I remember the day. It was just an ordinary day. The sun rose in the east. Birds announced the presence of spring. Most people were just going about their ordinary routines. But something extraordinary was happening for me. Before my eyes the Bible was coming to life. I was having one of those “ah ha!” moments. Before this moment I regularly read the Bible. I grew up going to Sunday school and church so I was familiar with many Bible stories. I loved any discussion surrounding the Bible and took hold of any opportunity I had to learn. But I still felt that I was missing something. I knew that there was more treasure to find but I just didn’t know how to mine it out.
But now everything had changed. Here I was reading Galatians and seeing it as if for the first time. I could imagine Paul sitting down to write a letter to the church in Galatia and relate to his concerns for the church. I understood why the church in Galatia was struggling and the questions they were wrestling with. I was struck by the fact that what I was reading was the remnants of real people in history and I felt strangely connected to them. As I identified with their struggle surrounding the heart of the gospel and its implications, I began to see its implications for me. I realized the freedom of the gospel and experienced a huge release of shame and guilt which brought incredible joy!
That was the beginning of a journey. It was the beginning of a journey into deeper study of the Bible, of personal transformation and an ever-increasing love for Jesus and the gospel story.
So what was the catalyst? The day the Bible came alive I was introduced to Inductive Bible Study. I was learning how to read the Bible in a new way. I used to read it in a very me-focused kind of way. I would look for verses that could speak into my situation. Don’t get me wrong. God used those verses to speak to me and work in my life. But on that day I was discovering a powerful tool for discovering more of what God wanted to say.
Now I teach Inductive Bible study to others so that they too can understand the gospel better, encounter Jesus in the pages of the Bible and fall more in love with God. The day the Bible came alive changed the entire trajectory of my life. And I’m so thankful it did! It satisfied a hunger in my soul for deeper relationship with God and simultaneously created a hunger for more! Thus began my lifelong journey of reading, studying and meditating on God’s Word.
Where are you at in that journey? Has it begun? Do you read bits of the Bible but struggle to know how it relates to your own life? Are you familiar with the Bible but want to go deeper with Jesus? Are you a seasoned pro who loves the Word and longs for those times of intimacy with Jesus in its pages? Wherever you are in your journey let me encourage you to keep digging. Keep moving forward in that journey. And if you want help along the way I’d be happy to share with you the tools I’ve learned and used in my journey.