8. Dig for the Gold!

-


“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

2 Timothy 2:15


I was just glad to survive college! What was supposed to be a five-year course in Occupational Therapy stretched into nine years. Only by God’s grace and my parents’ patience and financial support did I make it through.  So, imagine my surprise when I became a Christian and realized I had to study again! But this time, it wasn’t about textbooks or exams; it was about God’s Word.

Remember when I prayed, “Lord, I want how David desired for Your Word, Your presence, and Your will.  Well, because that prayer aligned with His will, God answered it!


There are several ways to study the Bible: verse by verse, topically, character studies, devotionally.  I’m not an expert or a scholar;  I’m just someone seeking more of God, and He sees that. He met me in that longing and gently led me to a way of studying His Word that finally connected with my heart, not just my head.  


It starts with reading. That’s the doorway. As I read, a verse will stand out like a glint of gold in the stream. I don’t rush past it. 


I stop. I linger. I dig.


Here’s what I do with my gold find:


~Define.  I look up words, even the “common” ones. Webster’s 1828 dictionary is my favorite; it’s loaded with biblical depth.


~Cross-reference. I search my Bible app for similar verses, making sure they stay in context. One verse opens the door to others.


~Paraphrase. I break the verse down like a treasure map, then piece it back together until it shines with meaning. 


~Meditate and Do: I meditate on the gold nugget all day and I pray, “Lord, help me live this truth today.”


The key to transformation is meditation on God’s Word. His Word works within us—renewing our minds and shaping our hearts to align with His will.


When you pray with a desire to apply His Word, He answers. Not always in the way I expect.  He sends real-life moments conversations, challenges, interruptions—where I get to live out what I just read.   Sometimes it’s encouraging. Sometimes it’s humbling. But every time, it’s God saying, “Here’s your chance to walk it out.” That’s when the verse goes from highlighted on a page to engraved in my life.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Behind the Scenes of a Song and a Savior

-
Audio:  https://youtu.be/aqscOrJX4RM?si=hQFp1cs-Srp6oyv3 In my last post, I shared a thought that continues to shape the way I see God’s hand in the lives of my family. He always does far more for us than we could ever do for Him. I can think of countless times when a simple step of obedience led to something only God could accomplish. Sometimes the result seemed small, other times it grew into something far greater than I expected. In every case, it was clearly God at work, behind the scenes. After my first husband passed away, even in the midst of deep grief, God gave us grace to believe He still had a purpose for our lives. I remember praying, “Lord, what do You want us to do now?” Around that time, my children began listening to a song called I Have Been Blessed. At the time, none of them had any musical training. But something began to happen. First, they would play along with instrumental tracks. Then, my oldest son, Dylan, taught himself to play the guitar. My daughter,...
Read more

1. My Struggles

-
Audio on Youtube: https://youtu.be/l9hikm4K9mM?feature=shared There was a time when my inner world felt like a war zone. On the inside, I constantly questioned my worth. “I am a failure.” “What must people think of me?” “I cannot seem to get anything right.” “I am just not enough.” “This is too much to bear. I want to give up.” These were not just passing thoughts. They were a loop, a constant hum in the background of my life. I did not just direct that harshness toward myself. Sometimes, I caught myself thinking poorly of others, judging, comparing, and criticizing. Then a verse would come to mind: “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”   2 Corinthians 10:5 It would convict me. I would feel this tug toward change, a desire to break free from the cycle of negativity, to live differently. And sometimes, I would. For a little while. But then life would h...
Read more

2. The Answer

-
Audio:   https://youtu.be/4HM8zwjKpYs?si=DJNi3y0GXTlxu9Rt The answer did not come in a podcast, a book, or a clever Instagram quote. Not even a desperate scroll through the internet could save me this time. The answer came when I hit rock bottom. No more quick fixes. No “ten steps to peace.” A realization that I had nothing left. And that is when it happened. That is where the transformation began, not in the noise, but in the nothing. Jesus said it so clearly, but I never understood it until I lived it: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 5:3 Poor in spirit. Not rich in answers, not strong in willpower, not full of ourselves, but empty, desperate, needing.   It was in that place of spiritual poverty that He became my everything.
Read more