How to Study Your Bible, Part 2

Today I want to share with you step-by-step how I have studied through James 1:1-12. Before you begin any study of God's Word, spend time in prayer asking Him to give you clarity of mind, understanding of His Word, and a willingness to obey what He teaches you.

1. I began by reading through the passage several times. The more I read a passage the more familiar it becomes. As I read through these twelve verses I made observations of the text. I wrote down things that stood out to me. For instance, all trials should be entered into with a joyous heart; humility is exaltation in God's eyes, etc.

2. I prayed asking the Lord to reveal to me a verse that He would have me commit to memory. For this section of Scripture I memorized James 1:2-4. I use spiral bound index cards for my Scripture memory verses.

3. I made an outline for these verses. Why? Because it helps me summarize and understand the main thoughts. My outline for James 1:1-12-
1:1- James sends greetings to the twelve tribes.
1:2-4- Trials/ testing bring about patience- patience brings about humility.
1:5-8- Godly wisdom is given when one asks for it in faith.
1:9-11- Humility is exaltation in God's eyes.
1:12- Believers who endure trials, temptations, testings, are truly blessed of God.

4. As I read through the text again I began asking questions of the passage. Some of my questions were:
~what is a bond servant?
~what is patience?
~why is humility important in God's eyes?
~who were the twelve tribes? why were they scattered abroad?
Great questions to ask of any text are who is involved, what's going on, when is it happening, where is it happening, and why is it happening?

5. Once I read through the text several times, made observations, an outline, and asked questions I began doing an expository study of the passage; this means I studied through each verse one-by-one. As I studied through each verse I looked up the definitions of words in the original Greek language that I found intriguing. I used cross references to investigate what other Scriptures had to say about the verses in James. I also used my commentaries to help me get a better grasp on thoughts that I might not be getting a good grasp on.

6. After spending several days digging deeper into the first twelve verses of James chapter one, I began asking the Lord to show me practical ways I could apply what I was learning to my own life. It's very important that we apply what we are learning to our lives; we are to flesh out what God is teaching us, not just hear, but hear and obey.

In a nutshell this is how I have studied through James 1:1-12. I use this same method with any text that I study through. I pray this helps you in your study of God's Word. Please let me know if I can serve you in any way or if you have any questions. Happy digging into God's Word.