BSF - Changing the way I study the Bible
So, this is BSF. Bible Study Fellowship. This is my first year attending and I attend a Women's Tuesday Morning Group. The study has a 4 fold approach and is based primarily on Scripture. Each week, we have a passage of Scripture and daily questions to answer as we read through the passage. On Tuesday mornings, we arrive with kids in tow (dropping them off at the most amazing, intentional, Scripture-based childcare in the world...I digress), sing 2 hymns as a large group, meet in our regular small group, then back into the large group for a lecture. Then we get a commentary on that week's study and the following week's daily questions to do at home. The hymns always correlate to the things we are studying each week. The small group time is so special. Very little chit chat and you're into the study, sharing answers to every question. Each member brings such neat insights that I did not even consider when answering them myself. I love that you can relate to so many of the women in your group, share what God is doing in you through the study or insights you have learned, and to be challenged EACH AND EVERY WEEK in an area I never would have touched on while studying Moses. OK THEN is the lecture. Now, I've never been in another BSF group lecture besides ours, so I can't speak for other groups, but mine...oh my oh my...our speaker is PHENOMENAL...she NEVER fails to bring things to light...even after hearing everyone else's answers (and even our leader who hears Laura's answers each week!) AND the insights don't usually even appear in the notes afterward! So seriously..4 FOLD..our own study, hearing our small group's insights, a seriously challenging lecture, and even more inside information in the commentary after all of that. (Not to mention the hymns, the optional children's papers, and what my kids tell me they've learned...)
So...all of that to say...this last 8 months of my life has been hard..it's definitely a challenge not only to get there each week with 2 kids and a 35 minute drive, but also a challenge to be diligent in the study, go and actually share, and to take the challenges each week and be intentional about using them and sharing them with others. I have so many truths and challenges from the year that I wish that I had blogged or journaled them as I went (note to self for next year!!!), so I don't even know where to start here, but on our last day - sharing day - (the picture above) we went through all of our studies over the year and wrote highlights from them.
Here are some of my highlights from the life of Moses:
My focus shouldn't be on my sin [or my strive for perfection], but on the greatness of God overlooking my sin [or being sufficient for me] because of His sacrifice on the Cross.
His presence set the Israelites apart like it does for us today. The Holy Spirit dwells in us. We are His temple...What would He say of how you are treating His temple? (YYIIKKEESS! Think about it...every single area in my life is affected here...what I'm eating (or not eating), exercise, words coming out of my mouth, thoughts I think, my actions (or lack of acting...laziness, missing opportunities to serve or speak life), what I choose to listen to, watch, and read...so so challenging..are these things that God wants in His temple??)
Moses would rather spend the rest of his life in the wilderness than take another step without the Lord's presence. Are YOU unwilling to take a step without His presence?
The Israelites' sacrifices covered up their sin for a short time; Christ's sacrifice CLEANSED us for all time.
How do your words/desires show your permanent residence is not this world? (OUCH!)
Some challenges from my small group members:
How am I preparing myself for worship on Sunday mornings? Ok...now How am I preparing my FAMILY for worship on Sunday mornings? (OUCH, again!)
Am I using earthly things for spiritual results? (books, people, etc)
Challenge to invite Him into my everyday activities...invite Him to be with us when we bake cookies, do the dishes, teach my children, watch a show, play a game, talk with my husband...won't my attitudes, my perspective, my decisions and actions be in the right place if I do this?
Use daily tasks to be a prayer to God...doing dishes - praying that God would make my heart clean...vacuum - pray that God would suck up all of my wrong attitudes and thoughts so that I would be able to serve Him...sounds kinda silly maybe, but if the things I was doing reminded me of a heart change..I would be reminded thousands of times a day to change my attitudes and focus on Christ.
Memorize Scripture and put it up around your house.
Some of the lecture challenges that our leader left us with each week:
Because God's Word may not be available to us for much longer...journal Scripture...journal what God is doing in your life, so you and future generations will not lose sight of His work being done TODAY!
The priests consecrated their right ear, right arm, etc to God's work...What area of my life has not been consecrated to the Lord?
God's Word is like our heart pumping blood to our hands and feet. If it did not pump blood to my hands, my hands would not be able to function...they will die! In the same way, if I am not in God's Word every day and letting that Word work in me every minute, my actions, thoughts, and deeds will not be able to function in the right way.
Take my choices captive and think - What does this set me apart from...God? or the World?
Am I more concerned about what people think about me (or my choices concerning my family, children, time spent, etc) or about God saying "Well Done"?
My relationship with God takes work..what am I doing to build into that relationship?
Do my kids see my HANDS doing God's work?
We never retire from doing God's work.
Circumcision of the heart - removing a layer to make us more sensitive to hear His voice, more attentive to His commands, more desire to obey Him, and quick to become right with Him. What layer of sin will you remove from your life today?
On sharing day, I did not share anything with the large group, but if I had, this is what I might have shared (I wish I would have written this before sharing day and I may have had more courage to share that day, having it written down!):
Exodus 34:6-7 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.
Compassionate - even in my Stay-At-Home-Mom World - He GETS it. How much more can I have compassion on others in my position?
Gracious - He is so patient, and ever grace-giving even when I struggle with the same sins over and over. Why then do I have such a hard time giving grace to my husband and children?
Slow to Anger - I need to be more like Him in this area! Spilled water cups, strewn socks, in-store meltdowns, miscommunications.
(^^^ AGAIN WITH THE GRACE GIVING!)
Abounding in Love - Love, Always Love...when the toddler just won't take a nap, when the china gets broken, when he told me minutes before he needed his pants mended or his shirt ironed.
Abouding in Faithfulness - I need to be careful what I say I will do...and be careful to DO IT.
Maintaining Love to Thousands - All those people in my life..in my community..that I've ever met, known, or had relationships with? Ya..THOUSANDS. Love...always love.
Forgiving - Even the hardest of things.
This passage is filled with attributes of God, but this was spoked BY GOD..so you can COUNT on these things to be TRUE of God! And those comments were definitely MY thoughts on those verses and attributes of God, but I know that studying God's Word in this way is changing me. I am so thankful for BSF and their intentionality of teaching me and my children the truths in God's Word, but mostly thankful that the Holy Sprit is HERE. In me. In my home. Teaching me. Challenging me. Checking me. Speaking to me and for me. And changing me and my family to be more like Christ.
It's all about Him and None about me.
Ok so that was a lot to read, but seriously only a small drop of what I learned, heard, studied, and discussed with other women each week for 8 months.
I found a neat study on Hebrews that is similar to the BSF model and am doing it over the summer. I am also memorizing Hebrews as I go. I am so anxious to see how far I get in memorization and may have to post a video a time or two of reciting it. I also want to blog the things I've learned along the way in Hebrews. I'm only 7 verses in and I have been to so many other Scriptures and had insights that I never would have taken from just reading the Bible "the old way"...I am taking time to dive into each verse and see what it means and what I can use in my life today. Check back for more!
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