Belief 2 — How We Study: Eat, Digest, Grow

We eat the Word, digest it, and God makes us grow.

Here’s how we study, alone or together. Think of it as a meal in three movements.

Eat it — read, re-read, and retell. Reading it again is chewing; telling the story back in your own words is swallowing. If you can’t retell it, you haven’t swallowed it yet — so read it again. This “retell” step is the test that you actually understood, and it comes before any questions. Most people, even seasoned Christians, don’t grasp a passage they’ve read once, quickly.

Digest it — then ask four simple questions: What does this show me about God? What does it show me about people, and about me? Is there a command to obey, an example to follow, or a promise to trust? And who will I tell? Out of that comes a specific, dated “I will…” — never a vague “I’ll be better.”

Grow — and here’s the freeing part: God gives the growth, not you. “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6–7). We eat and digest; He makes it grow — into faith for the day, clearer sight, and the push to go.

Scripture — 1 Corinthians 3:6–7 (OTB)

“I planted, Apollos watered, but it was God who caused the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is of significance, but only God, who brings about the growth.”

Recite it: We eat the Word, digest it, and God makes us grow.

Reflect & do

Take a short passage this week (try Mark 1:16–18). Read it twice, close the Bible, and retell it out loud before you answer a single question.