Our desire for the Figure 8 system is that many Christians will begin to delight themselves in Scripture. However, what exactly does it mean to delight in God’s word? On July 26, 2004, I enjoyed the birth of my first child, Hannah. My wife and I began changing countless diapers, purchasing baby food, and sleeping much less because of the new addition to their family. Truly, a baby changes everything! However, after Hannah’s birth, we began to notice a very special change in our lives. We found each other smiling uncontrollably at the mere thought of our baby girl. Returning home from work or school held new significance because of the tiny smiling face that was waiting behind the door. This intense joy was the product of delighting ourselves in Hannah. We were treasuring every moment with her and when away, we longed to be near her again. This is what we all must learn to do concerning the word of God. We must learn to delight ourselves in it; to treasure every morsel of truth so that we long for its nourishment more and more. We can learn to delight ourselves in the law of God through disciplined study.
While meditation and memorization are foundational, a disciplined study of Scripture will empower your Scripture memory. This can be accomplished by using devotional time and spare time during each 8-day session to read commentaries, research historical and cultural contexts, and listen to sermons preached on the current chapter. Again, the desired result is not memorization of a text, but gaining a thorough and applicable understanding of God’s word. Let us suggest some ways to study and some resources to help you meditate, memorize, and study Scripture.
First, if you are not currently in the practice of having a personal daily “quiet-time,” we encourage you to begin. Basically, a quiet-time consists of setting aside time every day, usually first thing in the morning, to read Scripture, praise God, and pray for others. An excellent way to incorporate the Figure 8 system into your quiet-time is to use a Scripture commentary or devotional to learn more about the passages you are memorizing. Most commentaries are useful because they contain a collection of information from a number of sources. Usually, you can find commentaries and devotionals at your local library, Christian bookstore, or on the internet. To help you find trustworthy commentaries, we have provided access to Building Your Theological Library by Dr. Danny Akin, President of Southeastern Seminary. Dr. Akin’s booklet contains the titles of countless resources for every book of the Bible.
Second, since the Figure 8 system assigns a block of Scripture to each 8-day session, you may want to focus your quiet-time on a few verses of the block you are currently memorizing. To do this, simply break up the block across the 8-day session. For instance, if you are beginning to memorize Philippians 1 tomorrow, use tomorrow's devotional time to study and pray through the first 3 or 4 verses of the chapter. The next day, use your quiet-time to study the next 3 or 4 verses. You will be amazed at how much a strategic quiet-time will assist your meditation upon and memorization of Scripture. The more you can hear and read about a specific passage, the easier it will be memorize.
Third, another helpful practice is listening to and reading sermons. Thanks to the internet, literally millions of resources are only a mouse-click away. Audio sermons are especially easy to come by. You should consider sites such as www.sermonaudio.com. This site provides thousands of sermons preached by a wide variety of pastors and teachers free of charge. The best part about sermon audio websites is that most of them are completely free. The internet is also an excellent source for written sermons. Years ago, before television, radio, and internet, it was common for preachers to publish written sermons which were distributed across the country and around the world. Many of those who published their sermons as reading material are still considered some of the greatest preachers, teachers, and theologians of all time. Names like Charles Haddon Spurgeon, J.C. Ryle, and Jonathan Edwards should inspire you to find written sermons based upon the passages you will be memorizing. Many of these sermons are available online. Now, you are ready to consider the fourth discipline, testing out.
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