Having just finished the prayer notebook series, I thought that this would be a good time to share another of my devotional tools.  I have created my own personal “topical concordance.”

I found that there were certain topics – homeschooling or Biblical holidays, for instance – for which I repeatedly wanted to look up verses.  The relevant verses didn’t necessarily all have obvious keywords in them.  This meant they weren’t very easy to find with a regular concordance.  The topical concordances commercially available didn’t always have the topics in them I was looking for.  It isn’t hard, though, to make your own, especially if you simply fill it as you go!

I set aside a notebook for this purpose, and put letters at the tops of the pages as headings.  Then, whenever I looked up a topic and found a verse, I jotted it down in the appropriate place.  (This is an ongoing process, not a project to “complete.”)

By way of example, here is what my “B” page looks like.  (Keep in mind that these are my personal notes for myself, and please don’t anyone take offense if they emphasize theology that’s different from what your family believes.):

baptism- Rom. 6:3-4   Col. 2:12  Jn. 3:25-4:2?  Acts 8:12 (men & women)  Acts 10:2 (w/ his household)  Acts 16:5 (prob. no babies)  Acts 16:31,33,34 (all believed)  1 Cor. 11:16 (hh)  1 Pe. 3:20-22

baptized (Holy Spirit) – ONLY 6 ref. – Mt. 3:11  Mk. 1:8  Lk. 3:16  Jn. 1:33  Acts 1:5  Acts 11:16  1 Cor. 12:13
(same word – #907 [Greek word is here] – as above)

“biracial” marriage – Num. 12:1-11  Deut 7:3-4

blessings & curses – Deut. 28

burnt offerings – Job 1:5 (bef. Moses)

The Branch – Zec. 3:8  Zec. 6:11-14 (& crown)

baby dedication – k. 10:13-16  Lk. 18:15-16

Some of my pages have far more entries than this.  A few have fewer.  (And in case you’re wondering at my math with the “only 6 references” comment above that then lists 7 references – the six are the only six historical/narrative references.)

My custom concordance works for me!