How to Get a Grip on the Scriptures

“Get a grip!” Many people use this phrase, meaning to get control of oneself or to not get so worked up about something. Can’t stop complaining about things happening in your life? ‘Get a grip!’ If watching the news makes you depressed, ‘Get a grip!’ Consumed with envy over what other people have? ‘Get a grip!’

But there are other, broader senses of that phrase. The most obvious would apply to people who work with their hands, like carpenters, plumbers, or artists. If using a hammer, wrench, or paintbrush, you better ‘get a grip’ if you’re going to accomplish whatever you’re trying to do. When I was taking drum lessons, I discovered ‘getting a grip’ was easier said than done – trying to move quickly around the drum kit, occasionally a drumstick would slip out of my hands.

 

Of even greater importance is getting a grip on a particular pursuit, achieving a measure of mastery in a chosen skill or discipline. I admire people demonstrating great expertise at whatever they do, whether it’s interior design, accounting, teaching, genealogy, mechanics, culinary arts, or other such vocational or avocational interests. But they didn’t achieve their excellence overnight; it took countless hours to ‘get a grip’ – to master what they desired to do.

 

The same holds true in a spiritual sense. For instance, gaining a deep understanding of the Scriptures isn’t something that can be achieved by spending a few minutes now and then. The typical Bible has more than 1,500 pages – the truths they contain are deep enough to fill the lifetime of even the most determined theologian.

 

That doesn’t mean biblical teachings are unfathomable for the ‘layman,’ someone who has never darkened the halls of a seminary, much less preached from a pulpit. To get a grip on the Scriptures, all we need to do is look at our hands. 

 

As I’ve mentioned before, my journey as a disciple of Jesus Christ began years ago when I joined a small group that used study materials developed by The Navigators. Originally focused on ministering to people in the armed forces, the Navs eventually expanded to college campuses and churches. One strategy for teaching how to get a grip on the Bible was what they called “the hand illustration.”

Why the hand? Pick up a Bible with one hand. Then transfer it to your other hand but try holding it only with your little finger. It’ll fall, right? Attempt this again, using only your little finger and thumb. Your grip on the book is tenuous; it can easily be pulled from your grasp. Add a third finger, then a fourth, and finally all five. Now you’ll have a strong grip on the Bible – someone would have a hard time wresting it out of your hand.

 

In a similar sense, it requires five ‘fingers’ to gain a strong grip on God’s Word. Each finger on the hand represents an action step for internalizing the Scriptures and learning how to put the truths and principles into use. The five are to: hear, read, study, memorize, and meditate.

 

Hear. It starts with hearing, whether a sermon at church, a message at a conference, a program on the radio, or even a conversation with a follower of Jesus. As Romans 10:17 explains, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”

 

Read. Next comes reading the Scriptures for yourself, seeking to learn who God is and the truths He reveals through His Word. “Blessed is the one who read the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it…” (Revelation 1:3).

 

Study. The third ‘finger’ in this process is studying – when the hard work really begins. It’s more than just reading what the Bible says. It’s digging, seeking to understand its meaning and discover treasures it contains for today and for eternity. In Acts 17:11 we see an example: “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” We’re to be like the diligent, studious Bereans.

 

Memorize. When we encounter especially meaningful verses or passages in the Bible, one of the best ways for internalizing them is to commit them to memory. Then, like building a spiritual filing cabinet, they’re accessible for use without having to open a Bible. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says they’re to become such a part of us they work themselves into everyday conversations: “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” 

 

Another passage that affirms Scripture memorization is Psalm 119:9,11 in which King David says, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your word…. I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”

 

Meditate. Finally, we have meditation. This isn’t mindless repetition of some mystical mantra, or emptying one’s mind. It’s deeply pondering a specific passage, striving to draw as much insight and understanding from it as you can. Kind of like a cow chewing its cud over and over, seeking to get as much nutrition out of it as possible. This is addressed in Psalm 1:2, which describes a “blessed” man whose “delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.”

