I was studying in Galatians today - 5:13-15. The gist of it is that we are called to be free, right? But we are not supposed to use this freedom, this not being bound in by a bunch of rules, as a go ahead to indulge. We should instead love our neighbor as ourselves. This fulfills the spirit of all the old laws, anyway, right? We are free just to love as we should, without being hemmed in. I thought this was pretty cool because I've been pondering the two greatest commandments as I think about the vision for our young adult ministry: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.
The second thing, which in part lead to the first thing, was a way to study your Bible. Instead of reading it through in a year or whatever and just plowing through it, (like I used to do), I am now taking it little by little and getting as much as I can out of one book or topic before moving on. This is what I've been trying to do this year, and last night I read an article that made that process really simple. I thought it was worth passing on.
Tim Elmore is the guy that wrote this. He says he reads a section (one thought or idea - sometimes a chapter, sometimes less), then writes 3 paragraphs:
ONE TIME - a paragraph paraphrasing what was happening to the original audience
ALL TIME - a paragraph defining the all time, universal principle found in that text
MY TIME - a paragraph describing what my personal application should be to the truth.
Simple and catchy enough to remember. I challenge you to try it.
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