Fun Ways to Study the Bible

Here are a few ideas for you...

1. Just read through a book of the Bible. It might be good to start with one of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John), or one of the other New Testament books. You might want to read just a few paragraphs each day, or maybe half a chapter, or maybe a whole chapter! But each day you would pick up where you last left off. As you read, write down verses that are especially meaningful or important to you.

2. Give TOPAD a try – It’s an acrostic, where each letter directs you through the study. This works for any section of Scripture. You’ll be amazed at how helpful and meaningful this is. Here’s how it goes. You’ll want a blank journal or piece of paper. Take a small section of Scripture, maybe Ephesians 1:3-10 or Ephesians 1:11-14 or Philippians 4:4-9 . You’re going to study just those few verses. First, read that section once or twice. Then in a journal or on paper write the following for those verses:

T - Title: What title would you give to the section that you read?

O - Observation: Write out in your own words, what it is saying – paraphrase it.

P - Principles: Write down the major principles it's communicating - ex. "God wants us to pray and ask Him, rather than worry." or "Speak honestly with others, and be gracious."

A- Application: Write down specifically how you think God might want you to think or behave differently as a result of this.

D - Devotion: Write out a brief message to God, thanking Him for His Word on this. Just talk to Him about what you read.

3. Go through someone else’s Bible study, already prepared for you. We have a few studies on this site: "Digging In" and at the bottom of the Helpful Links page. There are others you can purchase in a Christian bookstore.

4. Study God’s relationships with different people in the Bible. From the very first chapter we see that the Bible is about God and His relationship with people. We can learn a lot about God by studying a person's life and God's interaction with them. We get to know His thoughts as He speaks to people, what He values, His love and justice, and the actions He takes on behalf of those who trust Him. Some people that you might want to begin with are Moses, David, Paul, Peter, or Martha.

5. Ask God to speak to you about a particular topic. This is explained further in How God Speaks to Us Through the Bible.