Study Tips

Before you even begin a Bible study, you should have a desire to study God's word. If you are just doing it for appearance or self-gratification, you won't truly learn. There is a difference between reading and studying. What exactly is the big difference in the two?

"The result of reading something is knowing what it says. The result of studying is understanding what it means. With secular literature, casual reading often results in understanding because the information is right on the surface (in black and white; self-explanatory). This is not so with the Bible, in which the spiritual concepts run far deeper than a casual reading will reveal." taken from wikianswers.com-the result of a google search.

Making an Example out of Mary and Martha:
     Mary is a great biblical example of a person whose desire was to be taught by Jesus: Every time she appears in the Bible, she's kneeling before Him. In John 11, she's at His feet in sorrow. In John 12, she's at his feet to learn truth. Mary, the worshiper, wants her soul fed by Jesus -- her sister Martha, the worker, wants to feed Jesus.
     Mary and Martha had welcomed Jesus into their home. With good intentions, Martha took steps to prepare a meal for the honored guest. Mary is now introduced into the story: "And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word." (Luke 10:39). Martha was in the kitchen cooking food, and Mary was in the living room, learning from Jesus. Martha, annoyed that Mary wasn't helping with the work, interrupted the Lord, saying, "Lord, do You not care that my sis ter has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me" (Luke 10:40).
    Jesus, in His divine wisdom, analyzed the situation and told Martha she was filled with unnecessary axiety that had harmfully affected her priorities. The things that she worried about really weren't important. "One thing is needed," Jesus told Martha, "and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:42). Jesus commended Mary for having good priorities, namely, learning the Word of God. taken from "How to Study the Bible" by Robert M. West.