5. PERSONAL DEVOTION -BIBLE STUDY AND QUIET TIME

LESSON 5: PERSONAL DEVOTION: BIBLE STUDY AND QUIET TIME

The Christian’s strength depends absolutely on his dependence on Christ, his Master. Most Christians today are weak because they depend mostly on large group activities instead of their personal fellowship with Christ. A Christian’s personal fellowship rests on his/her personal devotion which includes his Bible Study and Quiet Time.

We hope that at the end of this lesson, you would have learnt more about the importance (and appropriation) of Bible Study and Quiet time.

  1. PERSONAL BIBLE STUDY

What is Personal Bible Study?

Why study the Bible? 2Tim. 2:15, Josh.1:8, 1Pet.3:15, 2Tim.3:16, Hosea4:6, Ezra 7:10

TYPES OF BIBLE STUDY:

This includes Book Study, Verse Study, Word Study, Topical Study and Character Study. The form it should take depends on what one wants to achieve. Below are some guidelines as to how to have a Bible Study.

  1. a) choose a passage/verse b. Note the context in which the passage occurs.

 

  1. OBSERVATION (what does the passage say)

Answer this question by asking yourself the following questions

Who are the characters involved?

Note the verbs, adjectives and phrases that are used to describe them.

What inferences to the Person of the Trinity are given?

What is revealed about the character of God?

What is happening? The verbs are the keys to the actions in the passage, list them.

Where do the events occur? Use a Bible Atlas. Have other significant events taken place there?

When do the events occur? How much time elapsed during the events? Is the reason of the year significant? The time in a person’s life?

Why do the events occur? Stick to the reason suggested in the text.

How do the events happen? Is any process described? What are the steps? What are the effects?

Summarize the passage by writing down a simple statement that seems to be the author’s main purpose or lesson.

  1. INTERPRETATION (what does the passage mean)

What causes a particular action or statement? What is the intention? Does it relate to the previous incident?

Why is it significant? What does this teach?

What are its consequences and implication?

Is it relevant? How does it fit in the whole? Why is it stated here?

What meaning does it have today?

What does this imply about God’s relationship to men? About men’s relationship to God?

 

  1. MEDITATION AND SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION

Matt.4:4, Ps37:31, Ps.119:11, Prov.2:1-3, Deut.6:6-7

  1. APPLICATION (what does the passage mean to me?)

Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you.

What is already part of my thinking? My actions?

What is new to me?

What am I doing that is wrong?

How can I make the needed change?

What do I need to know (not at some future date)?

What tools do you think will be useful for a meaningful Bible Study?

 

Now take a passage and practice the principles (Observation, Interpretation, Memorization & Application) above.

QUIET TIME

  1. What is Quiet Time?
  2. In what way does it differ from Personal Bible Study?
  3. When and where does one have Quiet Time? Mk. 1:35, Gen.19:27
  4. Why is it necessary to have your own Quiet Time? Ps. 119:15, Is. 40:29-31, 1pet.2:2.
  5. What are some of the problems encountered in having Quiet Time?

SUMMARY

Personal Bible Study and Quiet Time are very powerful tools available to make the Christian knowledgeable in all aspects of life, be it spiritual, physical, academic, financial, etc. When employed rightly and diligently, these tools work to the victory of the Christian in his daily work on this earth. It enables us to know the mind of God. Hold fast to them and you would not fail. In the next lesson, we would dive into the other section of personal Devotion-Prayer and fasting. You can’t wait for it!

MEMORY VERSE 2TIM.3:16-17 (NIV)

All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 TIM.3:16-17 (NIV)

 

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