It is so easy to fall into the habit of reading the Bible, rather than opening ourselves up to listen what God has to say to us through His written word. That’s where I find myself as 2020 begins. For me and my family, it’s a season of decision-making, moving, and adapting–and my old self is trying to tell me, “It’s too overwhelming, just check out for a while.” That is not the Lord’s voice speaking. He’s telling me to “Climb up onto His lap, lay my head on His chest, and learn of Him.“

So, I’m digging into Romans, not just reading a chapter a night in bed before I go to sleep–although I’m doing that, too. To keep myself accountable, I will be sharing what I learn with you. Here’s my “diving in” method:

• charting what I learn about people, themes, theology, God,
• Encapsulating the theme of the verses in a phrase or sentence,
• and doodling about something I learned.

Want to join me?

Make a CHART of what you learned in Romans 1:1-4. (I’ll post my answers tomorrow.)

• PAUL: List everything you learn about him in verse 1.
• CHRIST JESUS: I found at least one thing describing him in each verse.
• GOD: Where do you see the Trinity? and what else do you learn about God?
• HOLY SPIRIT: What is His part in the Good News?
• GOOD NEWS: What do these verses tell us about the gospel message.

What is the MAIN MESSAGE of these verses? Ask God to show you what He wants you to hear from Him today.

The next way to solidify what you read is to DOODLE one of the concepts. Don’t worry about whether or not anyone else would recognize what you draw. Or maybe you would prefer to choose a picture instead of drawing. The idea is to take a word from God into yourself, and try to show what it means to you by a picture or a word or a color.

Look for my responses tomorrow. Feel free to ask or challenge. Dialogue always helps us to understand what we believe.

picture by Lucas Van Oort on Unsplash