 

Do you desire to get a grip on the Word of God, to become a ‘person of the Book’? Then make every effort to hear, read, study, memorize, and meditate. Over time you’ll find the truths of the Scriptures becoming part of you more and more.

Tools to Help Us Become Workers Who Need Not Be Ashamed

When my father passed away, I inherited his collection of tools. Unfortunately, unlike my dad who was a master mechanic and a consummate “Mr. Fix-It,” I don’t think I have a mechanical gene in my body. I can turn a screw or hammer a nail if necessary, but when something needs to be repaired, usually I shrug my shoulders and try to decide which handyman to call.

Some tools, however, I am very familiar with and use extensively. As a writer and editor, my “toolbox” consists of words, sentences, paragraphs and punctuation marks. As I write this, I’m utilizing a tool called a computer, with my fingers tapping out words on a tool known as a keyboard. I often illustrate things I write using images created with another tool I enjoy using – a camera.

 

Some of us might not have skill using devices like hammers, saws, wrenches and screwdrivers, but we use other kinds of tools to accomplish necessary tasks. In our homes we have washing machines and dryers, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, electric garage door openers and water heaters. 

 

Technology has given us an unending parade of tools supposedly to make our lives easier, including smartphones that now have more capacity than many computers had just decades ago. We have tools that can automatically turn lights on and off in our homes, as well as regulate the heat and air conditioning, and machines that can vacuum the floors without our help. Those able to afford it can buy self-driving cars – they just need to get in before the vehicles leave.

 

Whatever activity we can think of, there’s probably a tool to help in getting it done, from the moment we awaken to the second we lay our heads on the pillow to sleep.

 

But how about the spiritual dimension of our lives? What tools do we have for enhancing the quality of our walk with God?

 

One is obvious: the Bible, the Word of God. There’s no better tool for navigating the turbulent seas of right living. It provides timeless guidelines for morality and ethics. It helps establish priorities – to distinguish the important from the urgent, the best from what’s merely good. It gives answers to, “Why am I here?” “What’s my purpose in life?” “How can I know God?” “What happens when I die?” “Where can I find true peace and meaning in a chaotic, ever-changing world?”

 

As 2 Timothy 3:16-17 declares, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Years ago, I wrote a book of workplace meditations, “Business At Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace.” It shows how timeless principles from the Bible apply to the contemporary marketplace in practical ways.

 

Many of these same principles are useful for other areas of life as well – marriage, family, finances, leisure pursuits, our use of time, handling stress, communications, even sports. Especially in dealing with sin and our need for forgiveness. I love how this is expressed in Jeremiah 15:16, “Your words were found and I ate them. And your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart.”

 

The quality of our tools keeps getting better and better. This is true for the Bible and our ability to use it effectively. I can still remember, way back in 1978, when I discovered translations besides the revered King James Version, which dates back to 1611. Even though it has undergone numerous revisions through the years, some of its archaic terminology can challenge the reader.

 

The first modern translation I encountered was the New American Standard, although today we have dozens of accurate translations from which to choose, along with well-considered paraphrases. For someone seriously interested in giving the Bible an honest look, there are no longer any barriers.

 

We have a seemingly unending array of Bibles targeted to different interest groups – such as men, women, married couples, teens, children, business people, folks going through recovery programs, even editions to guide readers through the Bible in a year. Add to this amply footnoted study Bibles, commentaries, concordances, books, dictionaries and maps, and we have countless resources to help in fulfilling the command of 2 Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

 

One tool that’s often overlooked is a systematic approach to memorizing Scripture passages, a way to not only read and think about the Word of God, but also to file it in our spiritual filing cabinets for easy access, especially when a Bible might not be readily available or appropriate to pull out at the moment. 

 

I began using one such plan decades ago, The Navigators’ Topical Memory System, and have been able to retain many of the verses I learned through the years. As David wrote in Psalm 119:9,11, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word…. I have hidden my word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” 

 

“Hiding” biblical truth in our hearts by memorization dates back to the ancient Israelites, but its value and importance have never gone out of style. It enables us to experience the promise of Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”