"
{This post is by my friend, Heather Bleier, who blogs at www.HeatherBleier.com.}
I first created Verse Mapping in 2012 and it still remains the most shared post here on #Transformed. Our lives are crazy busy and #VerseMapping is one powerful way we can infuse our day with God’s Word or make it a part of our Quite Time.
Because of my busy schedule and fatigue from pregnancy in 2012, I was having trouble getting up each day to read the Bible or even a devotion. Spending time with God was too important for me not to make some changes and thus #VerseMapping was born!
Since I was volunteering with Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Studies with Melissa Taylor at the time, we made #VerseMapping a regular part of the studies. Oh, I have loved seeing #VerseMapping blossom and grow with the online studies!
Let’s get started!
You’ll need one of the following items to keep track of the verse you choose to map: index card, spiral, journal, or download this free printout. An index card fits in the space provided to help make taking the verse with you easier and the back is blank so that you can fill it with additional notes or creative doodles.
Begin by asking God to share with you a verse He would like you to focus on for the day or week. You can find one in a variety of ways.
- Bible Study: Use whatever verse provided in your Bible study.
- Bible Cracking: Close your Bible, open it to a random page, and point to a verse.
- Concordance {Index}: In the back of your Bible, look up a specific word or topic that God is laying on your heart. Perhaps you’ve been struggling with patience, anger, faith, trust, unkind words, etc. Look up the Bible references pertaining to that topic and choose a verse. If your Bible does not have a Concordance or Index, visit BibleGatewayand you can do a word search with any translation.
- Ask a Friend: Ask someone whom you know to be close with God, perhaps your spouse, sibling, or even one of your children. See if they have a verse to recommend for you.
- Devotion: Perhaps in the devotion you read in the morning, a verse jumps out at you, use it for the day!
Once you have chosen your verse(s), let the mapping begin!
- Focus on a different word or phrase, really take it in. What does that word mean? Vist www.blueletterbible.org to discover how any particular word translates in the original language.
- Read other translations of the same verse and check out what the rest of the passage says, reading the verse in context. www.BibleStudyTools.com makes it easy to view translations for a single verse all on one page.
- What does this verse mean for you? What is God trying to share through this verse? Is He offering encouragement? Calling for a change in your life?
- Personalize the verse by replacing all pronouns with your name. God’s Word applied directly into your life!
- Discover other verses linked to the one you’ve chosen.
- At the end of your day, before you go to bed, take one final look at the verse. Write a little prayer sharing with God what you’ve learned.
- You can extend your time and focus on one verse or passage for the entire week, rather than one day.
By doing this, you familiarize yourself with a verse, really digesting its Truth, and allow its meaning to penetrate your heart. It’s a simple step that can be done by anyone regardless how mature you are in your faith. Parents, if your children are old enough, invite them to work on the same verse with you! At dinner, have everyone get out the card{s} and share as family how God has spoken through His Word the day.
Here is a sample of a verse I mapped in October (click to enlarge):
_________________________________________________
How about you? Have you ever put #VerseMapping to use as you study His Word? What other Bible study tools have you discovered?
The post on Heather Bleier’s site is found here.