How Do You Study the Bible?

I have been blessed to be raised under great bible teachers who taught me how to study the bible. To my very first pastor, Pastor Stephens (who is dancing with Jesus) to my current Pastor, Pastor Bennett. I also try to glean as much knowledge from great teachers like Vernon McGee, John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Beth Moore, Kay Arthur, etc…. (my list would be very long if I kept going).

When I was a new Christian, reading the bible can be overwhelming and intimidating, so I relied on others to give me direction. And while I still today rely on other’s teachings, I have found reading and researching the bible itself has led to my greatest growth.

As a Christian book reviewer I am sure you know, I also love to read Christian fiction because it allows me to see God in various situations. Many times I can learn life lessons from a fictional character and I have found Christian fiction can reach non-Christians in a way the church can not.

So I ask you, how do you study the bible?

I recently was able to preview May’s cover story for Bible Study Magazine (http://www.biblestudymagazine.com/). In this article Randy Alcorn discusses how he studies the bible. Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries where his focus is on teaching God’s word and reaching out to others. In Christy Tennant’s interview Randy Alcorn shares what works for him and how throughout his life the way he studied the bible varied. Randy Alcorn calls his bible study methods “eclectic.”

Personally I love reading what works for other people. Learning from each other enriches our own walk with Christ; in fact, that is one of the benefits I have found in blogging. I encourage you to subscribe and read the Bible Study’s Magazine article on Randy Alcorn. This is a great magazine with many resources. Click here to view some past articles.

Recently I reviewed Randy Alcorn’s new book “The Treasure Principle.” I said:

In The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn he lays out six principles to base all your financial decisions on. This is a small, concise, power-packed book. One you could possibly finish in one day. With easy to understand principles, this book can be read by 12 year old and up. Randy has lived a life of abundant and a life of poverty. (click here to read the rest)

I encourage you to go to Bible Study Magazine web to see if this is a tool that can help you with your daily bible study. You can preview some samples here.

Photo by Darren Hester

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The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn

Tagged as: bible study magazine, Randy Alcorn

Judy

I do pretty much what you do, Lori. I get encouragement and inspiration from what methods others have profited from(spiritually speaking!). By and large, I use Kay's inductive method of study. She is my spiritual mentor, in a way. The first Bible teacher I learned from in 1991 when I accepted Christ and I have followed Kay's teachings and Precept Ministries International through the years! She's amazing! This is my first time here, I will visit again.

Sharon Ball

I read Randy Alcorn's book about heaven and it made me long for Jesus's return. I bet his new book is equally as insightful. I'm blessed whenever I study God's word.

Jaime (ChaseNKids)

Lori, you have no idea how much I needed to read this post today. There is a reason why I love your blog so much, because it is truly a spiritual blessing when I need it most!

Thank you!!!!

Heather

God got ahold of me long ago when I ran out of books to read and opened the Bible and started reading at random. For a long time that is how I read--pray then open. Later I did a search for all the passages pertaining to a certain thing--for instance: Fear, worry, anxiety and wrote those passages down. (I have whole notebooks full of passages.) Still later (when I was a nursing mom) I read straight through "The Promise" version of the Bible. And later I did a daily reading working straight through makring it up as I went--different versions each time. Later I did regular devotionals (mostly Elisabeth Elliot and Oswald Chambers.) Now we are reading through as a family--this time chronologically. All told I have been through probably 8 or 9 times plus plenty of random reading or focused study. In general I don't use Bible study guides--there is always something about them that bug me and they never focus on things that really interest me. I do however keep a bible dictionary and a Places in the Bible book on hand as well as several other books about Bible times cultures. And it really all depends on the time in my life I am in--I have listened to tons of Christian talk radio--enough to be a bit jaded by them all. Right now the focus is on imparting what we have learned to our children, and noticing the new things the Lord shows us as we read aloud together.

Denise

I used to just pray and ask God to speak to me then open my Bible. It always amazed me how he always gave me the message I needed to hear. Currently I am using a Daily Bible which has passages from the old and new testament plus proverbs and psalms every day.