Spending Time With God

God's word should be really important to his children.

Deuteronomy 29:29  "The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that He has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions."

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The Bible is an awesome book from an awesome God. There are so many things that we do not know and we can not understand about him and for all of those things we do not need to be concerned with but for the revelation that he did give us in our Bibles we need to pay attention.

God didn't create us and run off and let it all go wild. He has revealed himself through his word so that we can get to know him. It is amazing how many people refer to the Bible as "God's word" but then they ignore it like it has no value. Most of the people that have an opinion about the Bible have never checked it out thoroughly for themselves.

The purpose of my blog is to encourage you to learn what the Word of God says and to apply it's teachings to your everyday conduct. A daily diet of Bible study is crucial because the Bible is the Word of God so we should read it, study and meditate so that we don't miss what God is saying.

The first step in Bible study is simply reading it, you can't just read other books and devotions that talk about the Bible, you need to be "digging the word" for yourself.

Romans 15:4  Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises to be fulfilled.

The Apostle Paul tells us several times that we shouldn't skip the Old Testament just because it is old and maybe more difficult to understand. One potential cause for confusion in reading the Old Testament is that the books are not always in the order that they occurred. At Bible Gateway you can choose to read the Bible daily in chronological order. Just click the drop down menu at the top of the page and choose chronological or choose from many other options that they have.

Only when you've correctly interpreted a passage of scripture can you apply it to your life and bring glory to God. Once you read the Bible and know what it says, the next step is to find out what it means, you need to study it so that you can apply the proper teaching to your life. You can get some insight into the scripture when you search for a passage of scripture. After you have found the scripture you can click on "show resources" and have access to many different Bible study tools.

2 Timothy 2:15  Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive His approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

Correctly explaining the scriptures is a key point that Paul makes in his letter to Timothy. It is easy for us to incorrectly interpret a passage for our own benefit. Make sure the Bible says what you are trying to force it to say. Be careful when people ask,  "What does this verse mean to you?"

2 Corinthians 2:17  You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ's authority, knowing that God is watching us.

One thing to keep in mind is that scripture will not disagree with itself and that you can compare your interpretation of one passage with the totality of Scripture. A lot of strange teaching come from one Bible verse being taken out of context and being used in a way that contradicts the rest of the Bible.

Psalm 1:1-2 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.  2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.

Meditating on the Bible and keeping a journal are great ways to get more from your study and they help you apply what you have learned. Don't be in a hurry when you study God's Word. When you concentrate on the scripture enough to write about it in your journal then it really sticks in your mind. An easy way to start journaling is to use the S.O.A.P. method that is fully explained here.

A lifelong habit of "digging the word' will help you to know what God wants, help you steer away from temptation and it will help you tell others about God.As Jesus told his disciples after one of his greatest teaching moments:

John 13:17 "Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them."

Checkout all of the resources at "Bible Gateway" including their mobile apps and audio Bibles.

Related articles

• Devotions For The New Year (biblegateway.com)
• How To Read The Bible (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)
• The Importance Of Careful Bible Study (gty.org)