"Make me to know your way, O Lord; teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, ..." Psalm 25:4 In this series we've looked at choosing our devotional space and dressing it up for that sense of holiness and relationship. We also explored reclaiming time from our schedule so our devotional routine can flourish. Now with time and a space, what do we need to do? For the longest time I believed the only way to study the Bible was listening to a teacher. After all I thought, I don't know all the ins and outs of the Bible. I wanted to be sure I understood Scripture clearly and that I wasn't coming up with interpretations that were just mine or were wrong understandings, not corroborated or supported by other biblical texts. Listening to someone teach who has years of experience is a quick way to learn, it's like taking giant steps that quickly give us deeper comprehension. But speed in learning isn't always the important thing with God. Sometimes it's the small, coincidental lessons we experience along the way that make huge changes in our life. How do we study then? Here's a few suggestions: 1. Reading consistently is the best help. Bouncing around in our reading may not give us the context of God's story that we want. Read consistently. Following a reading plan is very important. Many reading plans are free online. 2. Using a Bible with commentary notes is also a great idea. And reading different translations of a passage also broadens understanding. 3. There are bible-study websites that offer free use of commentaries, dictionary and even scholarly tools for deeper comprehension. A couple I like are: biblehub.com and biblegateway.com. When you get stuck in figuring out what God is saying in a passage, try these sites. Finally, pray for yourself and your Divine relationship. Ask God to renew your desire to meet each and everyday. Before you know it you will crave that time with Him and it will no longer be hard to find, it will miraculously appear! (: ~ Andi
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