This post by Betsy hit home this week as I've been trying to figure out how I'm going to get my daily intake of God's Word with a newborn!
Take heart, ladies, getting into the Bible can be as simple or as complex as you choose to (and as you have time for).
Betsy gives us a "tutorial" of sorts on how to dig into God's word with just one or two verses!
Enjoy!
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What about your life stays the same?
Nothing!
There are times and seasons for all things.
One thing that stays the same is the fact that
when we make the time to meditate on the Word of God, it changes us.
I know I am a better person and better able to handle life, when I make that time.
There are seasons in my life
where I can make the time to spend larger amounts of time studying and meditating on scripture.
Other times I only have little bits of time.
I've gotten very frustrated with the times I have walked away feeling, "Huh, I just spent that time and learned something, but really nothing impacted me". In order to grow, a person must get into the hearty rich 'meat' of something (Heb 5:12-14).
To grow a person needs to not only learn, but allow the lesson to be applied.
I have found a system that works for me, so that I can either spend a few minutes or longer in the Word and walk away feeling that the Holy Spirit either encouraged me or challenged me.
Below I am going to walk you through the steps that I take to get a solid meal regardless of the length of time I have.
This is not something that I created, it is just my version. There are many different ways to do this, but this is the simplest way for me.
I'll use our family's verse for 2010 to model the process. You can choose any verse you want!
Ephesians 3:20-21
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
· First, take some time to pray and ask God to open your eyes and mind to what He has to say to you.
· Second, open your Bible and read the verse or passage you want.
· Third, make statements about the verse.
· Fourth, ask yourself questions about the statements made.
Okay here we go. I'll model the Third and Fourth steps for you.
Make a Statement about Ephesians 3:20-21:
God is able.
Ask any Questions that come to mind based on the statement:
What does it say He's unable to do?
Am I trusting Him to be able?
What am I trying to "help" Him with?
If He doesn't do it my way or in my time, does that mean He's unable?
Statement:
His ability, power, and the abundance will affect generations to come.
Questions:
Am I living in such a way that future generations will be blessed by my life?
Write down as many statments and questions from the verse as you can or have time for.
Keep in mind that not all of the questions will impact you. Usually one or two thoughts stick out more than others. Or you may have different statements or questions than me. That is the Holy Spirit speaking to you. Those are the places He wants to encourage you with or challenge you with.
You can write out a meditation or prayer about what has impacted you the most to conclude your time with God.
Have more time or want to take it deeper?
There is one other piece that I do when studying scripture. I look for the character of God. The reason I do this is because the more you know about a person's character the more you will trust, follow, and love them. A person's character determines how they will act or what they believe. This is why it is so important to learn the character of God.
Character traits that I gleaned from Ephesians 3:20-21:
God cares about what we want.
God can.
What ones did you find?
May God bless you with His exceeding abundance!
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