PAULA WISEMAN

Faith and life meet in a story

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Pick up a quick tip to get more out of your Bible study

I've taught for over twenty years and I can help you go deeper when you open up the Word.

Study Tip: Repeat, Repeat

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One way to improve your Bible study is to be an active reader, notice what’s in the text. One of the first things you’ll notice are repeated words and phrases. For instance, Psalm 26:1 says ‘I have walked in my integrity’. Verse 3 says ‘I have walked in Your truth’. Verse 11- the next to last- says ‘I will walk in my integrity’. The Psalm begins and ends with walking in integrity.

From the dictionary (and last week’s tip) integrity means a strict adherence to a moral code; genuineness, and your walk is how you conduct yourself through this life. ‘Your truth’ from verse 3 tips us off as to what that code is.

So a key idea God wants to teach us in Psalm 26 is to live day by day with an honest, genuine commitment to His truth. (His truth is the ONLY truth, but that’s another topic altogether.)

If God says something in His word, it’s important. If He repeats Himself, then we should take notice.

Study Tip: Use a Dictionary

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In yesterday’s post, I mentioned I got sidetracked in the dictionary while I was studying Psalm 23. Here are the reasons I study with a dictionary:1. The definitions for familiar words are often broader and deeper than I’m aware of.
Example: Psalm 119:2 says ‘Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart!’
I read ‘keep’ and my first thought was ‘obey’, but there is more to it. Webster’s gives additional meanings and synonyms. Keep- hold, treasure, safeguard, obey, observe.
Then there’s seek. Seek – look for, search out, uncover, study, consider, take counsel.

2. It adds a fresh dimension when studying well-known passages.
Example: Psalm 23. Yesterday I looked at ‘want’ and ‘anointing’. Looking at those seemingly familiar words keeps me focused on the passage and removes the temptation to glaze over.

3. I am a Word-nerd. Jon’s Sunday school class is studying spiritual gifts and one of the traits of a teacher is a fascination with what God’s word says- the breadth, the depth, the detail, and the TRUTH. It pegged me. I get excited about little [boring] things like the description of the tabernacle. It’s not just knowledge for the sake of knowledge. I want you to see how well God’s Word works in our lives. I want you to help you see how to apply it. That’s why I like squeezing as much out of each passage as I can.

My characters often go through a process of discovery with God’s Word and a few of them study ‘my’ way. Bobbi does for sure. She was my first main character, so she is more like me than any of the others. She’s not afraid to question God, argue with Him, and admit when she doesn’t want to follow His guidelines. God honors the heart that seeks Him, though, even in fiction. He gives the answers we need, and the strength to let go of the questions He chooses not to answer.