Bible Study Tips

Studying the Bible is an important practice for Christians. We believe that the Bible is God’s letter to us and we want to read it, understand it, and live by it. Some parts of the Bible are well known and easy to understand. Other sections or books in the Bible are harder to read. That’s one reason why it’s important to actually study the verses.

I was taken to church as a tiny baby and have always attended. I learned so much over the years in church, through: Sunday School, sermons, and even Vacation Bible School. All of the times where I was taught increased my knowledge and understanding of the scriptures. But, I also love the time I spend alone, reading and studying the verses for myself.

There are tons of books written on how to study the Bible. I won’t begin to try and rewrite all that is available. Bible study guides are in every library, book store, and even online. I’m thankful that there are so many that can be found, and from every denominational point of view.

The one thing that I have found over the years is that I need to have a way to record my insights from studying. Many times I have used a notebook or small journal. These have worked well. No matter how you go about studying, having a place to write is important. Many study guides have a few lines to write down your notes or responses. I have found that I usually require additional lines.

Using the Bible Study Journal

This is why I created the Bible Study Journal printable pages for my Shop. I enjoy using them in my personal Bible study and thought that you would, too. I’ve purposefully made them with plenty of room to write and made them simple to use. And, because they’re printables, there is no limit on how many pages you want to print for yourself.

I used a peach-floral design because it’s pretty. I created a Cover Page. This can be printed in heavier paper, such as card stock. Or if you want to use a binder, this page can be slipped down into the transparent cover opening. Then, all the other pages work well inside the binder.

The Year-At-A-Glance pages are undated. This makes it easy to print year after year. If you like to keep track of your daily study time, the Daily Log page will help to keep you accountable. There are three columns on the Daily Log: Date, Scripture, and Important Point. This allows you to remember what you read and study each day. Often a scripture passage will have a theme, and that can be the important point for the day.

Two pages are decorated with the peach-floral theme and include a full page sized scripture. This can be printed as a lovely wall art piece or used in your binder to read. These are great memory verses, that remind us the importance of studying God’s Word.

A Weekly Notes page is a good printable. You can use one for each week. It gives room to add the date, the scripture verses studied, and notes. This is similar to the Daily Log page, but there is much more room for writing. I always like to have more room!

There is a fully-lined page just for notes and a fully-lined page just for Memorization. If you like to write a lot, the Notes page is perfect. In fact, it could be used for notes pertaining to anything. If you like to memorize verses or lead your children to memorize verses, the Memory page is great for you.

Studying the Bible just to learn is very important. But, we also want to learn what the verses really mean for ourselves. So much of the Bible is written that we would also apply the Word to our own life. The Life Application page is designed to help you write about how a particular verse or chapter applies to your life. As we write it out, it becomes easier to remember and we can also look back on what we’ve written.

Applying Scripture

On the Life Application page I included a space at the top of the page for sketching or writing out the big idea. Sometimes visually drawing the picture in your head will reinforce your insights. Writing the big idea you’ve learned from the scripture verse/s will also make it more real and memorable.

As we study, learn, and apply, God will speak to us about the needs we have or what we need to change in our lives. This is why I included the Prayer Request page. As we are writing, we can jot down the things that come to mind that need prayer. The Prayer Request page includes two sections: prayer requests and answers. Of course, we want to have the list ready during prayer time. The answers are just as important as the requests, and help us to be more thankful.

The Gratitude Challenge page is basically a one-month calendar that you can use to write at least one thing per day that you’re thankful for. It’s a great habit to establish! The undated page can be printed over and over and used every month or whenever you like.

Because I’m a teacher, I study best with an outline. If you are like me, an Outline page can be very helpful. This is more true when the section of scripture that I’m reading is complex or long. Seeing the outline in written form is good for me, because I’m a visual learner. It’s all about clarity.

I hope that the Bible Study Journal can be a helpful resource for you as you study the Bible. It can be purchased in the Shop.

@2020, copyright Lisa Ehrman