In order to deepen our relationship with God we need to learn more about God, God's character, what God has done and what God promises for the future. The best way to learn about God is to study the Bible.
At first glance you might think, I can't do that, I'm just a kid. It sounds too much like school to me. I promise you if you can get past the fact that it will be hard work you might actually find yourself enjoying the process of Bible study. It will be hard and sometimes what a passage means won't be clear, even after you've looked at every word from every possible angle you can think of. Also, as you grow in faith and you mature some of some of the things that you think a Bible passage might mean will change. The point is, it's a good habit to establish and the time you put into it will be well worth it as it will help you to grow.
So, how does one get started. The best thing to do is to read the Bible. Even if you just start with 5 minutes a day you will soon find yourself wanting to read more. Some of the stories int he Bible are more exciting than the Hunger Games, have deeper and more profound moral dilemmas than Enders Game, more comedy than Saturday Night Live, and more romance than a Danielle Steele novel. After you have read a particular story, chapter, or book all the way through once, then it is time to go back and figure out why that story was put in the Bible. What does it tell you about God, human beings, the world we live in, etc. After you discover the broader themes and meanings then you can go even deeper and see what it means for you personally. You might think that the story of Cain and Abel has nothing to do with you because you would never kill your sibling but if you look deeper at the story it's more than just sibling rivalry.
When you get to the point when you want to really dig deep at a verse then use the guide you were given in the last class to help you work through the passage. You can also ask your teacher or pastor for help.
I hope this helps you on journey to a deeper faith. You can always blog about your thoughts on Bible study and where you are having trouble. In the meantime, get out those Bibles and start to discover who God really is!
At first glance you might think, I can't do that, I'm just a kid. It sounds too much like school to me. I promise you if you can get past the fact that it will be hard work you might actually find yourself enjoying the process of Bible study. It will be hard and sometimes what a passage means won't be clear, even after you've looked at every word from every possible angle you can think of. Also, as you grow in faith and you mature some of some of the things that you think a Bible passage might mean will change. The point is, it's a good habit to establish and the time you put into it will be well worth it as it will help you to grow.
So, how does one get started. The best thing to do is to read the Bible. Even if you just start with 5 minutes a day you will soon find yourself wanting to read more. Some of the stories int he Bible are more exciting than the Hunger Games, have deeper and more profound moral dilemmas than Enders Game, more comedy than Saturday Night Live, and more romance than a Danielle Steele novel. After you have read a particular story, chapter, or book all the way through once, then it is time to go back and figure out why that story was put in the Bible. What does it tell you about God, human beings, the world we live in, etc. After you discover the broader themes and meanings then you can go even deeper and see what it means for you personally. You might think that the story of Cain and Abel has nothing to do with you because you would never kill your sibling but if you look deeper at the story it's more than just sibling rivalry.
When you get to the point when you want to really dig deep at a verse then use the guide you were given in the last class to help you work through the passage. You can also ask your teacher or pastor for help.
I hope this helps you on journey to a deeper faith. You can always blog about your thoughts on Bible study and where you are having trouble. In the meantime, get out those Bibles and start to discover who God really is!