His Beloved Jewels are women who LOVE the Word of God. The Bible is His story! It is inspired by God, life-transforming that is meant to be read with the purpose to know Him and be known by Him. His Beloved Jewels is committed to encouraging women to grow in the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ. His Beloved Jewels is the home of the Word Girl Challenge!
We are on a three-year journey to read the Word in a chronological reading plan. We are reading it in the order that the events occurred. It is a fascinating journey into reading His Story of Redemption.
Key Verse
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:6-9
How to Study the Word
I am so excited that you have picked up Bible Study journal! I am bursting with joy that you have embarked on a journey to dig deep into the Word of God. It is the greatest journey of our lives. It is my joy and my prayer that this journal would be a tool to bring the love of Jesus to action and open the Word through study that becomes an adventure that lasts a lifetime!
First, to study the Word for all its worth, we must start with prayer! Just reading the Bible without a prayerful heart, we open ourselves up to reading for solely head knowledge and miss out on the reason we should study the Bible. The purpose is to grow in love, as it is written in 2 Peter 3:17-18,
“You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (NASB)
Secondly, let me give an overview of how NOT to study the Word. The Bible is not a training manual; it is His story. We should not just allow the Bible to fall open and point to any verse which pops out to you. Nor is it wise to pick and choose sections to read while ignoring other portions. See, the Word is more than a feel-good, self-help book. It is the God-breathed, inspired, infallible Word of God, given to us to tell us about Him. It is all about Him!
Grab your Bible!
Any translation will do for reading, but if you want to study, I suggest an excellent word-for-word Bible such as the New American Standard, English Standard Version or the New King James. The Message and the Amplified translations are better suited for devotional reading. It helps to study with more than one translation.
The Word Girl Challenge should not be intimating. All you need is your Bible. A concordance is helpful. Biblegateway.com is a good source of free resources. A Strong’s concordance that is in line with your translation, some pens, highlighters, and a notebook. Commentaries are lovely, but I would suggest waiting until you have read it a few times before relying on them. Learn to read it for yourself and then grab one. Be sure to read it through two or three times.
I’m going to let you in on a secret to digging deep is context, context, CONTEXT! Take note of what is written before and after the passage and read each chapter by itself. We will study the Word inductively by asking questions such as who, where, when, why and how. Take note of the type of writing; is it poetry like Psalms or a narrative such as the Gospels. Look for who wrote it and why. When was it written and to whom? Look for keywords and repetition. We should read it in context. Precept upon precept; Scripture interprets Scripture.
Thirdly, look for keywords and repetitive words. Take note of themes and main thoughts. Each book has a reason and purpose. Our job is to discern what that theme or themes are! It is the puzzle of our lives.
Bible Study is transforming when done so with a prayerful heart. Always start by asking the Holy Spirit for wisdom and understanding. He will always answer that prayer when we seek to know Jesus. The study should always point to knowing Jesus in a deeper relationship. Otherwise, it is only head knowledge.
Use a notebook if you do not want to mark your Bible. It can be helpful to color code the Word. Here’s how I color code my Bible.
- Purple God, Father God, Jesus, Holy Spirit
- Red Love, Atonement, Redemption, Grace
- Black Sin, Temptation, Devil
- Blue Knowledge, Teaching, Doctrine, History
- Yellow Glory, Heaven
- Green Faith, Obedience
- Light Purple Spiritual Disciplines, Prayer and Worship
- Pink Women, Family, Parenting
- Brown Prophesy, Last Days-End Times, Rapture
This process is only a suggestion. You can use whatever colors is you prefer. The point is, grab your Bible, pens, and a notebook. Whether you color code, circle words, or underline, it is up to you. The point is, dig deep! It is the greatest journey of our lives: to know Jesus and be known by Him.
May your adventure in the #WordGirlChallenge be blessed! Don’t forget to tweet your journey!
Feel free to join us in the Challenge at http://community.hisbelovedjewels.org!
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Want to see more? https://hisbelovedjewels.org/word-girl-challenge-2019/
In His Love,
Nancy Adams