Bible Marking Key

I’ve had people ask me for a few years how I do my Bible study and how I get so much out of the Word of God. Honestly, it isn’t easy. I have dry spells where it seems like it doesn’t matter what I do, I just can’t seem to get anything! But my dad always tells me that it’s important to read my Bible, even when it feels like I’m not being fed. God promises that His word won’t go out void, so keep feeding your heart the Word and you’ll see it begin to change over time. You may even come across things you don’t understand. But a lot of times, with a little digging, you can learn so much about God as He reveals Himself to you in a fresh way.

One thing I’ve always struggled with since I was a preteen was trying to find devotions and studies that were “deep enough” for me. A paragraph in the morning wasn’t doing it for me. My dad encouraged me to make my own if I didn

’t like any devotions that I found, but that can be daunting! After I learned about adult Bible study devotions, I was so excited to learn. But I still find sometimes they don’t do much in revealing anything new to me. In the midst of this discouragement, my dad solaced me by telling me that the only thing I REALLY needed to learn and study the Bible is just that – the Bible! I had been doing a devotion book that I really loved, but when I finished it and moved to the next one, it wasn’t having the same effect. Sometimes I find that Bible studies/books have seasons. They may not feel like they’re doing much now, but when you try them again later, they are exactly what your spirit needs.

It was this kind of background – the desire to study the Bible within itself – that led me to do what everyone these days does when they’re searching for answers. I Googled it. I looked at YouTube videos, blogs, etc. I eventually created a system that I made my own so it would work for me. I’m a very visual person, so the colors and shapes help me visibly see what is going on. It is also a comfort to flip open my Bible and to know that I’ve been in that same passage before. I was reading through a passage I had already marked, and when I read it again, I saw it through different eyes. It’s a comfort because it shows that I’ve grown and it helps me study. It’s almost like having two different perspectives on a topic because past me and present me are in two different spiritual places. This is by no means an end-all-be-all guide on how you should mark your Bible. It’s simply a system that works for me. I hope it works for you, too. Feel free to adopt it, adapt it, and make it your own! I mark directly in my Bible unless I have some lengthy commentary that I don’t want separated a verse for when I read it in the future, in which case I’ll make a bookmark out of construction paper, write the commentary, and leave a date on it so I can see how I’ve grown and add to it later. My dad has asked me why I don’t just buy a rainbow Bible, which does something similar. I answered him with 1) I have a perfectly fine Bible, why would I buy another one and 2) it helps me to make the discernments myself. It helps me to learn and think about the word when I am deciding how to mark it. I always get excited when I get to open my Bible to a page filled with color and marks that I’ve made from previous study. It makes me feel like a “workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Materials:

-       - Index card to stick in your Bible so you can reference it no matter where you are or add new ones. Over time, you won’t need it as much!

-       - Coloring pencils

-       - Pen (I prefer black)

-       - Bible (obviously)

How It Works:

Every time I see part of a passage or a mention of something in the Bible passage I'm reading, I mark it with a color, shape, or some other mark. You can have multiples for one verse (a shape & a color, eg), but you don't have to. Honestly, there are verses I don't understand, so I'll leave them blank or even put a question mark by them. Other verses have a LOT going on. That's okay! Mark something that stands out to you that falls into one of the categories. Go verse by verse and refer to the categories listed or make your own. Mark them in your Bible as you go!

Sections:

-       - Colors: These are like “highlights” and you can break them up as much as you want. I’ve split verses into different colors or had things be several colors (use stripes to make it easier to see all the colors). I’ve used stripes to cover a large section that needed to be the same color so I was focused more on the passage than coloring a page or so.

-       - Shapes: The first three are new, even for me. I thought, “what are things I wish I’ve had a mark for in the past that I didn’t?” So I came up with the circle, square, and triangle. Those three, the !!, and the parallel lines are all things you put near the verse you’re referencing. The same applies to everything in the Letters category!

-       - Other: These are all going around or beside the passage you’re referencing. I was working with a limited color set (12 pack), so I had to be creative in how I marked. Judgment and sanctification have a thick left side and underline the bottom of the passage. Warnings and assurances run down the side of the passage but don’t enclose it. But again, feel free to make it your own!

Again, I designed this to be more in-depth. It takes a little bit more work, but it is worth it in the end! I depended on my index card key for a long time. I still reference it from time to time when I want to see if I have a mark for something or forget what color something should be. Over time, you find out what works for you and you just go with it. You can take parts of it, all of it, or none of it. I just hope that I can provide you with some resources to making the most of your quiet time!