Cross-reference reading
Note: This is the fifth in a series on unusual routines for reading your Bible. Be sure to read the rest in the series.
Unusual Routines For Reading Your Bible Series
Unusual Routines For Reading Your Bible (Intro)
3-Verses-From –3-Places Reading
Cross-Reference Reading
Cross-Reference Reading
How to do it: Start with any verse you like. Use the cross-reference tool in your Bible to find verses that relate directly to that first verse. If you don’t have a cross-reference tool in your Bible, use a concordance or a cross-reference application from the Internet like Bible Tools (click on the “X-References” button if the references don’t appear automatically at the bottom).
Once you find a new verse, read all the cross-references for that new verse. Do the same for all the verses you find connected to your second verse. Repeat for as many verses as you can find that are related to each other.
In doing this, you’ll create a web of interlocked verses. Some will even double back, leading to one of your previous verses. Some references you’ll expect, but others will come from some unexpected places in the Bible. That’s the joy of it.
Tip: Works best with verses that actually have cross-references. 
This usually means verses that are fairly meaty, verses with some significant content in them and not something like, “And the Lord spoke to Moses saying…”
Using a computer program to find references is faster, but if you use you’re Bible, this routine also has the indirect benefit of helping you practice your verse-finding skills. Use the method that suites you best.
Why it’s helpful: The cross-reference routine reminds me of reading a Bible commentary, only with this approach, the commentary comes directly from the Word of God.
“Scriptura sui ipsius interpres.” (“Scripture is its own expositor.”) –Martin Luther
How cool is that? In other words, you’re able to get a description of the verse from other verses in the Bible, which helps you understand key words or themes in the passage.
Example: I first tried this when I did a study of Proverbs 31. You know the passage. It talks about the wise woman trading, cleaning, offering sound advice, and the like. Some of the cross-reference verses led to passages in Ruth (e.g. “…for all the people of the town know that you are a virtuous woman.” – Ruth 3:11). But digging deeper, some verses led to 2 Corinthians or Ephesians.
What I learned: All the characteristics of the wise woman are simply the characteristics of Jesus. In other words, wisdom is living life in submission to God. Specifically, since I was reading to find the characteristics of someone I should marry, this routine helped me realize that the wise woman, the woman who “excels them all,” is the woman that follows God. It’s as simple as that.
Serving Suggestions:
(1) Try the cross-reference routine.
(2) Apply your new perspective. This is the more challenging one. Once you learn something new or see something in a new way, apply that perspective to your life. How are you going to live differently because of it?