*Training yourself to be godly includes memorizing, meditating on, and studying scripture.
Last week I introduced Scripture Reading as a spiritual practice to train ourselves to become more godly and become friends of Jesus. Many people read the Bible, at least to some extent. This may be reading a few verses a day or reading through the Bible in a year. While there is great value in reading scripture, there is great benefit in going beyond reading alone.
So, yes, have a plan for reading the Bible regularly, but also think of going beyond just reading to memorizing, meditating on, and studying scripture. Reading can help us get the big picture of scripture and help us understand what God has written and what Jesus has said. I would like to encourage you to find a way of intentionally internalizing what you read.
Scripture Memorization
Psalm 119:11 says,
“I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.”
Memorization is to hide God’s word in your heart. By spending the time in scripture it becomes embedded in your memory.
At a recent worship service, the pastor started quoting Psalm 23. As he did, he coached the congregation to quote it with him. It was impressive to have many in the congregation reciting Psalm 23 from memory. The congregation had hidden Psalm 23 in their hearts.
I want to encourage you to begin memorizing. You don’t have to start with long scripture passages, but start by memorizing a verse a week. You could start with Psalm 23 or a passage from Paul’s letters like Philippians 2:1-11 which describes the humility of Jesus in coming to earth.
Scripture Meditation
Meditation is to think on a verse over a longer period of time. If you are memorizing a verse and mulling it over in your mind, you are also meditating on it as you continue to let it speak to you.
Psalm 119:15 reads: I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
To practice meditation is to spend time thinking and praying and talking to God about one thing, one verse or one statement about God.
Meditation slows us down as we focus on one idea for a period of time. It may be one verse or one phrase that describes God or a theological or doctrinal statement that we can think over as allow God to speak to us over time.
Scripture Study
Maybe you have read the Bible a lot, but you realize you haven’t really stopped to study it – to take time to understand certain passages of scripture or a certain book. You can use different online helps (Biblehub.com) or commentaries to dig a little deeper.
In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 we read:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
If we long to be more godly and want to train ourselves to be so, studying moves beyond reading, memorizing, and meditating, to dig into what words and phrases and verses mean.
I encourage you to move beyond devotional booklets like the Daily Bread, and others. While they have good stories and good scriptural thoughts, learn to study the Bible for yourself. Take time to “chew” on the word of God, not just taking in what others have “chewed” in their study. Study it for yourself without just relying on the work others have done. There is value in us processing the study instead of just receiving someone else’s answers from their study.
Train yourself to be godly by spending intentional time in scripture, getting to know God, getting to know Jesus, and allowing scripture to equip you and train you to be the woman or man of God He longs for you to be.
Keep looking up,
Andy Wiebe
Elevate with Andy 