Personal Bible Study
(1) Read the Bible. Amazingly, many, many students of scripture overlook this in Bible study. Do not rely solely on a study guide or devotional for your Bible study. They're great tools, but should not substitute for actually reading the Bible. The only way to get in God's Word is to get in God's Word. If you are doing your Bible study without an open Bible, something is wrong.
(2) Get the context. Begin any study of the Bible with a context. Where are you reading? Who wrote that particular book of the Bible? What is the purpose of their writing? Understand a little of the background whenever you read the Bible. It will help you get what the Author is communicating.
(3) Stick to the truth. Remember this--the Bible's teaching means what it means. Never think that the Bible means "something to me, and something else to others." God's teaching is clear and concise. While the application may differ, the meaning does not change from one person to another. "Thou shalt not kill" is not open to interpretation. Many students of the Bible find it difficult to believe in places--was the earth literally created in seven days? Was the whole earth covered by water in a flood. Yes, it's true because the Bible says it's true. Don't make up stuff in your head to explain what you read. This is the Word of God. What the Bible says, it says, period.
(4) Study means study. Take notes, underline, mark your Bible. You'll retain so much more when you write it down. Keep a journal of your daily time in God's Word, or write in the margins of your Bible. Use reference tools like a concordance, a Bible dictionary and other helps. Skimming might work for ninth grade history, but this Book is intended for you to live by. Give it the time and attention it deserves.
(5) Know your version. I'm not a "King James freak" by any means, but I do believe that it's important to have a literal interpretation of the Bible. That is, a version that is, to the best of the scholar's ability, word for word translated from the original Greek and Hebrew. The King James Version (KJV), New American Standard (NASB) and English Standard Version (ESV) are among literal translations. The New International Version (NIV), The Message and the Phillips Translation are paraphrases--liberty is taken with the language and may alter the original meaning somewhat.
If you were a doctor studying anatomy, would you like an exacting illustration of the human body to study, or a simple sketch like you find on a Pepto-Bismol commercial? Fact is, you are simply going to get more in the long run out of an exacting and complete translation than you will from a modern paraphrase. There's nothing wrong with The Message, but I would not let it be your primary Bible study version.
(6) Make time. Turn off the TV, cell phone, computer or other media feeds when you study the Bible. Pray before you begin. Get in a comfortable place, well lit, and free from distractions. If you can't find this environment every day at first, don't fret. When you begin to regularly study God's Word, you'll get hungry for it. You may have to force yourself to make time in the beginning--but that won't last long. Soon your Bible study time will be a given, and you'll be making time for other things.
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