Lately, I've been cleaning out my office. It's amazing (and disappointing) how much stuff accumulates in such a short time. Once I'm through carrying out bags of junk, and vacuuming and dusting, I'll have neater, more functional space. All the stuff I need will be close by making it easier and faster to accomplish what I need to each day.

It's not just my living spaces that need periodic cleaning- my hearts does, too. I know I've picked up a lot of junk- a box of frustration there, a folder or two of fear stacked on the bookcase, a bad attitude cluttering up my workspace. Sometimes things like joy and peace are hard to find underneath all that other mess, (I know they're in here somewhere… I remember bringing 'em in and putting them right over there by that big pile of doubt…)

For a packrat like me, determining what needs to go is often a challenge, but in the right mood, I can toss out with the best of them. However, when it comes to de-junking my heart, I need outside help.

I have to rely on God and His word to identify the junk in the first place. (Search me, O God… and see if there be any wicked way in me. Ps. 139:23)

I have to make the effort to let go of the stuff. (Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us… Heb. 12:2)

Finally, I need Him to vacuum and clean out the place, so He has room to work. (Create in me a clean heart, O God… Ps 51:10)

Therefore if anyone cleanses himself… he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master 2 Timothy 2:21

My son heads back to school today, so in honor of that, let's review the basics of good Bible study. In school, you start with the ABCs. When you study, you always come back to the OIAs (Awkward, I know) Observation, Interpretation, and Application. (At least they all end in 'ation'.)

Observation – What does the Bible SAY?
Let's look at a familiar example. "The Lord is my shepherd."
The- There is only one.
Lord- Ruler over all
Is-Present tense
My- personal pronoun
Shepherd-someone who tends sheep.

Interpretation – What does it MEAN?
Don't let this part throw you. You interpret Scripture all the time without realizing it. For instance, no one has to tell you you are not a sheep and God is not really a sheep-herder. Your command of language has already told you this is a metaphor, a word picture designed to make a point. So in comparing God to a shepherd, what does this mean? God selflessly cares for our every need. He protects us.
Putting that interpretation with what we observed, we find out The One Sovereign Ruler over all presently, currently takes care of me, personally.

Application – What do I DO?
Now that we know what the Bible SAYS and what that MEANS, how should we live as a result? Is there something that I need to change? If I know that God is taking care of me, maybe I won't worry about a rumor of layoffs, or test results from the doctor. Maybe I'll stop trying to do everything myself. Maybe I'll sleep better at night.

As you study this week, take some time and review those OIAs and see what you learn!

Unstable as water… Genesis 49:4

…[O]ne who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. James 1:6
 

LORD,
Don't let me be like water, always shifting, changing.
At the mercy of the elements.
Driven by my environment.
Readily conforming to my surroundings.
Unable to clearly reflect Your image.

Sometimes the issue isn't a lack of Bible study. Sometimes it's too much. Often, we end up in several different groups, chasing several topics. It doesn't take long before ideas and discussion threads run together and we can't keep up with what we studied, when or with whom. For example, I'm reading the New Testament for myself, reading Psalms for a group I'm leading, and studying a book on sin with my Sunday morning group, and studying Revelation with my Wednesday night kids. How can we keep it all straight, and get something out of every study?

Break the rules.

Well, not exactly 'break' them. Don't allow an artificial "system" to rob your study time of the maximum benefits.

My daily Bible readings are designed to be done daily (That's why they're called…). It's just reading, and not studying, so I do stick with that one.
My Kay Arthur Psalms study is designed for daily study. First of all, my study group decided we'd rather take the study more slowly than the book says. We'd rather discuss more in depth, than stick to the "schedule". So rather than spread them out, doing a little snippet each day, I do a longer more focused study. I only study with Kay on Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays (Tuesdays, too, if I need an extra day.)
For my Wednesday group, I spend that afternoon getting ready for them.
My Sunday morning group- I study that one on Saturday morning.

Getting focused time alone with God in His word is far more important than sticking to someone else's schedule or system. Consider how and when you study and learn best:

• First thing in the morning? Before bed? Over lunch?
• A little at a time, with lots of in-between time to think it over? An intense hour-long session?
• Alone or in a group?
• Right before the group meets? Right after the group meets?
• Multiple studies or just one? (Drop out of a Bible study? Is that allowed??)
• Verse-by-verse book studies or topical ones?

We are uniquely designed by God, and our most effective study methods reflect that.

We Wisemans had an adventure this weekend. A friend of mine mentioned early in the summer that she planned to ride her bike to a neighboring town for their Community Days, and she asked if I'd like to try it. I agreed, and soon my teenager expressed interest in going. So did my husband, and that meant my son was in, too. So Saturday morning, we packed the 4-year-old in the seat on my bike, packed the supplies on Jon's bike, and off we went.

We logged three and a half hours of riding, 24.1 miles total. (Of course, there was a pancake breakfast, a parade, and some pulled pork in the middle of that ride.) God blessed us with a 15 degree break in the afternoon temperatures, and a good time. I teased my friend that it was hard riding with her, because she never huffed, never seemed to be pedaling hard, never even sweated. She was patient and easy-going, a perfect 'trail boss' for us newbies.

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. Proverbs 27:17 NLT

I'm so thankful that God gives us friends who love us, listen to us, but also challenge us. My friends constantly challenge me to step out into new territory. They stand by and encourage me when I'm ready to quit. They remind of the things I tend to forget when I'm frustrated. They don't think less of me in those moments when I'm falling well short of Christ's example.

Jesus calls us friends in John 15:13-15, and He certainly challenges me, stands by me, encourages me, reminds me when I forget, and loves me even in failure. But to help me grasp the reality of that, He brought people into my life who would model all these things. And He allows me the privilege of a relationship with them in which we can help each other out.

We need mentors who walk before us, and we should always have disciples following our footsteps, but what a great gift to have friends to walk beside us. I love all of you.