Hang out with God Through Scripture

The advantages of a profound depth of Biblical knowledge are numerous. “It is the storehouse of God’s promises. It is the sword of the Spirit, before which temptation flees. It is the all-sufficient equipment for Christian usefulnes. It is the believer’s guidebook and directory in all possible circumstances.” F.B. Meyer

Meyer suggests:
1. Make time for Bible study
The Divine Teacher ought to have fixed and uninterrupted hours. He deserves our freshest and brightest thoughts, and we must give Him our undivided attention. Therefore, we should aim at securing at least half an hour each day for the leisurely and loving study of the Bible.
2. Ask for understanding
AS we open the Book, ask the Holy Spirit who inspired the Writing, to: Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions. Psalm 119:18

3. Develop a plan
Many plans have been suggested for study of the Bible:
a. read through the Bible in a year
b. read the Proverb of the day (according to the day of the month), along with a Psalm or more and then something out of the New Testament.
c. Dig into a book, verse by verse with study guides in hand
d. Do a character study. Study the life of Moses, or …
e. My favorate is topical study. Before I wrote the Anger book, I looked up every verse I could find under the topics of anger, bitterness, wrath, malice, etc. In preparation for writing the Self Esteem book, I sped read the Bible looking for passages that spoke to how a person thinks of himself (or as a Christian how he “should” perceive self). The words “self esteem” are not in the Bible, but passages speak to it, like, “created in the image of God.” Romans chapter 6-8, Epheians 1-3, Colossians 1-3, Philippians 2-4 and others speak to the real identity of a follower of Christ.

f. Read an entire book of the Bible in one setting
Meyer suggests to let the Bible be its own dictionary, its own interpreter, its own best commentary. It is like a vast buried city, in which every turn of the spade reveals some new marvel, while passages branch off in ever direction, call for exploration.

4. Read with pen in hand. Underline significant passages. Make notes in the margin. For example, in James it says, “Humble yourself before the Lord.” I have written in the margin, “play golf.” Golf is my humbling exercise!!! The employment of the pen can later bring back precious memories of bygone hours recording the history of our inner life.

5. Seek your personal profit. Allow the Book to bring focus to your own heart. “What does the Holy Spirit want me to learn from this portion? How can I work this into the fabric of my character?”
6. Turn Scripture in prayer. “Entwine the climbing creepers of the holy desire about the lattice work of Scripture.” I personally don’t feel like I can adequately praise the Lord. So when it is time for me to praise Him, I quote a praise passage, like Psalm 34 or Psalm 100. And there are many more.
7. Practice what you learn. “IF we will turn each holy precept or command into instant obedience through the dear grace of Jesus Christ our Lord, God will keep nothing back from us. He will open to us His deepest and sweetest thoughts.
Joshua 1:8 says, Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
Adapted from Revive magazine.