Week 6 - Review it

40 Days in the Word – thePULSE - Week 6 Message Recap and ‘Review It!’

How’s the view from there? Foggy? Sunny and clear? Or partly cloudy with a chance of rain? Life can often feel like flying a plane without radar, waiting for the clouds to part so we can see where we’re going. We need some direction, and clarity. We could focus only on the radar (if we had it), but we also want to enjoy the view as we go. God has given us His word to guide us, but not just to knowledge. He has given us His word to know Him and enjoy the view! It’s our last week of our 40 Day experience. Let’s Review It!

God has not given us His word for knowledge and information. He has given us His word that we may know Him, become like Him, and apply His word to our lives so that it can transform us. We gain clarity and fullness of LIFE!

This week is a chance to go back through and review the methods. Which is your favorite?

Pronounce It- In the Pronounce It method, we read the verse over and over again, even reading it out loud to help us digest each word and the whole verse piece by piece.

Picture It - This method works best when you’re reading a narrative passage, story, or parable. Try to picture the biblical scene in your mind. See yourself as one of the active participants. Ask yourself, "How would I feel if I were involved in this situation? What would I say? What would I do?" Then see yourself as a different character in the story and ask yourself the same questions.

Probe it - Use the S.P.A.C.E.P.E.T.S. questions to find out what God is trying to say in the verse.
S - is there a SIN to confess?
P - is there a PROMISE to claim?
A - is there an ATTITUDE to change?
C - is there a COMMAND to obey?
E - is there an EXAMPLE to follow?
P - is there a PRAYER to pray?
E - is there an ERROR to avoid?
T - is there a TRUTH to believe?
S - is there SOMETHING to praise God for?

Paraphrase It
– Read the verse or passage over and over.
Think about what God is saying to you.
Put the verse into your own words.
Search your heart to see how to verse applies to you.

Personalize It! Pray It! - Put and PRAY your name in place of the pronouns of nouns used in the scripture.

Review It! – This week’s method is a look at biblical interpretation. The daily devos are aimed at a review of each method. At thePULSE we took the opportunity to review and reflect on what we’ve learned.

Reflection Questions
1. What was the point of the 40 Days in the Word?
2. Which method do you remember most?
3. How do you view your faith and walk with God?

Week 5 - Personalize it, Pray it

40 Days in the Word – thePULSE Week 5 Message Recap and ‘Personalize It! Pray It!’ Devotional Method 

Have you ever read/watched a story that you wanted to be a part of? The Bible is God’s story which you are a part of. We cant make sense of the present or future without making sense of the past. Reading the Bible isn’t about knowing the storyline but filtering our very lives through it. When God’s story becomes our story we find ourselves walking with him daily.

Personalize It! Pray It! 

Put your name in place of the pronouns of nouns used in the scripture.  

Example:

For God so love _________ that he gave his one and only Son, that if ____________ believes in him, ___________ shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Rewrite the verse in the first person, as though God were saying it directly to you…

Example:

I began a good work in you, ___________, and I will carry it on to completion.  Philippians 1:6

After your personalize the verse, pray it back to God.

The word of God is tells his story of faithfulness to his people.

And he wants you to open it and experience the joy of getting to know him through his Word. That’s what devotional reading is all about. Not just knowing the Word, but experiencing the author personally.

Reflection Questions

1.      What changes when you personalize the scripture?

2.      What do you think of looking at the bible like God’s living story that you are a part of?

3.      What changes when you see your life as part that story?

Week 4 - Paraphrase It

(re)form

Have you ever tried to read something in a foreign language? We can see that it's saying something, but the words or characters don't relay the message like they do in our native language. When this happens, we most likely just pass right by as though it has nothing to say to us. One of the most difficult things about reading the bible is making sense of it when the words don't make sense. How do we re-form the words so they make sense? Paraphrase It!

        -If we don't look deeper at what something means, we may be missing something important.
        -What if we never looked for the deeper meaning in anything?
        -The truth is, we long for need and meaning, definition, and fulfillment in and from the things around us.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1: 2-4

Paraphrase It Method:
        -Read the verse or passage over and over
        -Think about what God is saying to you
        -Put the verse into your own words
        -Search your heart to see how the verse applies to you
        -Talk to God about it

(re)flect
        -What word in this verse sticks out to you the most?
        -Talk to God about this
        -What is God saying to you?

Now, as you go through this week's devotions, practice this same method with the verses given.