Dear Hope Family,
While daily Bible reading and meditation is essential for maintaining our close abiding relationship with Jesus, I have noticed that I often get distracted from this foundational habit. So, I have experimented with a variety of approaches and have found one that helps me out time and time again. After reading a passage from the Bible and focusing on one verse or paragraph, here’s the 3-step conversation I have with God that I encourage you to try.
Step 1: Observation
- Write “Observations” on a line in a notebook
- Ask God what He wants you to notice from the passage
- Write down whatever insights He brings to your mind
- Thank God for what He has shown you
Step 2: God
- Write “God” on a line
- Ask God to show you something(s) about Himself. (His desires, attributes, relationship with humanity, etc.)
- Write down whatever He brings to your mind
- Thank God for what he has revealed to you
Step 3: Apply
- Write “Apply” on a line
- Ask God how what He has revealed about Himself applies in your present life
- Write down what He brings to your mind
- Praise God for meeting with you and ask for His Spirit’s help to obey His living word for you today
If you long to more consistently connect with God as you read His Word, I encourage you to give this approach a try. Since we are all created differently, feel free to modify it and/or go with whatever works for you. May God bless us all as we seek to grow in our relationship with our resurrected Lord through the daily prayerful study of the His Word and, when opportunities arise, to train others to do the same.
Love,
Dean
P.S. Additional Resources:
- For a great one-page visual overview of the Bible see this PDF.
- For more information on why and how to study the Bible see “Part III: How to Study the Bible” in Francis Chan’s book, Multiply, available for free online at: https://www.multiplymovement.com. You can access the same material with a smart phone by downloading the Multiply app from the app store.