Study What?
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STUDY - you say that word and for many in evokes feeling of frustration, boredom, and nuisance!
I am not a reader
I hated school
I don’t like to study
I am not a book person
So what is a Christian to do when they are constantly being told that it is important for us as individual believers to read and study God’s Word - the Bible!
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
I remember having to memorize this one my first year of Bible college — the need to learn, memorize and correctly discern/ break down God’s Word...
For some this instruction to not just Timothy, but any believer, is enough to send fear and dread coursing through their blood!
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.
Even when you use a different translation of words - the instruction to be able to break down and use God’s Word is given to believers....
The Greek Word used here for “study” can also be interpreted
MAKE HASTE or MAKE EFFORT ---
The Word calls us to make an effort of understanding God’s Word.
HOW CAN WE DO THAT… WHAT ARE SOME PRACTICAL TIPS TO STUDYING GOD’s WORD??
YOU CAN DO IT!!!
1. PRAYER
1. PRAYER
Every article you can pick up to get a tip on studying the Word of God will tell you to start with PRAYER!
WHY - it is not about your education or reading level, or about how well you are with books ---
It is a LOVE LETTER from God to MAN given to feed the soul....
Through the centuries and even millenia, those without great education, but hungry hearts have discovered the truths in this book...
SO, stop by asking the author of the BOOK to help make it real!
A. Ask for Wisdom
5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE WORD MORE??? Ask God to help give you wisdom! He will not yell at you, but will come along side and help you through His Holy Spirit
26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
It is the Spirit’s job to help you remember what Jesus taught us!
B. Ask for Illumination (enlightening of meaning)
105 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
God’s Word is given to ILLUMINATE our LIVES — ask God to enlighten your mind to its truth!
You will know the truth and it will set you free!
C. Reveal My Blemishes
22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.
24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.
25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
There is a goal of studying the Word of God --- to see a reflection of who we are and what needs to be changed in our lives to become more like Christ! Ask God to show you what you look like! and to give you the grace and strength to do something about it!
Start by PRAYING --- in doing so you are surrendering YOUR UNDERSTANDING, YOUR WISDOM, YOUR SENSE OF DIRECTION AND YOUR SHORTCOMINGS to the Lord to allow His WORD to WORK in your life!
2. Resource Yourself and Take Notes
2. Resource Yourself and Take Notes
UGH - you are not speaking my language today preacher! Take notes, are you kidding me???? LOL
Look, this is not hard stuff - don’t overthink it!
First, RESOURCE YOURSELF — Then Make Notes and Write down thoughts...
Get a Journal or Notebook to write stuff down in (these are your notes, noone else has to get them or read them - chicken scratch for you to get. When we write we retain!!!
Have a pen/pencil and a highlighter ready to use. MAKING NOTES means writing - you can jot notes in the column of your Bible - use the thing! its ok — a phone is not that easy to do notes with… your notes app is great, but an actual notebook works better
Get some resource books or software to use along side of your study… Strong’s Concordance, Bible Dictionary, a good study Bible and/or application Bible with helps built in
HIGHLIGHT very little! If you highlight something, you should make a note in the column WHY or in your notebook. Give the highlight a number!!!! Correspond in your notebook the same number so you can find it! Maybe set a portion of your notebook with a sticky note that is kept for highlighted notes only. If that is something spiritual, knowledge you get, an impression from God, or a correction or promise --- that is when you highlight - but without a note it will not make much sense a week, month or year from now.
Jot down questions you have while reading - something you don’t understand or cannot reason why — then you have something to go off of to research the answer to those questions. They can be as simple as what is a phylactery? Or what is an Asherah Pole?? or, asking yourself - if the Bible says blah blah blah, why am I not doing it???
Jot down words you don’t fully understand or that seem important - Sanctify, Justify, Redeem, propitiation… these words have deep meaning, go back later or stop to look them up and write down what they mean...
