“3 verses from 3 places” reading
Note: This is the first in a series on unusual routines to read your Bible. Be sure to check the rest in the series.
Unusual Routines For Reading Your Bible Series
Unusual Routines For Reading Your Bible (Intro)
“3 verses from 3 places” reading
“3-verses-from-3-places” reading
How to do it: You’ll need some Post-It notes for this one or something to mark your place on a page. First, select three different places in the Bible, and mark them with your post-it notes. For example, you could choose a chapter in one of the Gospels, a chapter in Psalms, and a chapter in Romans.
Start with section one, and read three verses. Switch to the next section, and read another three verses. Do the same for the third section. Keeping what you read in mind, try to see how the three sections all relate to one another.
Tip: Works best with sections of the Bible that are not story based. For example, it’s a little difficult to get the entire meaning out of three verses in the story of David and Goliath. It can be done, but I’d recommend more topical passages for this one.
Why it’s helpful: Studying out of three seemingly unrelated places can give you some unique relations that you probably wouldn’t have considered otherwise. Not only do you get a more comprehensive perspective of the Bible, you also gain a healthier understanding of the individual passages because you have seen them in light of other verses.
Example: I used John 1, Psalm 1, and Romans 1. John talks about the Word being from the beginning and making all things. Psalm 1 is about the blessed man who, like a tree, grows in God’s Word. In Romans, Paul writes about his being a bondservant through the Gospel of God and Jesus Christ.
What I learned: God’s Word establishes everything by helping us grow to be bondservants. In other words, the truth of the Word should lead us to be slaves for Christ. In doing so, God establishes Himself through us. That’s how we are so important to Him.
Serving Suggestions:
(1) Try it.
(2) Apply your new perspective. This is the more challenging one. Once you learn something new or see something in a new way, apply that perspective to your life. How are you going to live differently because of it?