Feeding On The Word Of God - Getting The Most Out Of Your Bible

Okay. Here¡¦s the third way to feed on the Word of God:

3. Study it to learn more.

Acts 17:11

And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul¡¦s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth. (NLT)

You know what set these Bereans apart? They didn¡¦t just swallow hook, line, and sinker, what Paul and Silas were saying. They checked it out.

Let me tell you something: healthy skepticism is good. I don¡¦t expect you to just accept everything I say. Quite frankly, I¡¦m going to be wrong on occasion. I might mistakenly apply a Scripture, or give allowance to something Scripture doesn¡¦t allow.

Check it out. But don¡¦t just do it to keep me honest. Study the Bible because there is a lot to learn! The Bible is full of awesome stuff!

There are lots of ways to study the Bible. Here are just a few options:

- Topical studies (Salvation, music, relationships, parenting, business ethics).

- Bible book studies.

- Word studies (Holy Spirit, music, love, believe, etc.)

- Character studies.

Back to our food analogy for a moment. Each of these types of Bible Study can be likened to a different kind of food. So each type of Bible study will require a different way to ¡§eat¡¨ it.

Some use charts, some just use a notebook, or what ever. But don¡¦t use the same silverware for each type of study.

If you would like some help in beginning Bible study, just let me know ¡V I¡¦d be glad to help.

Let¡¦s move onto the fourth way of feeding on the Word of God, and that is to¡K

4. Memorize it to retain it.

Psalm 119:11

I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (NIV)

I¡¦m a big fan of Scripture memory. Simply memorizing Scripture will go a long way to moving you on toward a healthy, mature faith in Christ.

You see, when you get the Word of God in your brain, the Holy Spirit can use that to bring to your mind areas of your life that you need to surrender to Him.

Or sometimes He will use that Scripture to comfort you, or to comfort someone else.

Hide it in your head so that God can hide it in your heart. And one of the ways that happens is when we utilize the fifth way of feeding on God¡¦s Word, and that is to¡K

5. Meditate on it to live it.

Psalm 19:14

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. (NIV)

What is meditation? Without getting too technical, let me just ask you a question: have you ever worried? Then you know how to meditate!

But Biblical meditation goes farther. It doesn¡¦t just contemplate the message, it looks for ways to make it a viable part of your life. Meditation takes what you¡¦ve learned and asks, ¡§Now what do I do with this?¡¨

Write this down: Meditation takes the Bible from being academic to being practical. It takes us from knowledge to action.

¡§I just studied Deuteronomy and can tell you everything about the sacrificial system and how Jesus fulfilled that.¡¨