“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.” – Ellen Parr 

#3 Collect Cross References

 

Some Bibles have a cross-reference within the margins or as footnotes. The goal of cross-referencing is to shine more light upon the Author’s intent by referring to other verses. I still love to use my first bible – an  NIV Ryrie Study Bible to follow the cross-references as I do my Selah study, but recently, someone gifted me a John MacArthur ESV study bible that I use as well!

As a portion of scripture read and reread a broader picture of the meaning can be painted by searching out and writing down connected scriptures to capture the true meaning in light of the whole Bible. A fundamental principle of interpretation is scripture interprets scripture. We can more fully understand the text by discovering what the Bible teaches about the same topic in another portion of scripture. Additional verses using the same word or speaking of a related event help to magnify and define the passage being studied.

Genesis 5

Go back to Genesis 5. Remember we looked up the meaning of the names of the sons of Adam and discovered they made the following truth from the original meaning of the words.

Man (is) appointed mortality; (but) the Light of God shall come down

teaching (that) His death shall bring (the) despairing rest.

We see cross-references that underscore the jewel of the gospel we unearthed!

 

We are mortal:

Genesis 2:16-17

Genesis 6:3

Psalm 90:3

Romans 5:12

God sent the Light of the World:

John 1:1-4

John 8:12

1 Peter 2:9

Jesus came to teach us:

John 3:16

1 Corinthians 15:22

Romans 5:15-19

His death and resurrection bring us life:

Romans 5:1

Romans 5:10

2 Corinthians 5:18-19

By searching out the cross-references, we get the whole picture of how the Bible works together. From Old Testament to the New Testament it says the same thing over and over again.

If you would like to use this same pattern of study to cultivate curiosity in your Quiet Time, read my blog posts and go on to the final tip on beating boredom 4 Ways to Cultivate Curiosity (#4 Personalize).