord, but as Ecclesiates 5:2 says, "Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few." I think it is wise to think before we speak, even before the Lord. Sometimes I think we think it's okay to go vent to God and then leave the room without even worshiping Him. It was for our benefit, not His. So how do we set a right attitude in prayer? First off, give thanks. If you are struggling, tell Him, but give thanks. If you are happy, give thanks. If you are sinful, give thanks. Give thanks for grace, a roof over your head, electricity, your job, your family, everything you own. This past month I have been dealing with tight muscles that prohibit me from running like I want to, but I have found myself in the right attitude of the whole situation when I give thanks to God for the ability to walk still and the ability to exercise every other way. Prayer is not about stating a wish list, but it's about giving over our concerns and struggles to the One who can handle it all with the attitude of gratitude. Wow, that sounds so simple.
What are some other ways you like to study the Bible or even exercise your faith?
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