Give yourself grace, God does
Be FOUND Bible Study Method
Grace, grace, God’s grace.
Grace is used only 10 times in the Old Testament and over 100 times in the New Testament. Have you ever thought why that would be?
Maybe it is because grace is personified in the Person and presence of Jesus, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men…” (Titus 2:11). If we have yet to encounter the Person of Jesus, we would not then be able to understand the fullness of the grace He extends. As a homeschooling mom, I am familiar with one of the tactics that the enemy uses and tends to find much success, guilt.
Such a heavy burden it is. Guilt is a natural reaction when we assume our own sovereignty. Satan sets up a pretty convincing argument for why we should be in control and not “let” God have the very thing He does, indeed, have- sovereignty.
God is sovereign and we are not, thankfully! In recognizing this truth, we are able to exhale any responsibility we think we have for the outcome. We don’t. We can’t. We aren’t in control. Period.
Grace is the enemy of guilt. Grace should be our greeting. Grace first.
Why is it that if we think of grace at all, it is a last resort? Our perspective shifts to seeing life from the limited view of our own selves when we are not in the Word of God. When we are in the Word of God, we start to see with the eyes and heart of God. It is only there that we encounter the peace of God, the face of God, the grace of God.
We are unable to give grace, if we don’t personally know the Person of grace, Jesus. Lean in with me and experience grace in God’s Word, and then experience the freedom that can only be found in living a life filled with grace- grace for yourself, grace for others, grace for every space in and through the every page of Scripture…We study the Word through the Found Bible Study method.
Frame of Reference
God chose His human hands on purpose: who was it, where was he when he wrote it, and who was the target audience? It really does make a difference!
Observe: WHO, WHAT, WHEN.
Who will hold you accountable? Let’s face it. It is human nature to not want to be accountable for anything. Look no further than the Garden of Eden for proof. “The woman you gave me, the serpent you made...” Lack of accountability leads to blame. Blame is Satan’s game, and is one he has been very successful at winning. Accountability is key! It is very difficult to catch yourself when you fall. We are made to live in community.
What level are you at? Give yourself an honest assessment of the
investment that you are willing to put in today from a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the least amount of investment and 10 being the most. Then take that number and multiply it by 3. That should give you a good gauge in minutes of how long you are prepared to sit at the table with the Word specifically for bible study. So, if you are at a 5, then you are looking at 15 minutes.
When you drive keep this in mind: C.A.R.S
Contrast or Compare (use two colors to highlight the contrasts and comparisons and then
use an arched arrow to connect them).
Action (highlight all action phrases and then make 3 columns: God/Man/Enemy
Place the highlighted verbs from the passage within the column it best fits. We need to be sure to identify the enemy at every turn or he will most certainly try to identify/define us.
Repetition (use one color to encircle each specific word or phrase that is repeated- use a different color for each word repeated)
Seeing God: to taste and see that the Lord is good, B.I.T.E.
By God
In God
Through or To God Every explanation of God
(Underline in pencil, everywhere you see any variation of these phrases)
Understand what this would have meant to the original audience. It can never mean what it never meant.
Now what does it mean to me? In light of all that you have observed and in-spite of the pre-understanding baggage you bring to the table, now what does it mean to me?
Dwell “Meno” to be continually held. "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." Colossians 3:16
Being found then is as simple as holding and being held by the Word of God.
I wanted to pause here to bring to light one of our newest tools from the acrostic CARS:
C: The C is used to note things that are contrasted or compared. Look at these verses from Proverbs! They perfectly illustrate both tools! Remember! God uses contrast to get our attention as we focus on things that are different. God uses comparison to help broaden our understanding as two like things are being compared.
14 Do not enter the path of the wicked,
and do not walk in the way of the evil.
15 Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know over what they stumble.
Contrast: Light/Dark.
Comparison: The path of the righteous is being compared to the light of dawn (that shines brighter and brighter until the full day), and the way of the wicked is being compared to deep darkness. A darkness so deep they don't even know what it is that they stumble over!
God sets up a contrast for us to be able to pick the obvious choice: Behind door number 1 you have life and light and begin door number 2 you have death and darkness.
Which would you like to choose?
Also, in regards to grace…Psalm 45:2 compares grace to something being poured out, “grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.” Then grace is compared to a gift in Romans 2:23-24, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Can you see grace better now? A gift that is being poured out, for you, for me, for all to see and experience.
These simple tools to study the bible help you to see and know what should have been obvious all along! Just like grace, grace, God’s grace should always be first. Grace first, then everything else. Wake up every morning with the breath of God on your face saying, “Grace to you and peace,” which is said directly “from God our Father” in the New Testament 9 times! Try saying that to yourself 9 times every morning before you even get out of the bed, and then try and not feel different- because you will feel different, as He is the difference!
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