My Project: To Study the Word

[Saint Kevin]

I will be beginning my own personal bible study (one-on-one) with a Messianic Jew. Once a week, every week, from now until school ends, we will be getting together and he will be giving me his wonderful insight into the word of God. This week's study (meeting next Thursday) will be the first 10 chapters of Genesis. I am excited that the Lord has blessed me with a one-on-one teacher from which to glean so much wonderful insight. I plan on condensing the study a bit and posting it online every week (once Gypsy gives me the ok). Hopefully in this way I will be able to share these wonderful insights with all of you.

Personally, I struggle to get motivated to study the Word, and I need to be poked with a proverbial stick every once in a while. My guess is, there are probably a few of you out there who are just like me in this respect. People have overcome this with respect to exercise by having a "gym buddy" or something along those lines. I wonder if the same principle could work for studying the Word. I elieve it is word a try, so, I wonder if any of you would be willing to follow along with me. I'm not asking you to read the studies I'm going to post, although that would be nice, and I'm certainly not asking you to forsake a bible study with your church in favor of mine. But I do challenge you, if you struggle in getting yourself into God's Word regularly, or aren't already in a bible study or other regular schedule of reading God's Word, to read along with me.

If anyone wants to read along in the Bible with me, from beginning to end, approximately 10 chapters a week (maybe more if there are enough who want to do more, and all agree), then PM me, or respond. I think this is a worthy undertaking, and it may be an interesting supplement to anything else you have going. I encourage anyone who reads this, to pray about it, and if you find that God wants you to read his word along with me, even for
a book or two, then PM me and we can get started.

After all, "bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." (1 Timothy 4:8 KJV)

Please pray for me, that my time with my friend to study the Bible (however short) will be profitable, and that I will stay disciplined to read through the entire Bible, omitting nothing, and not slacking in the commitment I have made before the Lord. Thank you all in advance for your prayers and support.

[Enthralled]

Sounds great! I'll join you in this. Also looking forward to seeing some of those posts! I've been to a Messianic home fellowship a few different times, and it was awesome. Much to take in.

...when do we start?

[Saint Kevin]

Just have the first 10 chapters of Genesis read in the next week (by friday), and I'll post the study on Genesis 1-10 next weekend. I'll post the next reading (for now count on Genesis chapters 11-20) after this one on thursday or friday of next week. You're right, there is a TON to take in. Don't expect my posts to be exhaustive, but there might definitely be some things there that you may not have thought about before. Thanks for joining up Enthralled, if you have any more questions, let me know.

[Enthralled]

Awesome! This will definately be good in helping me to keep in the Word regularly.
My expectations are wide open to what God wants to show me, exhaustive or not.
Alright!

[Ashley]

I would love to join it too...I think reading the entire bible is a worthy endeavor that I have attempted many, many times on my own. And yes, having a buddy really makes a difference. Just make sure your "buddy" isn't above keeping you accountable and vice versa. That's key.
So Genesis 1-10 by friday...you got it.

[Saint Kevin]

Cool, thanks for the support Ash.

[Saint Kevin]

Well I guess I greatly overestimated the speed at which my bible study was going to proceed. I had my first one yesterday and we barely got through chapter 1. I'm thinking of writing up a study every few chapters or so, but to be honest, I don't feel any more qualified than either of you (Ashley and Enthralled) to really give a bible study. I think it would be pretty cool to take the approach of making a specific thread every week to discuss the scripture covered, so that everybody can give their input, and we can grow from our study as well as share insights that we otherwise might not have seen had we not studied together.

I'm afraid of threads like this getting sidetracked through off-topic posts or not-so-civil discussions though, so maybe PM's are a better idea. What do you guys think?

Also, we are currently on pace to study through the Word together in 118 more weeks (2 years and 3 months or so). How do you guys feel about the pace so far? I'd like to study through the bible in a year, but doing do requires about 24 chapters a week. What do you guys think is a good pace to set for ourselves? I don't want to go to fast or to rush things, but this week's reading only took me about an hour, so it seems a little slow to me. Once again, tell me what you guys think, or PM me.

[Saint Kevin]

How are you guys looking for the 10 chapters this week (21-30)? Does the pace need to slow down, or do you guys need a break to catch up? If you do, let me know and we can do it this week (I'm on spring break, so the timing is pretty good). I'd much rather we take a break now (if we need to) than end up losing you to gradually falling behind and eventually quitting.

[Saint Kevin]

This week's reading (finish it by next friday) is Genesis chs. 31-40. Are you guys keeping up?

[Ashley]

I'm sorry, I just now got to this message. School's been wild, especially with UIL competition this past weekend and prom closing in fast. I will try to catch up here soon.

[Saint Kevin]

I know how it is to be a senior in the spring, I feel for ya on the hectic schedule thing. Thankfully my schedule is a bit more relaxed now that I'm in college, but I still struggle to get into the word consistently. The problem for me is not that I don't have time, but it's that I squander and waste my time on foolish things, and always say that I will read the bible later. This is not giving God my best, I know, and I need to give God the best part of my time, talent, and treasure. Pray that I will begin to this as we continue to study His word. Thanks guys.