What To Do Between Bible Studies

Hi ladies!

Today we have a special guest post from the CWM Coordinator, Vickie Thomson, with some ideas of what to do when Bible Study ends...and the next one hasn't started yet!

Image via E. Wolking

Do you ever have that “at a loss” feeling when a semester of Bible study has ended? So maybe you skip a few days of being in the Word because you really don't know what to do when you aren't committed to a particular study book. And before you turn around, a week or even two has passed and you haven't spent time with the Lord.

The spring semester ended the week before Spring Break (giving our leaders and workers a much-needed break). To help bridge the gap before our summer studies begin, I asked several ladies for suggestions of what women might do to revitalize what might otherwise really be "lost" time.

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One woman suggested choosing a book of the Bible to read through, a small portion each day, if it's a long book, or the entire book several times, if it's short. If you haven't had much opportunity to spend time in God's Word, the book of John is a good place to begin. As you read, reflect on what you're reading. Bring the different things you read before God and ask Him how it applies to your life.

Another suggestion was to read a chapter from the book of Proverbs each day--there are enough to last an entire month! Again, bring the ideas you glean from reading before the Lord and ask him how to apply  them to your life. If there's sin that needs to be confessed, confess it right then. If there are changes you need to make in your life, make them! Remember that “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in rightousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped fore every good work.” II Timothy 3:16-17 (NASB)

A third idea is to buy a Bible study book and go through it on your own. They can be purchased online or in a Bible book store--there are a couple in Albuquerque: Bibles Plus on Wyoming, and the Calvary Chapel Bookstore on Osuna. On line you can check out Lifeway, CBD, and other Christian publishers. If you go on Amazon, you'll want to have a particular author or book in mind. You can probably find it there!  Also many Bible studies are available for Kindle. Some of Beth Moore's are even available for free!

And which of us doesn't have at least one unfinished Bible study book kicking around the house?  Find it and use this opportunity to finish that study.

Or perhaps you've wondered what God has to say about a particular topic. Do a word study, using a concordance. Many Bibles have one in the back. Or you can go on line and search for "On-line Bible Concordance.”  There are a number including Blue-line Bible, Bible Gateway, and even that venerable giant, Strong's. Just choose your word,  look it up in the concordance, then begin looking up in your Bible each place that that word is used.   

  

And then we could always read the book of Acts (maybe more than once!) to gain a more thorough understanding of the book from which Pastor Lincoln is taking his Sunday sermons.

There are as many things to study in God's Word as you can dream up. It's always best to go directly to God's Word, rather than relying on someone else's opinion of what it says. Any passage of Scripture can be studied simply by asking (and answering) the questions who, what, when, where, why, and how. 

Maybe the ideas presented above will help you get started!  

Happy semester break!

Image via E. Wolking

Vickie has been CWM Coordinator since 2006, and has attended Crossroads (or predecessor Trinity Bible Church) since '87. Former reporter and writer for Campus Crusade in the Philippines and current editor of the CWM Newsletter, Vickie loves to write and encourage women in their walk with the Lord, and enjoys event planning and decorating, mystery novels, paper-crafting, and visiting her two daughters and babysitting her three (soon to-be four!) grandkids. Always ready to hop in the car and go adventuring (or shopping) somewhere picturesque, Vickie, her husband Carroll, and their cat, Nefret, are can usually be found planning or prepping for something at Crossroads (ok, maybe not the cat).

Thanks, Vickie!

Much love!