While I have read through the Bible before, I wanted to do it as an adult, praying, and at my own pace. I am not a consistent person by nature, so daily just doesn't happen. Also, I didn't want to be set into a prescribed volume of reading because I want to study it and try to understand. I can't do that 5 chapters at a time. I just want to rush through and get it done. So, I am doing this slowly. I don't know how long it will take, but I feel that I will understand God better if I fully read His word, in context, desiring to understand him better.
I have not been to seminary. Any insight is seriously just me reading hopefully under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I do have a few well educated friends who help me through questions, but they get the email after I have already posted it. So, there may be comments after that clarify something I might have misunderstood.
I just invite you to read through with me if you would like.
There is a lot to learn about the nature of God by studying the Bible this way. My theory is that many people have emotional and psychological problems because they have a skewed view of the nature of God. We have been given a lot about the love and mercy and grace of God, but not so much about His justice. It is hard to correctly understand God's mercy until we have a good picture of His justice.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the encouragement! There are days I definitely need it!
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to give you another approach to studying scripture. This is what my youth pastor that I serve under taught me, and it works amazingly. It's called the SOAP method.
ReplyDeleteS: scripture
O: observation
A: application (how that scripture applies in your life)
P: pray (pray over that specific scripture and its application in your life
Hey, that is a good framework! I'll try that. It won't show up here for a few chapters because I am 13 chapters ahead at home. But, it will show up!
ReplyDelete