This past weekend brought my daughter and I, along with a couple friends and my Aunt to Indianapolis where we attended the True Woman '12 conference. It was an exciting weekend filled with learning new things! We greatly enjoyed our time. I love to learn. I love ideas. So this was very good.
A portion I'd like to share was a message called the 5 P's of Bible study. Honestly, going into this, one I can say is I didn't think it would be a big deal. Just another talk. Nothing special. Was I wrong!
Don't know about you but many days I find morning devotional time a difficult thing. While I've become more committed to this being a habit, there are days that you never know what you'll get. Someone wakes up early. Having a tired-can't-keep-my-eyes-open--morning. Waking up late. Having my mind on what's next. . . instead of what I'm reading. The list could continue. So, on top of all that, I really wanted to read through the whole Bible. So this message came in the middle of me "plowing" through the chapters. But with each day. . .not feeling like I got much out of it. By the middle of the day I could scarcely remember what I read.
The plan:
1. Position yourself to hear from God.
2. Pore over the passage and paraphrase the major points. Look for the who, what, when, where, and why of the verse.
3. Pull out the spiritual principles. What is God teaching? What is He revealing about Himself?
4. Pose the question. Form a personally directed question from each of the spiritual principles.
5. Plan obedience and pin down a date. God speaks to be obeyed—not just to hear Himself talk.
Going a little Deeper...
#1 Position - Simply find a quiet place, where you can let your thoughts flow. Okay. If ya have kids. Maybe not "simply," but either way--you can do it!!
#2 Pour - pour over a passage of just 2 verses! Really just two this can be 10 minutes. . or a 1/2 hour or more. This message was given by Priscilla Shrier. . she mentioned it taking her 2 years to get through the book of John. And that it was worth it! & Paraphrase - Just do exactly that, paraphrase the major points. Only to be careful not to paraphrase "what you got out of the passage," and be careful to only paraphrase what is actually there in the text.
#3 Pull - Pull out the spiritual principles. Ask yourself: Is there a correction? Character trait (of God, or of person)? What does this teach me about God? Who He is/or who He isn't. What does God do? What does He not do?
#4 Pose - Turn the spiritual principle into a personal question. Like do I believe God is as faithful as...? Does God actually care about...?
#5 Plan - Plan to obey what you learn. Even pinning down a date. Hey we do it for everything else. All of us "calendar consultants."
Also, Choose a whole book of the Bible, so to avoid pulling things out of context. Priscilla mentioned it could be dangerous to randomly pick from here one day and somewhere else the next. Taking in the whole context is necessary for true learning.
This week I have been working on these "5 P's." I feel excited to learn in such a new and unique way. As long as I remain steadfast and pin down this method, I believe scripture will sink a whole lot deeper. Here is a link to Listen to the whole message: The 5 P's of Bible Study
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| Tay & Me in Indianapolis:) |
