Cultivating a love for the Bible
God's Word became real to me last summer as I struggled with anxiety. I clung to the promises in the Bible and meditated on them often. I wrote them on my arm (so I didn't wash them off during the day), and journaled them. They were a sweet balm to my soul. God helped me break free from the stronghold of anxiety and He used His Word as one of the major tools to do that - part of the armor of God. Now one would think that since the Bible played such an important role in my life last summer, that I would continue to read it with that same tenacity as I did then, but it is still a struggle. Reading God's Word is an important part of our walk as Christians, but it's also difficult because it isn't a mindless task like scrolling on social media or watching TV. So I thought it might be helpful to give you a few ideas of what I've been trying this summer in effort to cultivate a love of reading God's Word for myself.
1. ReadScripture app. This app is run by Crazy Love Ministries (Francis Chan) and it is awesome! It's got really great videos that break down chapters and books of the Bible for you. You can watch the videos (they are short!) before you read the Scripture so that you have a better understanding of what you are reading. Super helpful in understanding the Bible as a whole!
2. Seamless by Angie Smith. Seamless is a Bible study that walks you through the entire Bible. I just finished the Old Testament section. You don't actually read the entire Bible, but she breaks down some of the main people and key stories and shows how they relate to one another and how they relate to Jesus. This study has been really helpful for me, especially in studying the Old Testament because I find it more difficult to understand than the New Testament.
3. Scripture memorization. After attending a women's event at our church (Coffee and Friends), I was challenged by the message of one of the speakers and I wanted to memorize Scripture. The speaker talked about the importance of memorizing verses so that you can be ready when God needs you. It gives us guidance and also allows us to minister to others in the moment. I decided to memorize one verse a week. I went to the Dollar Tree and bought a cute little notebook and I use that to practice writing the Scripture out and then I use my YouVersion Bible App to create verse photos. I use the verse photo as my lock screen background on my phone so that I can be reminded of the verse daily. Here are the first two verses I memorized (I'll include two more at the end of the post).
4. S.O.A.P. I did not come up with this method of studying the Bible but I've found it to be a great tool so I wanted to share it. I often find myself overwhelmed when reading the Bible (where to start, what to read, how much to read, etc). So I generally choose a book of the Bible to read through (not all at one time!) and as I am reading, I choose a verse that stands out to me or speaks to me in some way. Then I use a notebook to do the S.O.A.P. method. Here's how it works - S (Scripture), O (Observations), A (Application), and P (Prayer). Basically you write the Scripture, you record your observations, what you noticed, what stands out, then you ask yourself how it applies to you or if you find it difficult to apply it to you, what does it say about God? And finally you write a prayer regarding those things. Here's an example that I've done:
S- "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." John 15:4
O- Abide means to stay or live somewhere, to remain or continue (it says this 3X so it must be important). -A branch cannot produce what is needed if it isn't connected to the main vine. -We cannot produce what is needed if we don't stay connected to Jesus.
A- I must abide in Jesus in order to be fruitful in this life. What does that look like? - daily prayer, daily Bible study, obedience to what He calls me to do - these things will all lead to a fruitful life.
P- Lord, help me to abide in you. Help me to study and memorize Your Word and to set aside daily time for prayer and fellowship with You. Forgive me for when I am distracted and haven't abided in You to the best of my ability. I love you and praise you for new mercies.
Often times I will circle and underline and make notes of things I notice for the Scripture part. I love this because it makes what I am reading applicable to me and it makes me think about what God is asking us to do. This is where I found the SOAP method of studying the Bible.
Those are just a few of the things I've been trying to incorporate into my Bible study time. I hope you find them helpful!
