Bible Study Notebooks
Journals and Notebooks for Bible Study
Let’s be honest–amidst an onslaught of constant news, social media intake, and the enticements of streaming, Paul’s admonition in Romans 12:2 is most pertinent for our 21st century ears. The apostle tells us to avoid being conformed to the world, but rather to renew our minds so that we can effectively discern the will of God in our daily lives.
Principle?--check. Application?--keep reading.
Bible study, memorization, and meditation are some of the most important tools for the renewal and instruction of our minds in the Lord. Moreover, keeping a journal or a notebook open to jot in as one pursues these endeavors is an important way to enhance this process.
What is a Guided Bible Study Journal, and How Can it Benefit Me?
Simply put, a guided Bible study journal is a soft or hardcover book with lined pages for taking notes. It may be a guided study through a book, or a topic, with prompts for a related search, references to other related scripture, and space to record prayer needs and items for praise. There are many benefits from a structured journal format, such as improved focus, better comprehension, longer-lasting retention, and efficient organization of thoughts.
Not to mention it can serve as a legacy item to be passed down to your progeny.
Imagine receiving your great-grandpa’s study journal he did on Psalms.
Be the first to start this legacy yourself.
Let’s breakdown the ample benefits of a guided Bible study journal:
1. Writing Increases Your Focus
Taking notes, and writing down personal applications focus your attention on the study at hand. It is easier to ignore intrusive thoughts and objectives when you are physically involved in the process. Study after study have shown this ad nauseum.
2. Handwritten Bible Notes Improve Comprehension
A journal where you write down the details of God's work in your heart, personalize the scripture-based application for your own life, and record insights for your own learning improves comprehension of God's Word. Virtually every commentary every published models this principle.
3. Writing Improves Your Memory
Studies teach us that the more senses that can be involved in a learning process, the more is learned and retained. The act of writing down insights and applications is a proven way to increase the retention of material.
Moreover, writing down thoughts and insights frees up your brain power.
None other than Albert Einstein said, “I never waste brain power trying to remember things that I can easily jot down instead.”
Einstein ain’t Jesus, but hey, you got to admit he’s got a point.
4. Handwriting Improves Organization
Writing out thoughts helps put them in proper perspective and priority in our mind and heart. A title and a date can be helpful details to make your bible journal even more effective in your study goals.
Essentially, seeing your interior thinking in an exterior format helps your metacognitive processing.
Does a Bible Study Journal Deepen Our Faith and Relationship With God?
“Man can’t live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”--Matthew 4:4
Keeping a journal as we study Scripture is useful in making us more aware of our connection to God and His word. We have a craving for the divine–the Lord saw it fit to record His interactions with humanity; we desperately need to engraft it in our lives daily. Journaling can help us clarify God’s thoughts, assist our closeness to the Lord, and remember the treasures that we discover in the process. It is incredibly rewarding to go back later and review what work God was doing in our life at that particular time.
Furthermore, your discoveries will be recorded and organized for finding cross-references in days to come.
Myriad testimonies and studies prove: journaling is a unique way to record God's personal work in your heart and mind. It's a place to write down your prayer needs and the desires of your heart as you speak God's Words back to Him. It can become a book of remembrance, where you can encourage your heart with a review of the work and answers of the Lord in days past, and grow in faith for the days to come. James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God ad He will draw near to you." Journaling your spiritual journey through the Bible is a precious way to deepen your relationship with Jesus, and grow in your faith.
Is a Bible Study Notebook or Journal Worth It?
A bible study journal or notebook is absolutely a worthwhile investment in your Christian life. It may be a new habit to develop for you, but when you begin to experience the fruit of filling your journal pages, you will find the reward well worth the effort.
Countless times I have written some word of the Lord to me in a season of my life, only to naturally forget it. What joy upon joy to stumble across those writings years later to see the Lord’s faithfulness, amen!
Conclusion
Renewing your mind–as Paul implores in Romans 12:2–attunes your spirit to things eternal, at the expense of the temporal avalanche of society. Think of a Bible study notebook or journal as a spiritual discipline–unfamiliar at first, but yielding much fruit later. There are many places to acquire a Bible journal; just search online for Bible study journals, or search your favorite authors' offerings to see if they possibly offer a notebook that strikes your fancy, and for a reasonable price. Journaling through the Scriptures is a most advantageous activity for individuals (or with your family or persons you’re discipling), and can only enrich and renew your spirit in the Lord.
