The final part of the Inductive Bible Study Method is: APPLICATION.
In my personal opinion, this is where the modern church is falling terribly short. We listen to sermon after sermon, but often we soak things up, but rarely put things into practice. This step is where you purpose to do what God has taught you in your time with Him. (Ref: James 1:21- 25, Matthew 7:24-27)
It is through applying the Word that God changes out lives. Application does not happen by osmosis but by intent. God enlightens us from the Word, we apply what we’ve learned with our wills, and the Holy Spirit empowers us to carry out these choices. It is usually best to concentrate on applying one principle at a time. The goal of all application is to glorify God by becoming more like Jesus.
We're reminded in 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for…”
Teaching. In other words... What did I learn?
Reproof. Where and why do I fall short?
Correction. What do I plan to do about it?
Training in righteousness. How can I make this principle a consistent part of my life?
I don't remember where I read the following, but here's a simple acronym to help you in application:
S - Is there a Sin to avoid, forsake, or confess: P - Is there a Promise to believe or condition to meet in order to partake of the promise? A - Is there an Attitude to change or guard against or an Action I need to take? C - Is there a Command to keep? E - Is there an Example to follow?
P - Is there a Prayer to pray or a Priority to change? E - Is there an Error to mark? T - Is there a Truth to memorize and meditate on? S - Is there Something to thank or praise God for?
May God bless you as you "...press on the the mark of the high calling..."
This is a continuation from yesterday’s blog about a reoccurring question I get asked... How do you study the Bible?
Ask:
What is the “big idea” of the passage—or what’s the theme?
Consider the commands, the repeated words and ideas. Often there will be one command in the passage with several motivations. So, in one phrase, sum up the main thought of the passage.
Next, ask the natural question that arises from the “big idea” or themes.
This will usually be “how,” “why,” or “what.”
Now, answer the question(s) you have raised from the passage. Steps to interpreting the passage. Use as many of the following questions as you need, progressing downward.
1. What are the meanings of the words? 2. What does the immediate context suggest? 3. What does the broader context suggest? 4. What do cross-references suggest? 5. What is the cultural meaning?
(That is, What did it mean to those to whom it was originally addressed?) 6. What do commentaries suggest?
Put your answers in the form of an outline. Your answers form principles of life and ministry. A principle is a timeless lesson in the way God works, how you should live or in thinking God’s way. To develop each principle (each point in your outline), you will want to explain it (interpretation), illustrate it (from the Bible or personal examples of how this principle is worked out), and apply it.
I've been dealing a lot lately with couples having marital problems. Carol & I met Rev. Emerson Eggerich & his wife on our cruise with Dr. James Dobson. He talked about a cycle he called "the CRAZY CYCLE".
Here's an article by Rev. Eggerich that I found interesting. It's a bit long, but take the time to read. Let me know what YOU think!
Pastor Dan
Repeatedly Flipping on A Broken Light Switch
What happens when a husband hands his wife a Diet book? What happens when a wife hands her husband a Marriage book and says, "I've underlined in yellow the sections you NEED to read?" I'll come back to that.
If I came into a room and flipped a light switch but the light did not come on, you'd think nothing of it. But if I stood for ½ an hour flipping it, you'd say, “He's crazy.” Craziness is when we keep doing the same thing again and again with the same ill effect. Marital craziness is when we do the same thing over and over with the same negative results. I call it the Crazy Cycle.
All of us who are married go through this cycle. The topics change, and the intensity varies, but the crazy cycle continues. This happens among good willed people. In other words, neither are bad people with a bad marriage. In fact, some people think they have a horrible marriage because of this craziness. Truth is, they are inches away from making an adjustment that can set them in a whole new and positive course. If, though, they do not see underneath this "craziness," to the heart of their spouse, this thing can spin out of control.
Are you interested in discovering the secret that cracks the communication code? You see, each of us reacts in code, and we expect our spouse to decode the code! Sadly, that rarely happens.
Based on Ephesians 5:33 we discover why a husband and wife react the way they do. "Nevertheless let each individual among you also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see to it that she respect her husband" (Ephesians 5:33).
Since a wife needs love, a husband would be wise to assume this is why his wife essentially reacts. Since a husband needs respect, a wife would be prudent to assume this is why her husband reacts.