Write down cross references… ones you think of - even if you cannot recall the address in the Bible, write them down to look them up… if your Bible gives some references on something you want to explore - write those down to look them up and look them up!!!
All this activity of not just flash reading and running away, is helping you to DIVIDE that WORD down into pieces to digest and think about, and mull over and get it into your heart and spirit!!!
Taking rabbit trails when you read the Word --- running off on little excursions to find the meaning is how we come to know more of the Word and how to handle it, and apply it to our lives as we understand more.
ps 86.1
11 Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.
10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.
Yes to study is to be taught — as you do your part - the LORD WILL DO HIS PART to help give you understanding!
144 Your laws are always right; help me to understand them so I may live.
73 You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands.
3. Have Objectives While Reading the Word
3. Have Objectives While Reading the Word
One of the keys between reading quickly or just for devotion and STUDY is having objectives when looking at those words on a page!
A. Observation
You want to observe what the Word is actually saying! Look for TERMS not WORDS
A term deals with a word in context not just a word...
A word can have multiple meanings I.e. - TRUNK
be on a tree, a car or even a part of a person or animal...
use context “the trunk of the tree” gives context to the term trunk being used… make sure you observe context of what is being said and don’t isolate a word from its sentence or paragraph to mean something it does not...
Likewise, is the author repeating something in a short period to draw emphasis — the amount of space given to write about something is often indicative of something important to convey...
is the longest Chapter of the Bible — it is a segment of Scripture that is crying out the importance of knowing and heeding the Word of God
Is there cause and effect — Well done good and faithful servant, you were faithful in a few things you will be made ruler over many...
Cause is faithfulness in the small to be rewarded with greater responsibility and honor.
Is the passage asking a question of us, what was the mood or circumstance the author was in???
All these are just some observations we can make of what we are reading -what is it saying to us???
B. Interpretation
Our ultimate goal is to interpret what is being said — what does all this mean???
Almost everything we want to truly know can be answered by reading in context.
Our media and blogs these days are horrible for taking statements out of context and distorting meaning… what was really being communicated here...
Most context can be discovered by reading the paragraphs or complete chapter perhaps preceding and proceeding chapters to get the gist of the whole conversation going on..
Sometimes we also need to look at what is being said in light of the CULTURE of the day as well --- when women were told to be silent in the church -what was going on to provoke that statment??? Have we misinterpreted that to hold woman back from being used by God?
Context not only takes in the immediate passage, the culture, but also what does God’s Word say in other places about the same thing??? Look for those cross reference, make sure they are all on the same TERMS - not just WORDS and compare...
From looking at context, culture and cross reference we can come to a pretty good definitive as to what is being implied for our lives.
Also, there are good books and commentaries of those who have done some of this research to help us consult when trying to discern.
C. Application
Why study or even read the Bible if we are not going to APPLY it to our lives to change us!
What will we do with what we have learned and studied??
How do the truths discovered affet my relation ship with God, others, and even myself? How will I respond and use this truth to combat the enemy of my soul - Satan?
God wants us to PUT INTO PRACTICE what we learn!!! Not just o read it, but let it show us what we can change and realize He will help us put that change into place!
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Changing our thinking is done by knowing what God’s Word says and realizing it is TRUTH TO BE APPLIED!!!!
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
So, when the Word tells us to STUDY the WORD - it is God calling us to know what He is saying to us more.
He does not want you to solely wait for the Pastor or a teacher to break it down for you once or twice a week — but to seek out that Word on your own --- to learn how to handle His Word and truth and to apply it to your life.
Not just what another tells you, but what you have read, studying and learned yourself.
A couple of things will help...
Set aside time (preferably the same time daily, weekly, every other day, etc.
Make a routine (coffee, fireplace and the Word?)
Minimize distractions (put the phone away and try to avoid phones and computers and perhaps do this before the kids wake up, etc.)
Be gracious with yourself - condemning oneself for missing a day or not taking the perfect notes is not going to encourage you to keep on… God is not looking for your perfection to study the Word, but your commitment to study it!
11 I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.