Day 10: Participate in A Bible Study
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Welcome back to the 31 Days to Hallway Praise challenge! At Day 10, we're a third of the way through.
Prayer, memorizing Scripture, and staying involved in your church are all excellent ways to help fix your eyes on Christ. But when was the last time you dug deep into God's Word with a Bible study?
Bible studies are an excellent way to grow your faith and deepen your understanding of the Bible. If we want to be ten-thousand-hour Christians, we need to apply ourselves to the study of God's Word!
Between babysitting and transportation issues, I've not attended an in-person Bible study in years. But that doesn't mean I can't study the Bible. There are so many options available to us today! I can dig out a concordance and start looking up words and meanings (tip: BibleGateway offers free, online concordances right here). With limitless resources on the web, I can do a personal study on any book of the Bible I choose. Or, I can join an online Bible study.
There are thousands of excellent Bible study resources available for purchase. Many wonderful writers have put together amazing books and studies all designed to equip Christians with a greater understanding of what the Scriptures teach. (Please note that not all Bible study materials are created equal, and no one person is going to accurately teach every concept from God's Word. Use wisdom and discretion in your selections.)
One of my favorite Bible study authors is Elizabeth George. I recently completed both A Woman's Walk With God (on the Fruit of the Spirit) and Beautiful in God's Eyes (about the Proverbs 31 woman). Both were well-done. That said, with her early-to-rise, multitasking ways, Mrs. George's recommendations sometimes make my head spin. It would be easy to start trying to do things in your own strength or to think that business is the same as Godliness. Be careful with any study you take on, and always compare everything you read with what Scripture teaches.
Participating in a Bible study is another great method for focusing on the Savior and not on the situation. Keeping your thoughts focused on Scripture will help you to keep them off of your frustrations. It can help you find ways to praise the Lord!
Today's action steps: If you're not actively involved in a Bible study of some kind, decide which course of Bible study best fits your current needs - an online study, an in-person study, or simply studying on your own with the help of a concordance. Next, choose a time of day to spend studying. Then, dive in to your new study!
If you're already involved in a Bible study, keep up the great work! See what else you can do to get even more out of your current study. And why not see if you can get a friend involved along with you?