Do you take notes when you are reading the Bible or do you curl up on the couch and read it in the same way you would a great novel? There is a time and place for both ways, but reading and studying are not the same thing. In order to study your Bible, there needs to be some processing and active learning. When I sit down to study the Bible, I pray, I write down the entire passage (into a journal), I draw pictures to help me remember, I also jot down other verses that might be important. This is the same way I take notes during sermons! My Bible is full of drawings to capture the main verses the Pastor uses to illustrate his points.

My drawings are quick sketches of the main ideas so that I can refer back to the verses and also be able to take a mental photograph of what the sermon was on a particular day. If I spend time during the week in my sermon notes, I find that my retention of the sermon points increases!

This might be a way to teach your children how to take notes in church or for their own Bible Study. There is a handout that you can use for yourself – I’ve included a free pdf printable here!

I hope this tool is something you will use today to take better notes, have a better understanding and to dig deeper while helping to model respect for God’s Word! May your Bible study grow deeper and bear much fruit for the Kingdom!

No Scripture is exhausted by a single explanation.

The flowers of God’s garden bloom not only double,

but sevenfold;

they are continually pouring forth fresh fragrance.

Charles Spurgeon