Looking for God Instead of Ourselves: Bible Study 101: Hearing Jesus, Bible Study, Devotional

Looking for God Instead of Ourselves: Bible Study 101: Hearing Jesus, Bible Study, Devotional

In today's episode, Rachael talks about the very first question we bring to a passage of Scripture, and why the order of our questions matters more than we realize. Using the Martha and Mary story and the parting of the Red Sea as examples, she walks through what changes when you ask "what does this show me about God?" before you ever ask what it means for you.

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Chapters

0:09 Why the order of your questions matters

1:30 The Martha and Mary trap: making a passage about you first

3:17 Exodus 14 and the parting of the Red Sea

9:01 What the Red Sea story is actually revealing

12:19 How you learn to recognize a voice you know well

15:41 Why the first question always has to be about God

16:46 What about passages that are directly about us?

18:17 What does "seek first the kingdom of God" actually mean?

20:03 Closing prayer

How Do I Read the Bible Without Making It About Myself?

Most of us read Scripture and immediately ask what it means for us, what it says about our situation, or how we're supposed to apply it. Those aren't bad questions, but asked first, they turn a passage that's about God into a passage about you. The fix is simple to say and hard to practice: ask what a passage shows you about God before you ask what it means for you.

What Does the Martha and Mary Story Actually Teach?

The common teaching turns Martha and Mary into a mirror, are you a Martha or a Mary. That's not wrong, but it's incomplete, because it makes the story about our personality and our to-do list before it says anything about who Jesus is. The same self-centered pattern shows up anywhere we look for ourselves in Scripture first: David and Goliath becomes about our giants, the storm on the lake becomes about our storms.

What Does Exodus 14 Show Us About God?

Read to find yourself, Exodus 14 becomes a lesson about complaining, don't be like the panicking Israelites at the Red Sea. Read to find God, it becomes something bigger: "Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today... The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent." Every part of Moses' answer is about God, not about the people's attitude. And God tells us directly why He's doing this, so that the Egyptians would know who He is. The rescue is real, but it's serving something bigger than the rescue itself.

Why Does the Order of the Question Matter So Much?

Because you learn to recognize a voice by spending time with the person, not by collecting facts about yourself. Asking "what does this show me about God" first is what builds the kind of familiarity that lets you recognize His voice later, the same way a close friend or family member can tell you exactly what you'd say before you say it.

What About Passages That Are Directly About Me?

Some commands really are about our behavior, love your neighbor, don't be anxious. But even those are anchored to God's character. "Be holy" comes with a reason: because I am holy. The behavior is always attached to who God is.

What Does "Seek First the Kingdom of God" Mean?

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33, NASB). In the Greek, "seek" means to intensely strive after something, and "first" means first in order of priority. It's a direct instruction to look for God before anything else, including before your own need for an answer.

FAQ

Does this mean I shouldn't ever ask what a passage means for my life? No. Application still matters, but it should be built on God's character, not personal reflection alone.

Is this method the same as the Color Method mentioned in the series?

It's related but not identical. This episode focuses on question order; the Color Method is a separate marking system covered later in the series.

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