(I corrected several path problems on August 29, August 30, and September 1, including these selections: Which Version?, Christmas, Images, Body of Christ Discovered, Hymn Midis, KJV Bible, and Spiritual Warfare. Sorry for any problems; please let know if you find others. - Gary)

Beneath His Wings Devotionals - Vol. 3

A Good Word

2 Timothy 3:16: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

When I was young, I liked to read - a lot. In fact, some of my sisters and nieces will tell you that's about all I did when I was young, and it lasted all the way through college and graduate school. As I got older, other things got to be more important, like working and raising family, but I still enjoy a good book. These days, though, mostly I read the Good Book, the Bible. God's Word is meat for the Spirit, and a wellspring for the mind.

There are two pillars for our faith; one is prayer; the other is Bible study. Most Christians who bother to read the Bible at all read it casually like any other book. That's not Bible study. If we finish our time in God's Word, and can't remember what we read, and it makes no difference in our daily lives, that's not Bible study either. The Gospel of John calls Christ "the Word", so we aren't just reading a book; we're literally taking Christ into us.

I use an outline in my own Bible study time that might be useful for you, if you don't already use something, and have an interest in doing more. There's nothing magic about it, and if it doesn't work for you, that's fine. You do need, though, some approach to God's Word that will help you gain from it what the Holy Spirit wants to gain, which is a little more of Christ.

Here it is. You can use it for a whole chapter, or just a few verses. Not all of the outline will apply in all passages, but you should always have at least 1, 4, and 5. I pray it might be a blessing to you.

Themes: What does the passage actually say? What are the main ideas it tries to get across? Use as few or as many words as you need, and as many themes as you can identify.
Promises: What does God promise for the believer in the passage, either directly or by implication? Are there any conditions attached to the promises?
Daily application: Do the themes addressed in the passage have any bearing on your own daily life? If so, what? If there are promises, how do these relate to you? How does what you've read help with any current problems or issues you face?
Keywords: These are the words or phrases that, in your view, best describe the themes of the passage as you identified them before. There can be as few or as many as you like.
Cross References: What other Scripture passages address some of the same themes or promises? Use as few or as many of the keywords as you like, and come up with one or two references for each. You'll need a good concordance for this one.
What the Spirit says: Spend some time thinking about the passage, and ask God to reveal to you something in the passage you haven't seen before. One of the offices of the Holy Spirit is as our Teacher. Maybe the Lord won't reveal anything to you here, but if He does, write it down. This is what the Bible calls "meditation".

This is just one possible method for getting more out of your Bible study. You can also study a particular subject or theme, using whole passages or the kind of keyword study I've shown you. If you commit yourself to at least doing something, though, and doing it every day, the benefits to your Walk will be incalculable. Let your life be more than hay and stubble:

1 Corinthians 3:11: For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

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Copyright 2008 by Gary W. Cavendish. This article may be freely used so long as due credit is given. For more articles, see the author's website at www.onlinechristianstores.biz. Gary is the author of 4 books, all Christian fiction, and numerous articles. He is a retired Federal employee, grandfather, and webmaster. He is available to write articles for a fee. Contact him at admin@onlinechristianstores.biz.

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