I've been saved for about eight years now. I've been going to church with my friends since I was a preteen, but it wasn't until I graduated college that I realized the importance of cultivating a spiritual life and understanding what that meant. On New Year's Eve in 2011, I found and selected my first ever church home, and have been fully committed to growing in Christ ever since. But finding and going to church is merely a fraction of the journey.
Learning to hear from God, being obedient and aligned, and reading (and understanding) The Word were also necessary for this journey I was embarking on.
The latter, surprisingly, was the hardest.
The Bible can be challenging to read. The repetition, the various interpretations, the length — it always seemed intimidating to me. I wanted to know more than the convenient clichés we say to ourselves. I wanted to do more than rely on devotionals. I wanted to actually know The Word. For years, I searched for a solution. I bought various study bibles, tried to use devotionals, and even signed up for bible reading plans and small groups through the church. Nothing helped.
Not until I stumbled upon this Bible plan.
SUNDAY's Bible Study Plan helped me sort through my questions, shaped how I dissected The Word and helped me create a habit of what I spent so much time avoiding.
The plan is split into two books: Old Testament and New Testament. Each one provides context about each book of the Bible — who it was written by, the date, audience, and reason it was written, and key themes. It also provides questions that help guide your reading and understanding. It provides a space (figuratively and literally) for you to find answers in the text, search for answers through your own research, and offer up your own personal thoughts on the reading.
Questions like, "What leadership traits did Moses acquire during his time in the wilderness as a shepherd?" and "What is the 'Day of the Lord' that Joel speaks of?" set a good foundation for deepening my understanding of the passage.
Questions like, "What does the story show you about the importance of obedience?" and "What personal applications can you pull out of your study of Deuteronomy?" encouraged me to think of ways that the text shows up in my everyday life — and if it doesn't, how can I apply it in a way that does so.
This format allowed me to treat the reading almost like a textbook, in that I could read the book first (or smaller sections of each book), and answer the questions later, to ensure I retained the main themes. And it provided me with reflection questions that allowed me to think deeper and apply The Word to my life.
SUNDAY's Bible Study Plan is equal parts educational and engaging. It made me want to continue pursuing The Word. Each night, I went to bed with a few unanswered questions, and every day I woke up ready to answer them. I thirsted for more clarity and more knowledge. I even found myself asking additional questions and pursuing the answers. My thirst for Bible exploration heightened tremendously, and I have this study plan to thank for it.
I finally found something that helps me understand The Word, and with its help, I plan to read The Bible from cover-to-cover. So, if reading The Bible is one of your new year's resolutions, try this bible study plan and see how it helps!
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