Importance of studying God's word!

I love this verse (1 Peter 3:15) in the ESV (English Standard Version). When I reach heaven, I know I will regret all the times I turned on the TV instead of opening God's Word. Especially in the times we are in now, I need to be ready to defend what I believe and give an answer.

I have found these things to be helpful in studying scripture:
-Set a daily time with God. (Just as I would set a time to talk to a friend over coffee, I need to set a time to spend with God.)
-Have a reading plan. (Don't just open the Bible up randomly. Set a plan or goal to read on a specific person in the Bible or specific book. Read through a psalm and proverb a day for a month or so, etc.)
-Look up verses in other translations. Look up keywords in a verse in the dictionary and write them down. Now read the verse using those definitions.
-Ask God for ways to put His word into practice. Keep a journal of how God answered your prayer. Howard and William Hendricks said, "The mark of spiritual maturity is not how much of the Bible you understand, but how much you use. In the spiritual realm, the opposite of ignorance is not knowledge but obedience." (From 'Living by the Book')

Created 12 months ago