Hey everybody,
I know, I know, people wanted to take a break this summer. However, in thinking that over, I don't think personal time with God should ever take a vacation. I know right now in my life, that just isn't an option.
So, in the interest of encouraging you and also challenging you to spend more time in the Word, I want to pass on a personal Bible study method introduced to us by a good friend of ours on Sunday. I think this will be a good way to engage the Word, and each other, in a more meaningful way on a consistent basis.
The acronym in play here is SOAP - Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
The idea is to read a Scripture (for instance, John chapter 6), asking the Holy Spirit to speak to you through one or two key verses. On a piece of paper, preferably in a dedicated journal, write a big "S" and then next to it the one or two verses that God has brought to your attention. Write out the whole verse, not just the reference.
Then write an "O" next to your observations about that passage. What is God saying in this verse? What are your questions about this verse? What is the context of the verse? What do you think God meant to say at the time, and what is he saying to you right now?
Then, in the "A" section, write out how you think God is telling you to apply this passage of Scripture to your life. This is highly personal. Don't generalize, and don't think there is any "right" answer here. This is what you think God is telling you to do as a result of reading this passage. The question we all should be asking when we do this is, "How will I be different tomorrow because of what I have read today?"
Finally, in the "P" section, write out a prayer to God based on the time you have spent with him that day.
All of this should take you between 20 and 40 minutes, based on the length of the passage.
For next week, let's do John 6. If you can, blog something here. If you don't want to write about it for universal consumption, that's cool, too. Either way, please come prepared to talk about what God told you through this passage during the previous week.
Happy reading!
-- Lincoln
