The purpose of this series is to see what scripture has to say about the spiritual disciplines. The goal of pursuing spiritual disciplines is to become more like Christ. It can be compared to a child who wants to be like the parent. What behaviors would this entail?
First of all, children wanting to be like a parent will spend time with that parent. They will copy the things the parent does, and try their best to imitate the parent’s behaviors. They will try to determine how the parent thinks, and spend time learning how to do things the way the parent does them.
These lead us to the first three spiritual disciplines we will be looking at: Bible study, prayer, and meditation.
Bible Study
Preparation: To prepare for today’s study, you may wish to print out a copy of the passage or copy it into a document so that you can write on it and make your notes directly on the text.
Read Psalm 119:1-16.
Underline the words in each verse that are used to refer to God’s word or law.
Circle the verbs – one’s actions toward God’s word.
Reflect on the following questions. Write your observations in your journal.
- According to these verses, how do we come to know God?
- What should our attitude be toward God’s word?
- What results can we expect from becoming knowledgeable about the word of God?
Going Further: Study of the Bible is different than devotional reading. The purpose of study is to gain knowledge rather than experience God in worship. Study includes reading large portions of scripture in one sitting to gain a better understanding of the whole; for example, reading one of the longer books in its entirety, or reading a shorter book every day for a week. This week, consider reading all of Psalm 119 every day for an entire week. Reflect on the questions above as you do so.
Sojourners y Peregrinas 