Do you believe that?

Do you have a desire to go deeper in your personal relationship with the Lord?

During a Bible Study a few years ago, I was challenged to write down the kind of “Jesus Girl” I wanted to be in one year, in five years, and ten years. Wow! What a challenge. To be honest, I had never thought about having aspirations for my spiritual relationship with Jesus. With that challenge, I was forced to honestly look at the spiritual disciplines that I practiced. It was difficult but within my spirit, I knew God was calling me deeper.

I prayed God would give me a desire to go into deep waters with His Word. I wanted to know His Word, understand it, and share it. What I have discovered on this journey is there is nothing sweeter than unfolding all the many layers of God’s Word.

One method that has helped me become a better student of God’s Word is Bible Verse Mapping.

This study strategy will help you unfold layer after layer of God’s Word. It can be adapted to your own personal study needs, so feel free to make it your own.

This is week two of Advent celebrating Jesus is Coming with the Bethlehem Candle signifying Preparation/Faith. Our key verse will be the focus for Bible Verse Mapping.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8

Let’s get started!

Gather your materials.
➔ Bible
➔ Journal
➔ Pens (Debbie and I love Paper Mate.)
➔ Highlighters (My new favorite are from The Daily Grace Co.)
➔ Bible Mapping Sheet (optional) You can download it here.

Step 1: Pray. Simply ask God to speak to you through His Word. Ask Him to open your heart and mind to understand the scriptures.

Step 2: Choose a verse or a couple of verses to unfold. Write the verse(s) on the Bible Mapping Sheet, or in your journal. Read your verse again. Circle or underline the words that the Holy Spirit highlights within your own spirit. Highlight the verse in your Bible.

Step 3: Write your verse(s) in 3 different Bible translations. Notice the difference in the wording of the verses. Make note of any differences between them.

Step 4: Answer the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN questions about the verse(s).Read your verse(s) again. You may have to read the entire chapter or several verses before/after your verse(s) to understand the context. Look at the other versions you wrote in Step 3 to help answer the questions as well.

Step 5: Keywords/Phrases
This is my favorite step! Write down the words that the Holy Spirit brought to your attention within the verse(s). Use the back of your Bible, different commentaries, or websites to complete a word study.

Make notes, write the definitions or synonyms.

Cross-reference and compare different verses.

One website that I love is blueletterbible.org. It provides many Bible study tools, references, and commentaries that allow you to unfold God’s Word. It also provides insight into the original Greek and Hebrew language with content and context. Go as far as God pushes you to go. This step may lead you to write on the back of your page. 🙂

Step 6: What does this verse unfold about my character/life? This step may take you some time to unfold. Re-read your verse(s) as well as your study notes thus far. Use the “mirror approach” with scripture. Look inward and ask God how the meaning of your chosen verse(s) applies to your life. Again, you may need to write on the back of your paper for this one.

Step 7: What does this verse unfold about the character of God? This step is the reason we read the Bible–to strengthen our relationship with God, learning more about Him and His character. Spend some time on this step learning about the Father. Make notes in your Bible as reminders.

I look forward to hearing how God unfolds truth in your own quiet time. Be sure and let us know what God maps out to you. Take a picture and post it on social media, #UMbiblemapping.

Time to Unfold

• • Pray: Pray for God to open your heart to the scriptures.
  • Read God’s Word: Read God’s Word seeking to unfold His character.
  • Do: Try Bible Mapping, complete the Bible Verse Mapping sheet.
  • Repeat: Continue seeking God in His Word.

Have a blessed week celebrating JESUS IS COMING!

Mapping with you,