The Privileged Life: Make Your Bible Study Colorful!

“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise….” (Ephesians 1:13)

When I was growing up, handwriting in a Bible was an unwritten sin.

The word “Holy” printed on the cover of Scripture was taken very seriously. No one would ever dare put pen and ink to the margins inside. The only exceptions would be on the dedication page or in the “family tree” section in some old Bibles. Otherwise, one simply did not defile the sacred pages with scribbled notes.

The problem with that practice, however, is that Bibles often stayed on the shelf…too holy and mysterious to approach. Dust reigned where our fingers should have regularly flipped through God’s word.

But I abandoned that reluctant attitude decades ago when my great-aunt Lizy introduced me to a remarkable concept. Her pastor had encouraged her to highlight the promises of God in green. My aunt’s willingness to mark up her Bible opened a new door for me. I decided to break tradition, too.

It meant getting a new Bible, though—one to “mess up” with coloring and ink. I promptly bought a thick version, “The Open Bible,” with an inexpensive cardboard binding. Thus, I began an intensive study of Scriptures and even expanded my highlighting colors. 

Later on, after the cover and pages of that Bible were in tatters, I switched to a “New Geneva Study Bible” in the New King James Version,¹ which I still love. This Bible, too, is now practically falling apart. I can’t take it to church because it’s stuffed with a boatload of notes and prayer logs that could easily tumble out. It never leaves my house because I fear I would lose it…so much personal history I want to save.

Do you write in your Bible? Do you use a highlighter with it?

If not, let me introduce you to the joys of studying Scripture in color. I recently learned about the SPECK method of highlighting different concepts in the Bible…and was surprised that it mostly corresponded to the same coloring scheme I’ve used for years. Here are the SPECK colors:

• Sins (red or brown) – These can be verses that reveal the wickedness of man, sins to avoid, or God’s judgment against evil. 
• Promises (green) – Look for promises of God’s grace, kindness, faithfulness, and provision.
• Examples (purple) – Identify admirable character traits or actions among Bible characters to emulate. 
• Commandments (orange) – Highlight God’s commands, statutes, laws, and principles to be followed.
• Knowledge about God (blue) – These are attributes of God, opportunities to praise and worship Him…His power, presence, wisdom, beauty, love, mercy, creativity, and more.

And, I would add two more: 

• Miracles (yellow) – Underline God’s supernatural actions, angels, and the miracles performed by Jesus Christ.
• Prayers (pink) – Pray through the prayers of others recorded in Scripture.

Keep coloring pencils* and a fine-point writing pen handy when you read through Scripture passages, and take notes on God’s truths—how the Holy Spirit speaks to you about your personal walk with Him. Write your own prayers in the margins.

After a while, you’ll be amazed at how colorful—and scribbled—the pages will become. This practice documents and deepens your own faith journey with God as you read His word.

Even though I frequently read the Bible in various digital versions online, a Bible app can’t replace this habit of highlighting and taking notes on printed pages. If you can use your hands, take advantage of this blessing to absorb the meaning and impact of God’s messages.

Yes, the Bible is sacred, and we must treat it with respect. But something sacred happens, too, when we take notes in our time with God. We keep a record for ourselves and future generations of how God has blessed us every day…how He comforts and guides us through our trials…how He answers our relentless questions…and how we celebrate His goodness, promises, and presence in our praises.

Make your Bible study a colorful, happy moment in your day…so you can share His truths with all those around you.

God, how I praise You for handing down Your words over thousands of years from generation to generation. You have blessed so many of us nowadays with the greater-than-ever access to Your Holy Bible, in print and online. Let Your statutes, attributes, promises, and truth sink into my soul as I meditate on them day and night. Remind me to treat Your word with honor and respect, to study it diligently, and to share its good news with those who have no hope. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

¹The “New Geneva Study Bible” (1995) in the New King James Version is still available at thrift book stores and online; its current version is called “The Reformation Study Bible” (2015) in the English Standard Version (https://reformationstudybible.com). Both Bibles include copious amounts of background information, historical records, theological notes, graphs, illustrations, maps, and indexes.

*I recommend wax-based coloring pencils or other pens/markers that won’t bleed through thin pages. Test your pens/pencils on the edges of your Bible’s paper beforehand. 

Nancy C. Williams is a Christian wife/mom with a writing career spanning more than 40 years in business and journalism. Williams is the author of the novel To Love a Falcon and the devotional book A Crocus in the Desert: Devotions, Stories, and Prayers for Women Experiencing Infertility. Her weekly blogs are featured on Crossmap.com. To follow Nancy’s posts and news, go to her home page at http://lightbournecreative.com and subscribe at the bottom. 

© Copyright 2024 Nancy C. Williams, Lightbourne Creative (text and photography) Unless otherwise noted, Scripture verses are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. #SPECKcolors #Biblestudy #NKJV #ESV #ReformationStudyBible #coloringpencils #Biblemarkers