When it comes to studying the Bible it’s all about learning to SEE!
Over the next couple of weeks, I want to give you specific words and phrases to look for called “OBSERVATIONS.” Finding these key observations will help you get more out of the Bible every time you read it.
Let me give you the first one:
Observation #1: DESCRIPTIONS
The first observation we call “Descriptions.” Here we’re looking for words or phrases that describe key people or things in the Bible. Any time I see one of these I’ll write it down or bracket it like that in my Bible.
You can highlight descriptions of anything, but I try to focus on 3 major ones. Every time I read the Bible I’m looking for descriptions of:
- Author
I want to learn things about who is writing the book or letter and what they say about themselves. That helps me in my walk with Christ and my leadership of others.
- Audience
I also want to focus on descriptions of the audience. What did the author expect them to believe or to do? Often times you can find great applications to your walk with God from the descriptions of the audience of each book of the Bible.
*In the video I look at some of the descriptions of the Thessalonians in chapter 1.
- God
Finally, I want to look at descriptions of God. These words and phrases often lead me to worship and praise God. They grow my prayer life. One year I read through the entire Bible highlighting all the names and descriptions of God. I still remember focusing in on God as the “Lord of Hosts,” “God Almighty,” “Everlasting Father,” “my Strength,” etc.
If you learn to find those you’ll be on your way to getting more out of your Bible reading.
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE:
Now it’s your turn! When you read the Bible this week try to focus on finding descriptions of the Author, Audience, and God.
But let me tell you this! That’s only the first step! A lot of people get bogged down and don’t like Bible study because they stop here. The next step is what makes Bible study a powerful tool in your life.
Once you’ve made the observation you must connect it to your life. You must apply it.
Take whatever that description is and think about what you can learn from it. Is there an example to follow or avoid? Is there something about God that can lead you to worship? Is there something to believe?
Answering those questions brings God’s Word into your life and creates transformation!
So what book of the Bible are you going to start with? Let me know what God teaches you this week!
Here are the LINKS to a few of the websites I’ll use when studying the Bible:
