At Grace Church, we believe Scripture should be the foundation for our lives as believers. This plays out through Bible-based teaching during our worship services. However, it is also important to study the Word individually and apply it to our lives daily. In our desire to know God more, we should dive into Scripture, as it is the primary way God has revealed Himself to us. However, simply reading the Bible will not change us. We will only begin to learn and grow as our lives are changed and guided by the application that comes through personal study of the Word.
Each time we come to the Scriptures we should seek to learn about God, ourselves, and practical ways we can live differently in light of what we’ve read. The following questions were devised with these goals in mind. We offer these questions not as a formula, but as a means of stirring up a more thoughtful and intentional time in the Word. These can be used with entire sections of the Bible, or as little as one verse—there’s freedom in that. Whether you’re reading the Bible for the first time, or you’ve been reading it for 50 years, we pray you find them helpful for cultivating a more biblically-oriented life.
“What does this teach me about God?”
(Look for ways the text shows God’s attributes, character, likes/dislikes, plans for the world, desires for His people, etc.)
“What does this teach me about myself?”
(Look for what the text may reveal about your own tendencies, character, mindset, dislikes, etc.)
“Today, how should I ...think? ...feel? ...act?”
(What are practical ways you can live in light of these truths about God and yourself? Be specific.)
EXAMPLE
So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
— Mark 10:42-45
What does this teach me about God?
Jesus says here that the reason He came was to serve us by giving up His life for us. This shows that God the Father is sacrificial, because He gave His only son, Jesus, in order to pay our sin debt. Also, this shows that Jesus values selflessness and desires for His followers to be people marked by their service to others.
What does this teach me about myself?
Just like the “rulers” and “officials” Jesus mentions, I am prone to let authority go to my head. It can be hard not to flaunt what little authority I do have in various situations. Also, I know my tendency is to do the opposite of what Jesus says—instead of seeking to be the servant of everyone else, I often act and think as if everyone else should serve me.
Today, how should I...
- Think? Today when I am tempted to think that others should serve me, I will remind myself that as a follower of Christ, Jesus’ desire is for my mind to be set on serving them because of the grace He showed in serving and saving me.
- Feel? Rather than feeling prideful, today I should feel humbled and blessed that Jesus came down from His place in heaven to serve me and reconcile me to God through His death on the cross.
- Act? Today I will be careful of the way I speak, to guard against pride coming across in my communication. I can serve my wife today by taking care of some of the errands she needs done by this weekend so she doesn’t have to worry about them.