study vs. passion & the Word of God

This will mark the halfway point for this little "series." God continues to teach me so much, even as I'm still mulling over what He started teaching me months ago. I has been extremely healthy for me to write through my thoughts, it helps the revelations stick a little better in my mind!

So far, I've written about:
Staying Excited about Salvation

Being Vulnerable vs. Being a Pushover
and
My Thoughts on the world of Christian Women

My goal is to move a little faster and get through all of my thoughts by the end of the month, so here we go:

Study vs. Passion

Let me start off with a little disclaimer here: It's not really a competition. Both are valuable. Both are necessary. There are also not opposites. Passion is often spurred by study, and study often increases passion. I've just been considering that there may be a time for one or the other to be more prominent.

Study

For about a year and a half, I was in a Bible Study. Not a small group, a connection group or an accountability group, but a straight-up Bible Study, where we studied the Bible hardcore. We outlined every book, then we went back and looked at the details of each one. We didn't get through a ton of the Bible over that year and half, mostly because we worked so arduously on each book, but we got through over half of the Old Testament. It was intense, hard work, and I loved it.

While at that time I was learning so much about God, His Word, His character and His purpose in creating the earth, I can't say that "study" helped me connect with God personally. Everything I was learning was so...educational. It was if I was in a history class, granted it was the most impacting history class ever.

I once heard a very wise speaker (I can't remember his name) while taking some Junior Higher's on a Student Life Retreat. He taught us how to study the word of God, asking us to study God's word everyday. He recommended having a Bible Dictionary by your side while you, each day, looked deeply into the context of the Scriptures. His method was simple and effective and, after applying it to my own daily routine, I found myself getting a lot more out of the Bible.

I love studying the Bible. In fact, I highly recommend it.

Passion

Do you know that word? It starts with a "d..." Ah, yes, discipline. Well, I'm going to be the first to admit how little discipline I have when it comes to the study of the Word of God. I'm awful. I put it off, make excuses, you know the drill.

It's always been hard for me. And frankly, at least in the last few months, the thought of waking up early so that I can research and study the Bible just doesn't motivate me very well. I'm a horrible person. A horrible Christian!

So, I've been trying this new thing. Every morning, I attempt to read one chapter of scripture and just listen. And I've heard so much.

I have felt so much more passion about His word. It has been absolutely wonderful to hear His voice so often. I just don't get that when I read the Bible like it's a history book.

Eventually, I hope to find a balance between the two, because I love both equally. But for now, I'm in a season where instead of studying Him, I simply need to dialogue with God, talk to Him, and hear from Him.