+ 1 Study

February 5, 2018
February 5, 2018 Ryan Young

+ 1 Study

As we’ve looked at throughout our Plus One Series, there is nothing more important that we can do than to put God as our first priority in life. We want to be able to say as David said in Psalm 27 – “One thing I ask of the Lord! Let me dwell in your house and be with you forever.” So we set out to learn any discipline that scripture encourages that is guaranteed to draw us into His presence. Rather than trying to learn everything at once, we’ve taken this time to prayerfully ask the Lord what one discipline we can learn to grow in this year – whether that is meditation, prayer, fasting or study.

Yesterday we looked at the discipline of study, and here are three things to remember

  1. The Word of God is Unstoppable. It is what Peter calls “imperishable seed” and the Lord tells us that it will not return without accomplishing the purpose for which he has sent it! As you dive in, recognize that it will bring change and growth.
  2. It’s all about the heart. As we’ve been reading together, we are meditating on the parable of the Sower found in Matthew 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8. With any of the disciplines we have been studying, we recognize that we cannot even begin without getting our heart ready, but so often our soil is not ready for the seed of God’s Word.
  3. We have some practical things we can do to study the Word successfully including:
    1. Live with the Tension – Don’t worry if you don’t immediately understand, keep going! Keep looking for how each section of scripture fits into the overarching story. And refuse to allow the knowledge to puff us up. Nothing matters unless it draws us close to Him!
    2. Get Help – Check out the amazing materials available from people like the Bible App and the Bible Project. Grab a study bible or spend time on Bible Study Tools.
    3. Get Away – Consider a day where you break from the norm and get away so you can study the Word uninterrupted.
    4. Paraphrase It – As you go through each book, each Psalm, each story… put it in your own words. The truth comes alive in us when we can make it our own.
    5. Bublé It – Put it on repeat like a CD stuck in your car. Keep reminding yourself of what you’re reading.
    6. Put It In Motion – just reading is not enough, James tells us we need to put it into practice in our lives. If you are reading something that calls you to action, don’t just think about how nice it would be – Do it!
    7. Give It Away – As you learn and grow in love with Jesus, sow those truths into someone else’s life. Let that seed in you produce good fruit and even more seed to be sown.

Let’s not be those people who make excuses! Let’s make a way and dive into the disciplines that will produce great fruit in us!

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