Essentials of Spiritual Health: Bible Study
One essential of spiritual growth is spending time in the Word.We often hear that the Bible is a manual for life, and in a way it is. But the Bible ismore than just the Christian's Boy Scout Handbook. The Bible is the Word of God,and He still speaks to us through it today."All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting andtraining in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped forevery good work." -II Timothy 3:16-17, NIV"And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well topay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and themorning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecyof Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy neverhad its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried alongby the Holy Spirit." -II Peter 1:19-21As we would treasure and read over and over again a letter from a jealous lover, weshould hunger for and value God's Word. We should be hungry for it, we should longfor it, "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow upin your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good." -I Peter 2:2-3, NIVMost people ask "I know I should study the Bible, but how do I do it?"I want to talk about a couple different ways that I think will be spiritually enrichingto you:
1. COA
COA is an acronym that stands for Context, Observation, Application. As you beginreading your Bible, you should always begin with prayer. Pray that God will openyour heart and mind to the truths of His Word. Then focus on a specific passage. Youmay have a Bible reading plan that takes you through the Bible in a year (if youwant one of those let me know). You may be focusing on a specific book or Testament. Whatever the case, as you read look for something that sticks out toyou. Then examine the context, what is the situation? What is going on in thispassage? What do the verses surrounding this one say? Next make an observation,ask what is significant about this passage? What principle is being taught? What isthe main idea? Finally, make an application. This is something you're going to do tomake your life line up with this passage; something that will put the principle intopractice. It should be achievable and measurable, something you can actually do. You should write all of this down for reference later on.
Example: Mark 1:35 (NIV)
"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house andwent off to a solitary place, where he prayed."Context: In this chapter we saw Jesus' baptism (V. 9-11), temptation (V. 12-13), thechoosing of His disciples (V. 14-20), and a launch into ministry (V. 21-34). Jesus wasvery busy healing, preaching, and ministering.
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