The Joy As We APPLY
This week we’re uncovering the CHARA Bible Study Method: APPLY. Join us in the conversation and check out this video as we chat about this week’s Bible study (also available as a podcast!).
DAY 1 - INTRO TO APPLYING THE BIBLE
For the last 4 weeks, we’ve had an in-depth look at the CHARA Bible Study Method, which are a simple way to study the Bible through looking at the Context, History, Author, and by taking time to really Read scripture.
This week we’re learning how to APPLY the Bible to our lives. Notice we put it at the end? That was on purpose.
We really shouldn’t read a quick Bible verse and apply it to our lives.
When we consider the other CHARA Bible Study Method first, our Bible study becomes much richer and more in-tune with what the Bible is actually teaching us!
You see, from cover to cover the Bible tells one unified story. It is so intertwined and connected that if we don’t take time to understand it, we may miss the meaning.
Like when we read 1 Timothy 2:9, “I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments,” (NASB). Without knowing the culture or history of the time – where priests of a goddess in Ephesus wore jewelry and braided their hair – we may believe this verse is telling us to alter our appearance. In reality, it’s making sure that women weren’t mistaken for those not following Christ!
We want to understand the Bible the way the original hearers would have heard it! Isn’t that really what we’re trying to get out of the Bible? The meaning of what God is telling us in His Word? Well, that’s what this week is all about!
Let’s unpack 3 things to consider as we’re reading our Bibles and applying it to our lives:
DAY 2 - PRAY
This week we’re studying how to APPLY the Bible. Every time you sit down to read the Bible you should always pray for your heart to be aligned to God, and that God will open your mind to hear what His Word teaches! Ask God, “What do you want me to know? What do you want me to do?”
Read these verses below. What do you learn about prayer?
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us,” (1 John 5:14, NIV)
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT).
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths,” (Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV).
“Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him. God is our refuge,” (Psalm 62:8, CSB).
Jesus took time to teach His disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:5-13. Based on verse 10 and the verses above, who’s WILL are we supposed to align ourselves with when we pray?
DIGGING DEEPER (optional): How does a person align themselves with God? Read John 15:1-17 and Galatians 5:16-26 to understand how.
DAY 3 - LEARN
Want to get the most out of the Bible? APPLY the original meaning to your life today! After you understand the context, history, and what the author meant back then (using the CHARA Bible Study Method), you get the most out of a passage to apply it to your life.
Read the verses below. What are the benefits of learning a passage?
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, ACCURATELY HANDLING THE WORD OF TRUTH,” (2 Timothy 2:15, NASB, emphasis added).
“Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. DO NOT ADD TO HIS WORDS, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar,” (Proverbs 30:5-6, ESV, emphasis added).
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. ALWAYS BE PREPARED TO GIVE AN ANSWER TO EVERYONE WHO ASKS YOU TO GIVE THE REASON FOR THE HOPE THAT YOU HAVE. But do this with gentleness and respect,” (1 Peter 3:15, NIV, emphasis added).
“PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO YOUR LIFE AND YOUR TEACHING; persevere in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers,” (1 Timothy 4:16, CSB, emphasis added).
What do you learn about the importance of how we handle the application of the Word of God? What are some benefits from understanding the meaning of the passage before applying it to your life?
DIGGING DEEPER (optional): In Acts, we see a time when Paul taught the Bereans in Thessalonica, and they did their homework and tested the scriptures to make sure what they were hearing from Paul was true. Read Acts 17:1-4,10-12. How can we use this as an example when applying the Bible to our own life?
DAY 4 - JOURNAL
A final step when we APPLY the Bible to our life means engaging with what we studied on a personal level.
Journaling your thoughts, learnings, and prayers is a great way to remember and meditate on God’s Word. Be authentic and write down your observations, questions, fears, struggles and prayers.
Read the following verses. What are the benefits we gain from mentally engaging and meditating on God’s Word?
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God,” (Colossians 3:16, ESV).
“Oh, how I love your instructions! I think about them all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are my constant guide. Yes, I have more insight than my teachers, for I am always thinking of your laws,” (Psalm 119:97-99, NLT).
“How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.,” (Psalm 1:1-3, CSB).
DAY 5 - BE ENCOURAGED
We hope you are encouraged this week as we learned how to APPLY the Bible to our lives. When we take time to understand the background of a passage, it can make the application of the Bible so much more JOY-FILLED! This means applying the Bible the way the original hearers would have heard the Bible. The result: we bring deeper meaning and deeper understanding to our lives!
What JOY have you experienced when taking time to understand the Bible passage first before applying it to your life?
Written by: Heather Erickson
GET THE CHARA BIBLE STUDY GUIDE
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