How to Study Your Bible: The Devotional Method

In Part 2 of this "How to Study Your Bible" Series we will use the Rick Warren Devotional Method. He has a book called "Rick Warren's Bible Study Methods" with 12 different methods that he uses. I highly recommend it!

Step 1 - Choose a verse and learn the context.

We are going to look at Esther 4:14. I always start with context. Often that means reading the surrounding passages or the entire chapter. Another helpful hint is to use Bing. It has an AI chat bot. You can type in "summarize the book of Esther" and it will really help you get an idea of what is happening.

Esther is an orphan, raised by her Uncle, Mordecai. She becomes queen of Persia, specifically chosen by the King.

Mordecai refuses to bow down to a high official of the King named Haman. In his pride, Haman plots to destroy all the Jews. Mordecai hears of this plot and takes it to Esther.

Mordecai is telling Esther that the only hope is for her to plead for the protection of her people. Esther knows that this could cause her death. Mordecai says to Esther...

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this." Esther 4:14

Esther responds that she will go to the King even though it is against the law. She will risk her life. She says, "if I perish, I perish." WHOA! Talk about a boss lady!

Now that we have some background, we can start our devotional method of study.

The point of a devotional method of study is how to apply the text to your life! That's really the point of all bible study. If you don't use your knowledge of the bible to change your life, you may as well not study your bible at all. This is much easier said than done. Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit to guide us and God's mercy and grace to help us keep striving to be more like Him.

Step 2 - Meditate on it.

Picture It: Visualize the scene in your mind.

Pronounce it: Say the verse aloud, try emphasizing a different word each time.

Personalize it: Replace people or pronouns in the verse with your own name.

Pray it: Read the verse back to God as a prayer.

Step 3: Use the acronym SPACEPETS to apply it to your life.

S: Is there a sin to confess?

For me that sin would be giving into fear. Yours may be different. The bible tells us 366 times "DO NOT FEAR" but I am an anxious, nervous Nelly all the time.

P: Is there a promise to keep?

This part is hard because it will require us to really work on this sin of ours. I promise to trust in God's plan even when it's difficult.

A: Is there an attitude to change?

Maybe, when we are fearful or going through hardship, we can see it as something that is purposeful and part of the plan.

C: Is there a command to follow?

I think this passage is saying that we need to do the right thing even when it's difficult. It also teaches us that we should put others first, even if it means bad consequences for ourselves.

E: Is there an example to follow?

This one is easy. Esther is the example. The bible is full of courageous people who did what they had to do even though it was not easy and sometimes very scary. A lot of the disciples were martyred, Moses was terrified to confront Pharoah, John the Baptist preached to the King about his immorality even though it eventually got him killed.

P: What is a prayer we can pray?

"Lord, fill us with your Holy Spirit so that we can follow your commands and live with integrity no matter how difficult life gets. Thank you for your grace, mercy and guidance."

E: Is there an error to avoid?

A common human error is to hope that someone else will step up and do the right thing. That is not always the case.

T: Is there a truth to believe?

God has a purpose for each of our lives, sometimes we don't understand our purpose or why certain things are part of His plan. However, we can trust that His ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

(Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your way and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.")

S: Is there something to thank God for?

We could thank God that he has mapped out every single day of our lives long before we were even born.

(Psalm 139:16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days were ordained for me written in your book before one of them came to be.)

Step 4: Pick a verse to memorize.

This verse is often made short and sweet. You will commonly see it referenced as, "Perhaps you were made for such a time as this."

This is a great study method because it really helps us thoroughly investigate what God is trying to show us through this passage of scripture. I hope it helps you. I hope you try it on your own this week!

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