Life is hard. Kindness, courage, and love will help you prosper.
Committing to spending a little time each day to write out selected scripture passages will aid in penetrating God’s Word deep in your heart.
2 Peter 1:5-6a ~ “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance…”
Webster defines temperance as “the practice of always controlling your actions, thoughts, or feelings so that you do not eat or drink too much, become too angry, etc.” OR “Moderation in action, thought, or feeling.”
It is not self-control. It is Spirit control. We need the Holy Spirit’s help to maintain control over all areas of our lives.
2 Peter 1:5 – And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
2 Peter 1:5 “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue;…”
I enjoy how Christ uses tangible illustrations in Scripture to helps understand what He is trying to teach us. In John 15, Christ uses the example of the relationship of the vine to the branches to portray how our relationship with Christ should be.
Our Christian life can be successful as long as we are obedient to Him. As a result of our obedience, we will be have the following fruit in our lives: we will have abiding love, full joy, love for one another, a personal relationship with Christ, exemplify the fruits of the Spirit, and have an answered prayer.
2 Peter 1:5 “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith…”
It has been said that writing something out is the memory equivalent to reading it seven times. Research shows that while reading allows for better concentration, writing things out actually increases understanding and retention.
When we determine to meditate on Scripture we are choosing to allow it to penetrate into our thoughts, minds, and hearts. Committing to spending a little time each day to write out selected scripture passages will aid in penetrating God’s Word deep in your heart.
What is Scripture Journaling?
2 Timothy 2:15 says “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Studying your Bible is more than simply reading it every day. It is purposefully meditating upon specific passages, thinking about its meaning, and how you can apply it to your life.
Scripture Journaling is simply keeping a record of the spiritual lessons you learn as you study the Scriptures.
What Items are needed?
The easiest way to begin Scripture Journaling is to print out a monthly Scripture plan; get a spiral notebook or a 3 ring binder with loose leaf paper and a ball point pen that won’t bleed thru the paper; and a safe place to keep it. You can keep it as simple as you want or you can get as fancy as you want and design your own covers. This is your journal…make it personal.
I personally began my journey with Scripture writing because of my brain injury. For many years, I have had a goal to read the Bible through on a yearly basis.
Prior to my being struck by lightning, I had a goal of reading several books during the year. I loved to read and I used this to expand my horizons.
After my lighting strike, I not only struggled to remember things among other after effects, but also struggled to focus on things for very long. I was still able to read my Bible, but reading anything else was very difficult. It bothered me that I could read a specific passage of Scripture in the morning, but later if my husband asked me what I had read about I could not remember.
I began researching ways to help me remember things better and ways to help encourage my brain to heal. I found that Scripture Journaling helped me to focus on what I was reading as well as helped me to retain what I had read for longer periods of time.
Right now my journal is simple. It’s a place where I write down my thoughts as I study out specific passages of the Bible. It’s where I keep record of how I feel God is working in my heart and life at that precise time. It helps me to connect the Scriptures to everyday life events and circumstances.
How do I get started?
1. Pray for God to speak to you as you read the selected passage that day.
2. Write out the specific passage of Scripture chosen for that day.
3. Write any truths of the Scripture that stood out to you.
4. Write any questions you may have about the passage.
4. Write how you can apply the passage to your life at this moment.
Remember that Scripture Journaling is just a tool to help you as you develop or deepen in your walk with the Saviour. This is a time to meditate upon Scriptures, express yourself, seek out truths of the Scripture, and learn how to deepen your walk with God.
