The Spiritual Discipline of Study
The Spiritual Discipline of Study is connecting with Jesus to considerately examine and reflect upon specific passages of Scripture in order to gain spiritual revelation and deeper understanding that leads to personal application and transformation.
“In the Western world we live in a society that prefers to have other people do our thinking for us. That’s why TV and other forms of entertainment, including professional sports, are so popular. We want to relax and be entertained without have to think or exert any effort. In Bible study, however, we have to learn some techniques, some methods, and then concentrate on dinging out the messages God has for us.” --Rick Warren
“The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge, but to change our lives.”
–D. L. Moody
“The purpose of Spiritual Disciplines is the total transformation of the person. They aim at replacing old destructive habits of thought with new life-giving habits. Nowhere is this purpose more clearly seen than in the discipline of study.” –Richard Foster.
“Our prayer as we study… is always that God would meet with us and speak specifically to us, for ultimately the Word of God is God speaking.” –Dallas Willard
The Necessary Tools
· A study Bible – a translation not a paraphrasing. A translation is more of a word-for
word interpretation of the original language, which, in most cases, is the work of a group of scholars. (I particularly like the NRSV—the New Revised Standard Version—because our United Methodist curriculum uses that translation.) It should be large enough print to make your reading comfortable and have wide enough margins for you to make notes and thick enough paper that your ink won’t bleed through.
· A good English dictionary
· A Bible Commentary (there are single volume & multiple volume commentaries
The Study
Select a specific passage of Scripture and invite Jesus to be with you as you study His world
Consider the following passages:
Ps. 1:1-3
Ps. 23:1-3
Ps. 27:1-3
Ps. 91:14-16
Prov. 3:5-6
Isa. 55:8-11
Matt. 6:19-21
Matt. 7:24-27
Mark 4:21-25
John 15:4-7
Rom. 5:8-10
Rom. 12. 12:1-2
I Cor. 10:12-13
I Cor. 12:4-7
II Cor. 4:16-18
II Cor. 10:4-5
Gal. 5:16-18
Gal. 6:7-9
Eph. 2:8-10
Eph. 4:1-3
Php. 2:12-13
Php. 3:12-14
Php. 4:6-7
Co. 3:12-15
II Tim. 2:20-21
Tit. 3:1-3
Heb. 4:12-13
Heb. 4:14-16
Heb. 11:6
James 4:17-18
I Peter 2:19-21
I Peter 4:1-3
I John 1:8-9
I John 4:10-11
I John 5:14-15
As you begin, tell Jesus that your desire is to be with him, and have him talk to you about the passages you plan to study just like he talked with his disciples. Put your name, or use first-person pronouns, in place of the pronouns or nouns used in the passage, and rephrase it in your own words—using contemporary words and phrases to express what the passage is saying. Meditate on your personal paraphrase, asking Jesus to help you understand how he wants to apply this to your life right now. Write down what he tells you. Keep your gleanings in a journal.
