Have you ever sat down at your scriptures with a sigh, bracing yourself for another chapter of Isaiah? Or realized after fifteen minutes of study that you didn’t understand anything? Maybe it’s just hard to apply what you’re learning in a way that is meaningful to just you or meets your specific needs. Even with the best intentions, scripture study can sometimes feel less than inspiring at times.
I’ve been there. I think most people have. But you don’t have to stay there. Maybe all you need is a new study method. If you want to get more out of your scripture study, stay focused, and find inspiration on a daily basis, one of these ideas might help brighten up your study. These are my three favorite ways to study the scriptures.
1. The Margin of Faith
An area seventy visited my mission and had us draw a vertical line down our notebook page. This was our new “page margin”. On the right of the margin would be anything that the speakers said that stood out to us. On the left, in the “new margin”, would be what the Spirit taught us that the speaker didn’t say. The margin could be as large or narrow as we wanted. “But,” he said jokingly, “the larger margin shows a lot of faith to be taught by the Spirit.”
I drew a line down the middle of my page and was amazed at how fast I filled in my new “margin”. That conference changed the way I study the scriptures.
I still start my scripture study with a line down the middle of my page. On one side, I still write down any principles that I learn from the scriptures. On the other, I write my “action items.” These are specific promptings that I can act on throughout the day. The more specific and personal to you your action item is, the better.
How I’ve used large margins for a better scripture study:
One day I studied the topic of gossip. On one side of the line, I wrote the principle from the scriptures. “You will love your life more if you speak goodness (1 Peter 3:10).” Then on the other side of the line I wrote my personal application: “Feeling unhappy? Talk about good things.” This was a specific item I could do throughout the day to apply the principle.
If I studied fasting, I could write on one side, “Fast in times of sorrow (Alma 28:6)”. On the other side, my action item would be, “When sad, turn to God, not food”. That specific action item helped me later that day after an argument. Instead of grabbing another diet soda when I was upset, I remembered my action item, said a prayer and apologized to relieve the tension.
That’s the greatest benefit of this method. Even a five-minute study can give you a personal action item that brings you closer to Christ that day.
(Click here for a free fun template to get you started on this method.)
2. Start with a question
I like to think of this method as a spiritual quest. You have a beginning point, a winding road, and an exciting destination. The beginning point is your question. What’s been on your mind recently? What questions do you have from Sunday school? What is a spiritual gift you want to develop or a temptation you want to overcome? Let this be your starting point.
The winding road is your study. Start with a prayer and open up to your index, Bible Dictionary, or a conference talk. Then let the Spirit be your guide as you search for insights and answers. The difference between this journey and a typical road trip is that there is no ETA. You could find your answer in a single day, or it might take a week’s worth of studies or more.
The important thing to remember is to not give up on your journey before reaching your destination. Maybe you have to pause for other important questions, planning for a Sunday School lesson, or doing Come Follow Me, but don’t assume that the Lord doesn’t have an answer for you. Many times, there is a long-term groundwork that has to be laid before you’re ready to see and understand your answer. Then when it comes, you will be prepared for it.
How I’ve used questions for a better scripture study:
I once had a question that I thought was really simple: how does a change of heart actually take place? After a few days of trying to understand this principle, I moved on to something else. I returned to it again and again for a few years until I finally came across a few verses that put all the pieces together for me. The principle made sense, and it had a great impact on me. Other studies that I never knew related to the topic laid the foundation for the answer I was looking for.
On a surface level, the destination is the answer to your question. On a deeper level, though, that answer becomes your new starting place. Answers from the Lord often come in the form of action items, something to move forward with. This could lead you on yet another journey.
3. Color code your scripture study
Assign colors to topics. You could choose five to match the five parts of the gospel (faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end). Or you could choose three colors for faith, hope, and charity. Maybe there are a couple of things that you want to study specifically. Or you might just want to focus on one thing. Then open your scriptures, and have fun reading and coloring.
There are three ways this gives you a better scripture study. First, it keeps you focused on searching for a specific principle so your mind doesn’t wander or fall asleep. You have a specific purpose, and the satisfaction of highlighting the principle helps to keep your mind on task so you can make the most of your time.
The second benefit is that it allows you to learn more about a topic than you would have otherwise. If you are searching for faith with a color ready to highlight it, you are more likely to catch things you haven’t seen before. You might also find yourself relating scriptures and stories to a topic that you wouldn’t have otherwise. Even if you only get a shorter study time, you may learn something new and powerful.
The third benefit is that highlighting can help you to understand the relationships between principles better. This is why I like to have multiple principles to work with. You may notice that your green for repentance and your purple for faith end up side by side a lot. You may notice a common sequence of colors that creates patterns throughout your scriptures. Having this colorful visual can help you make connections and gain powerful insights.
Want a trick to keep up with this habit? Make sure you have special tools that you keep with your scriptures. Otherwise, you will lose them and spend a chunk of your study time looking for the same or similar color. Steal a few colored pencils from the kids’ drawer or get some special pens to make it more fun.
A Better Study for YOU
I don’t think there is one right way to study the scriptures. One of these may work wonderfully, or maybe another method is best. Remember that just because one method works for someone else doesn’t mean it will match what you need. The important thing is that YOU are getting what YOU need from God’s word and feeling His power in your life.
That being said, we all need something a little different sometimes, a way to shake things up and inspire us. See if any of these might help you brighten your studies, and help the scriptures become a little more precious to you!
What is your favorite way to study the scriptures? Let me know in the comments below!