Application – Part Two: Head, Hands, and Heart
We have arrived to the end of our series on “How to Read the Bible.” These blogs were meant not to give every detail of Bible study, but to prime your Bible-reading engine so that you are ready to embark on a lifelong journey of Bible study. We have followed three general steps: observation, interpretation, and application. Today, we conclude with a few words on application.
I’ve heard it said that thirty days makes a habit. If you hope to change your habits, you need to refrain from some things and actively pursue others over at least a thirty-day period so that it becomes more second nature. I think this is also true about any change in our life. If we just attempt to change our behavior by behaving differently, we will not have much success. But if we change how we think about that behavior, and then we begin to desire better things, and then create different habits, our behavior will follow.
Well, as God uses His Word to mold us into the image of Christ, He does not just change our behavior, he changes all of us. He changes our beliefs, thoughts, desires, affections, choices, and actions. Today, we will summarize all of these things with three categories: head, hands, and heart. As you are applying the Scriptures by the Spirit to your life, you can think of these three categories as helpful lanes on the highway to gospel change.
Head represents what we believe and think. When you read a passage of Scripture, ask: is God calling me to believe something or consider something in this passage? Take 1 John 4:7 for example: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God…” What is God calling us to believe in this passage? You got it. We are to believe that love is from God. When we are applying this verse to our lives, we must ask ourselves: do we understand this truth? Do we believe this truth? Sometimes we understand it, but we are living as though we do not believe it. As we consider how the passage affects our head, we can ask God to help us have faith in the truth that is presented to us.
Hands represent what we choose and do. Again, as you read a passage, ask: what is God calling me to choose or do in this passage? Go back to 1 John 4:7: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God…” What we are to do is very clear: love one another. Once the point is clear, we should begin considering: how can I obey this? We can pray and ask God to help us grow in loving others.
Heart represents what we love and desire. As we read a passage, we should ask: what is God calling me to love or desire in this passage? Consider 1 John 1:3, “that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” This one might require some patient thinking. What does John want us to desire here? Fellowship with God and with His people. Now, we have to be careful with these applications because the point is not to hear instruction and muster up all our strength to change ourselves. No, God changes us! So, as we are applying Scripture to our head, hands, and heart, we are asking God to help us, to give us grace that we might change.
Let’s be doers of the Word by allowing God to change us by His Spirit and His Word.
Pastor Mark