his Word nearby: “He should keep it with him all the time and read
from it every day of his life.”^15 But don’t just keep it near you; read
it regularly! A simple tool that is helpful for this is a daily Bible
reading plan. It will prevent you from just skipping around the
Bible arbitrarily and overlooking sections. If you would like a
Third, researching,or studying, the Bible is another practical
way to abide in the Word. The difference between reading and
studying the Bible involves two additional activities: asking
questions of the text and writing down your insights. You haven’t
really studied the Bible unless you’ve written your thoughts down
on paper or computer.
Space does not allow me to explain the different methods of
Bible study. Several helpful books on Bible study methods are
available, including one I wrote over twenty years ago.^16 The
secret of good Bible study is simply learning to ask the right
questions. Different methods use different questions. You will
discover far more if you pause and ask such simple questions as
who? what? when? where? why? and how? The Bible says, “Truly
happy people are those who carefully study God’s perfect law that
makes people free, and they continue to study it. They do not forget
what they heard, but they obey what God’s teaching says. Those who
do this will be made happy.”^17
The fourth way to abide in God’s Word is byrememberingit.
Your capacity to remember is a God-given gift. You may think
you have a poor memory, but the truth is, you have millions of
ideas, truths, facts, and figures memorized. You remember what is
important to you. If God’s Word is important, you will take the
time to remember it.
There are enormous benefits to memorizing Bible verses. It will
help you resist temptation, make wise decisions, reduce stress, build
confidence, offer good advice, and share your faith with others.^18
Your memory is like a muscle. The more you use it, the
stronger it will become, and memorizing Scripture will become
PURPOSE #3: You Were Created to Become Like Christ 189
copy of my personal Bible reading plan, see appendix 2.