MY STORY
In your spare time do you prefer to “stay in and read” or “get out and be active?”

Who is your favorite character in the Bible? Why do you like them so much?

QUICK REVIEW
Greg said, on Sunday, “The Bible either convinces us Jesus is God, or it creates conflict in us as we fight against it.”
How do either or both of these responses describe your personal journey?

The first GUIDEMARK is “Growing in Knowledge and Application of the Bible”

Personal Growth requires knowing the Bible and applying its teaching in your daily life. As you become a daily student of the Bible it will become the lens through which you see the world, and it will transform your relationships and the way you live.

How has knowing and doing what the Bible says shaped your personal growth?

DIGGING DEEPER
READ Hebrews 4:12
What does this verse teach us about the nature of the Bible (God’s Word)?

And what does it teach us about the value personally of knowing the Bible?

READ James 1:22
Knowing the Bible is just part of growing. Applying the Bible is about doing what it says. What are some ways that you realize you need to begin to apply the Bible in your life?

READ Psalm 119:11
Memorizing Bible verses is a powerful way to both know the Bible and to be encouraged to do what it says. What is a verse that you have memorized? How does it shape your thoughts and actions?

TAKING IT HOME
Take a Next Step in one (or more) of these areas:

Daily Bible Reading
a. Use one of the resources available at the Next Step Center (One Year Bible, etc.)

b. Download and use a Bible reading app

c. Choose a book of the Bible to read through a chapter at a time

Scripture Memory
a. Choose a key verse from what you’re reading in the Bible and memorize it.

b. Write the verse(s) on a Post-It note to place in visible places

c. Find a partner and “quiz” each other

Biblical Worldview
a. Use the Bible to shape your thoughts, actions, and relationships

b. Evaluate how you are doing at this regularly (weekly, bi-weekly) asking…

-Were my words and actions this week motivated by what the Bible says or by what somebody or something else says?

-Did I make decisions based on biblical principles?

-Is my view of the world (beliefs about culture, politics, people, etc.) influenced and formed by the Bible…or by the world itself?