When handed the Diet Book, the wife feels unloved. She reacts negatively. She expects her husband to decode this negative reaction. This is a typical reaction whenever she feels unloved. However, that reaction can be equal to flipping on a broken light switch. Though she feels her husband will wake up to his unloving behavior, that rarely happens. Why? She reacts in such disrespectful ways that he is deafened to her deeper cry. As she needs to feel loved, he needs to feel respected. When he feels offended and disrespected, he finds it tough to empathize with her need for love.
How many wives keep reacting disrespectfully every time they feel unloved? After all, isn't the guy brain dead for giving her a Diet book? Shouldn't she verbally pounce on him? Does it work? Rarely. He does not warm up to her. Sure, she can seek to teach him a lesson by her contempt. He'll not get a Diet book again, that's for sure. Yet, at what price? A wife does not have to go ballistic and spew out wrath to make her point.
This is why the Lord instructs wives to focus on respect (Ephesians 5:33b and 1 Peter 3:2). This enables her better than any other way to awaken her husband to her need to be loved. This is the answer to insuring the marriage goes the distance. When she discovers the secret God has revealed to her, she can halt the craziness. To be sure, the Diet book hurts her, but telling him he is a brain dead is like flipping on a broken light switch. It simply does not work long term. It wouldn't work if he called her brain dead.
When handed the Marriage Book, the husband can feel disrespected. He reacts negatively, typically by neglecting the book. He expects his wife to decode this neglect to mean, "I am not energized by the feeling that I am not good enough in your eyes." If she commands him to read the book, he'll get angry and stubbornly refuse. If he does concede, he'll do so with internal protest. This is a typical negative reaction whenever he feels disrespected. However, a husband needs to see that his reaction equals flipping on and off a broken light switch. It is ineffective. This reaction feels too unloving. His wife is deafened to his cry to be respected. As he needs to feel respected, she needs to feel loved. When she suddenly feels offended and unloved by his neglect of the marriage, she finds it tough to empathize with his need for respect.
How many husbands keep reacting in anger and without love every time they feel disrespected? Rarely does this work. She does not warm up to him. Sure, he can seek to teach her a lesson by his refusal to respect her need to increase the feelings of love between them. He'll not get a Marriage book shuffed his way any time too soon. Yet, at what price? A husband does not have to stonewall his wife and refuse to address issues in the marriage to make his point. He can say lovingly, "I feel disrespected when you give me this book. I feel like you are saying, 'I do not accept you. I do not approve of you. I do not respect you as a man." She'll be all ears.
This is why the Lord instructs husbands to focus on love (Ephesians 5:33b and Colossians 3:19). This enables him better than any other way to awaken his wife to his need to be respected. Does this make sense? If you are disrespectful as a wife in order to motivate your husband to be more loving, that's like a bald headed man selling hair restoration oil. If you are unloving as a husband to influence your wife to be more respectful, that will be as effective as trying to sell brass knuckles to Ghandi.
One wife said, "I realized through this that I was shouting at him too much. He wasn't hearing my deeper cry for his understanding and love. My shouting truly was interfering. What I wanted was his love. But how could he be tender with me when I was screaming at him, 'Love me!'?"
One husband said, "I recognized that when I went silent, thinking this prevented me from getting more angry, which it did, it also made her feel rejected. What I wanted from her was a more respectful attitude but my silence made her insecure. She got more upset with me and said things that made me feel more disrespected."
Let's stop flipping a broken light switch. What's the point? The one who sees himself/ herself as the most mature makes the first move.
Love and Respect Ministries Inc. Copyright 2006 By Rev. Emerson Eggerichs Ph.D.
I am no longer my own, but Thine. Put me to what Thou wilt, rank me with whom Thou wilt; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for Thee or laid aside for Thee; let me be exalted for Thee, or brought low for Thee; let me be full, let me be empty; let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and heartily yield all things to Thy pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Thou art mine, and I am Thine. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.
Throughout my ministry, I've tried to help people in their faith walk. One of the most common questions I'm asked is: "How do I develop a plan for my devotional life?"
From my personal experience and different readings I've done, here are a few helps...
