In this daily Bible study, I am going to use a very systematic approach. It’s called the R.E.A.P. method, and from now on I will only call it “reap” because its no fun to have to put in every little dot there. The method is very simple, because it doesn’t ask you to make deep theological ideas for yourself, simply asks you “what am I learning today?” It moves at a decent pace, too, and I find that the more I use it, the more I am actually looking forward to my study time. I’ll explain the method plainly.
As apparent in its name, the Reap Method uses four steps: Read, Examine, Apply, Pray. Those aren’t hard at all, are they?
Read the passages. Read with an open heart and Jesus will give you words of encouragement, direction and correction. Then spend some time reflecting and writing about what you’ve read in the journal pages. I like to write down the key Scripture (or two) that stuck out to me. The more I write, the more I feel like I’m relating to what I just read and find what I really thought of it. Write down all your thoughts on what you’ve read. That’s the examine part. Write out (specifically) how you will be different today because of what you have just read. This is turning mere reading of Scripture into an application for you, personally. You are learning about you, and your struggles, and what God wants you to change in your life. The most important part is last: Write out a prayer based on your time in God’s Word. This is my favorite part, because I come back to it later, when I am going to bed. I like to pray before I go to sleep. I make sure to thank Jesus for his love, his Word, and his teaching.
I hope you join me in this quest to find Jesus. He is just truly all I care about anymore, and I hope that my zeal becomes sort of infectious and we all start to search the Word for our answers and our comfort. If you decide to join me in this same study, leave me a comment and I’ll make sure that we make a blogroll of all of us.
My pastor took this stuff directly from the internet, and I took it from him.
