It has to be a personal record, One year, six months and three weeks!  We are finally through the Book of Romans!  I have to tell you that I really enjoyed going through this book.  Not only because of what I learned spiritually, but I learned a new way of study.  I’ve never really gotten that deep into studying anything before.

 

As you well know, school and I were not the best of friends, although I still consider high school as the best 5 ½ years of my life.  I did better in college, although I was afraid when I put my college application in.  The application asked some scary questions, some of which I left blank, half because I really didn’t know the answer, half out of sheer fear.  A few weeks later the registrar called about my app.  She noted I left “some” questions blank and wanted to know the answer.  She wanted to know my High School GPA and the standing in my class.  I really did not know where I stood in my class (unless you asked alphabetically), I told her that with what I thought was a solid D average, I was not in the top third.  She laughed, and asked again.  I told her I was serious and I had no clue.  She said it was no problem and that my transcripts would give her that info.  Turns out I had a solid C (thank God for PE and Chorus!).

 

All that aside, I have changed the way I study the Bible personally.  I have a lot of resources on my computer and I keep adding to it all the time.  During our cruise through Romans, I have taken smaller bites out of the Word and chewed on them a bit longer.  I have made more use of those commentaries, dictionaries, study guides, etc, so that I could better understand what God was saying through Paul and how it could apply to us today.  Rather than reading large passages, I have narrowed my personal study time to smaller passages and deeper study.  It has helped me a lot.  I still take time to read larger passages too, it helps keep the bigger picture.

 

Now don’t worry, I am not going to take this long with all my series.  In fact, you may not notice much difference in the way I preach at all, in the content hopefully, but not the method.

 

Bill