Common Insecurities About Studying God’s Word
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A Modern Girlโs Guide to Bible Study
– Ch. 1: Common Insecurities About Study God’s Word (Pg. 13-24)
– Ch. 2: Ineffective Strategies for Connecting with Scripture (Pg. 25-38)
Growing up, my favorite time of the year was the Scholastic book fair. When that paper catalog crossed my desk, I dreamed of lining my shelves at home with the latest Ramona Quimby books or finding a way to talk my parents into letting me get another poster for my bedroom wall.
Books always made it on my birthday or Christmas wish lists and each year, and I’d devour them with great pleasure. But there is a book that I’ve owned since I was confirmed at the age of twelve that I still haven’t completed.
Actually it’s a book that I’ve started numerous times, but it always makes its way back to the shelf because I just don’t know that I’m ready for what it will tell me. For a book lover, it’s strange to have such trepidation about approaching one, and the older I grow, the more I realize that I’ve lost precious time due to my reproach.
I don’t know how to read the Bible. In all the years of attending Sunday School, church, youth group, church camp, and attending small groups, I’ve allowed the Word to be presented to me, rather than gathered or understood myself. Simply because I’ve never felt equipped to take on the book alone.
[half] That was until last fall, when I began to feel a stirring, a change in my heart calling me closer to God’s Word, and I knew that I needed to find a way to be able to study it on my own, without the influence of others. And by the grace of God, and Google, I came across, A Modern Girl’s Guide to Bible Study, by Jen Hatmaker.
Little did I know how much comfort and acceptance I’d find in the pages of her book (one designed for women of any age, background, or place in their faith). Little did I know how it would change my perspective of the Bible, and instead of trepidation in my approach, I’ve found an appreciation and hunger for more![/half][half]
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Scripture of the Week
“Blessed are You, O Lord; Teach me Your statutes… Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law.” (Psalm 119:12,18)
This book, like so many others out there, could just provide list after list of strategies that we could apply and discard like a band-aid, but instead Jen helps us to ask the difficult questions and seek the answers that will allow us to gain more than just head knowledge, but growth that only God can provide.
“Every woman who says, ‘I believe’ has the opportunity to fall in love with the Bible and understand its beautiful layers just as God intended. Let’s learn to unfold the perfect stacks of truth God has set forth in His Word until we’re covered in them. And I promise it will be fun.” – Jen Hatmaker, Pg. 23
Weekly Challenge
And that is my prayer for you, that in the next six weeks, you will find comfort and solace in Jen’s words, and come to an understanding that you don’t have to approach personal Scripture study alone; the Spirit is there to guide and help you. May you have an open heart and mind to how God is calling you to venture into areas of Scripture that may be challenging and take some work to comprehend.
Oh my sweet girl, there is so much goodness in store and I’m so excited to walk alongside you in this journey!
Praise be to God who makes all things possible, even approaching the intimidating sixty-six books of the Bible!
[divider type=”solid” color=”black”]Join the Discussion
Take a few minutes this week to comment, letting us know where you’re from and how you would answer the questions below.
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[one-third]This is a great opportunity for you to personally consider where you stand in your relationship with Scripture, and also to learn a little bit about the other women who will be embarking on this journey as well!
Remember to download the Weekly Schedule!
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[three-fourths]Bree Blum is a just your average single thirty-something book loving, oil using, cardigan wearing blogger who loves Jesus.
You can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.[/three-fourths]
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I thought I’d start the ball rolling and answer my own questions! Personally Bible study has been very hard for me in the past. I never knew where to begin or how to make sense of what I was reading, and so I easily became frustrated and gave up, so I guess my answer would be C. However, my goal for 2016 is to seek Christ, in His word and in relationship with Him and in order to do that I have begun reading the Gospels, starting with Matthew. It is my goal to read all of the New Testament this year and gain a better understanding of the church in the 1st century before I go back and read the Old Testament. Eventually I would like to read the Bible in chronological order, following the story as history enfolded. By knowing my history, of my faith, I can gain a better understanding of who Christ is and what He desires for my life.
I get excited about personal bible study. Though there are fears involved in studying. Fear of not understanding it.
My goals are to see the bible as a history of Gods relationship with us. I pray that by knowing more of the bible I can better understand God and his desires for us so that I can in turn show God through my actions and life.
I am somewhere between C & D. I have an all or nothing personality, so I dive in and then quickly get overwhelmed and give up. I think my main problem is not knowing how to do a Bible study. I want so much to have that conversation with God, but I haven’t figured out how to do that through a Bible study on my own.
That is what I am looking for and want to change. I have that conversation in my prayer time. I see God’s miracles daily all around me. I want that in my study of His word as well.
I am really loving this book and the interaction on the Facebook page. I am glad that I am participating more this study. I really enjoyed the live meeting last night. Today I started the journaling that I hope to make a daily habit.