Friday, June 06, 2014

Whenever you attempt to study the Bible you should realize the first step is to observe what is being said in the text you are going to study. Note the actual facts and statements. Then try to understand what it actually means. That is, interpret what you observed. Once you do this, apply what you learned to your life. Answer the question: What difference should this make in my life? This is what is known as the inductive method of Bible study: What does it say? What does it mean? What difference should it make? Mark 4:1-20 provides a wonderful example of this because you have both the parable as well as Jesus’ explanation of what it means. With His explanation you can develop applications to your own life. For example, take care how you sow the seed of God’s Word. Try to sow it into the lives of those who have been prepared by God’s Spirit. On the other hand, no matter how careful you are, since you can’t see what is in the heart of the hearer, have realistic expectations regarding the results. Some who respond will not follow through. Don’t be too hard on yourself when this happens. You could also reflect on what kind of soil best represents the condition of your own heart. When you study God’s Word, will it produce a crop, or will it be thwarted because of the rocky or weedy condition of your heart? Another way to look at this information is to ask, what can I do to prepare the soil so it will be able to receive, nurture and provide conditions suitable for the seed to sprout, grow and produce a harvest? With these three steps in mind – observation, interpretation and application – you will be able to get the message in God’s Word more readily.