WHAT YOU NEED:
A Quiet Place
A Bible
A Pen or Pencil
A Notebook or Journal
A Bible Reading Plan
A Bible Study or Study Aid
A FEW TIPS TO CONSIDER: 1. Work your plan for 21 days; hopefully by then it should have become a habit. 2. Ask God to give you the desire and the discipline to spend time with Him each day. 3. Don’t give up (I believe in GRACE). Eventually you will discover the joys and blessings of your obedience. 4. Married couples should consider developing a devotional plan together.
1. SETTING A TIME. If you view your time spent alone with God as an appointment to be kept in your daily calendar, you will be less apt to miss or skip it. There is no “right” and “wrong” time of day. Many prefer having their devotions first thing in the morning, as this is the least likely time of day for an interruption. Whatever time of day you choose, let it be the best time of day for you.
2. A PLACE. Finding the right place is key to your success. If you try to spend quality time with God lying in bed with the lights off, you're sure to fail. Choose a specific place for your devotions. Chose a comfortable chair with a good reading light. Next to it put a basket with your "tools"—Bible, pen, journal, devotional book and reading plan. When your set time comes around, simply go to your place and everything is ready.
3. CHOOSE A TIME FRAME. There is no standard time frame for personal devotions. You have to decide how much time you can realistically commit to each day. Getting started with 15 minutes a day can quickly develop into more. Some people can commit to 30 minutes, others an hour or more a day. Start with a realistic goal that you feel you can meet.
4. A GENERAL STRUCTURE. Think about the overall structure for your devotional and how much time you’ll spend on each element of your plan. This would be like an outline or agenda for your meeting, so you don’t wander about aimlessly in thought and end up accomplishing nothing.
The following four steps will cover some of the typical elements you can include.
CHOOSE A BIBLE READING PLAN OR BIBLE STUDY.
This may take some time, but choosing a Bible reading plan or study guide will help you to have a more focuses time of reading and study. If you just pick up your Bible and start reading randomly each day, you may have a difficult time understanding what you read, or applying it to your daily life.
SPEND SOME TIME IN PRAYER.
Prayer is simply two-way communication between you and God. Talking to Him, telling Him about your struggles and cares and then listening for His voice. Many Christians don’t include listening in their prayer time. Remember to give God time to speak to you in His still small voice (1 Kings 19:12, NKJV). I, personally, believe the loudest way God speaks to us is through His Word. Spend some time meditating on what you read and letting God speak into your life.
The following acronym may be helpful in learning how to pray:
P – Praise. Voice your love and worship to Jesus. R – Repent—of any sin God may remind you of. Ask Him to point out any sin in your life; if He does, listen, confess and turn away from it. A – Ask. Share your prayer desires with the Lord. Y – Yield. After you’ve made you “asks” of God, willingly yield your will to His perfect will; knowing that He can be trusted to do what’s best.
SPENDING SOME TIME IN WORSHIP.
God has created us to praise Him. 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people ... belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (NIV) You can express your praises silently or declare them in a loud voice. There is no right or wrong way. You may even want to sing a song of worship in your devotional time.
SPEND SOME TIME WRITING IN A JOURNAL.
Many Christians find that “journaling” helps them stay on track during their devotional time. You can journal your thoughts and prayers, providing a valuable record. Later you will be amazed and encouraged when you go back and note the progress you’ve made or see the evidence of answered prayers. Journaling is not for everyone. Give it a try and see if it’s right for you. 5. MAKE A COMMITMENT TO FOLLOW YOUR DEVOTIONAL PLAN. Keeping your commitment is probably the hardest part of getting started. Determine in your heart to keep it up, even when you fail or miss a day. Rather than beating yourself up when you mess up (God's a God of GRACE), just pray and ask God to help you. And, be sure to start over the next day. The rewards you will experience as you grow deeper in love with God will definitely be worth it!
6. BE FLEXIBLE AND WILLING TO MAKE CHANGES TO YOUR PLAN. If you get stuck in a rut, try going back to step #1. Perhaps the plan you’ve chosen is not right for you. Change it up until you find the perfect fit.
I'm a retired United Methodist Pastor that has a strong desire to win people to Christ and help them GROW DEEPER in their Christian walk.
Learning how to "make disciples" Jesus' way!
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