The Importance of Being Firmly Rooted

The beach on Jekyll Island, S.C. is littered with driftwood,
the remnants of fallen trees.

Early in my walk of faith I was encouraged to join a small group discipleship program called the ‘2:7 Series.’ I decided to participate, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

The 2:7 Series was developed by The Navigators, a parachurch ministry that for many years has emphasized both evangelism and disciple-making, in keeping with Jesus’ commands to His followers. The ‘2:7’ refers to Colossians 2:7, which reads, “having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”

 

Those 25 words say a lot, but the ones that immediately jump out at me are “firmly rooted.” What comes to my mind are images of stately trees suddenly being uprooted in a severe storm, like a hurricane or intense thunderstorm. In our area we’ve recently experienced heavy rains with strong winds which upended a number of trees, in some cases knocking down power lines.

 

It’s not always the case, but when trees that have stood proudly for many years fall suddenly during storms, it’s often because they had shallow root systems. Nothing to anchor them to the ground when natural adversity in the form of heavy precipitation and harsh winds struck. They weren’t firmly rooted.

 

Spiritually speaking, having a firm, deep root system is even more important. Because challenges, trials, tribulations, major crises – or whatever you want to call them – are inevitable in this life. Faith will be tested, probably more than we’d like, and our responses will reveal how firmly rooted it is. 

 

The apostle Paul addresses this in his letter to the ancient church in Rome, just after he makes the now-familiar declaration, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). These can be greatly encouraging words, but only if we’re convinced that God is for us and that He works all things for our ultimate good.

 

A few verses later Paul writes this underscore: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39).

 

If we’re firmly rooted in our faith in an all-powerful, never-changing God, we can find much strength and assurance in such promises. However, if our spiritual root system is shallow, the proverbial mile-wide and one-inch deep, when the storms strike we’re likely to topple just as huge trees supported only by shallow roots.

 

At the very beginning of the Psalms, we see a description of a person whose faith is firmly rooted: “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” The preceding verse tells us what these “streams of water” are that enable this person to flourish: “…his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2-3).

 

In the small group discipleship program of which I was a part for a couple of years, we were encouraged to hear and read the Scriptures, study them, memorize key Bible verses, and meditate on them to take in as much spiritual nourishment from them as possible, much like a cow chewing its cud over and over. (I hope to write more about this in a future post.)

 

My favorite devotional writer, Oswald Chambers, focused on this in one of his recent meditations in My Utmost for His Highest. He said:

“God doesn’t promise to make us immune to trouble; God promises to be with us in trouble…. Trouble is never a noble thing, but neither is it all-powerful…. Let trouble be what it is. Let it be exhausting and irritating. But never let it separate you from the reality that God loves you.”

Someone has said that every follower of Christ either is in the midst of a trial, has just come out of a trial, or is getting ready to go into one. We’re broken people living in a broken world. But if we’re firmly rooted, our faith anchored in the timeless, limitless promises of our eternal God and His Word, no matter what hardships or adversities we’ll confront, they won’t take us down. 

Finding Value in ‘Refrigerator Verses’

Almost like it was yesterday, I remember memorizing my first Scripture verse. (Actually, it was more than 40 years ago.) I’d been familiar with several Bible passages for years, but the first one I learned word for word, including its ‘address’ – where it’s found in the Bible – was 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” Another translation says, “Pray continually.”

 

If you want to have early success in the skill of Scripture memorization, that’s a great verse to start with. The one that precedes it is even shorter – “Rejoice always.” There you go, two verses you can commit to memory, consisting of five words in all.

 

Depending on which Bible translation you use, the only that’s shorter is John 11:35, “Jesus wept.” But that’s not a verse people cite a lot. The ones about always rejoicing and praying continually are simple, yet practical and profound, the perfect starting point for novice verse memorizers.

 

A while back I heard a speaker refer to “refrigerator verses,” brief Bible passages sometimes printed on refrigerator magnets. These can also serve as handy reminders of truths that are foundational for our faith. 

 

Consider one we occasionally see displayed on a sign someone’s holding up in the end zone bleachers at a football game – John 3:16. It might be the most well-known verse of all: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” 

 

That one sentence encapsulates the limitless extent of God’s love; what Jesus Christ did on our behalf; and what we must do in response. It’s not as short – more than 20 words – but I’ve known quite a few kindergarten-age youngsters who can recite it by heart.

 

Many other Scripture passages could be good “refrigerator verse” candidates. Maybe a few come to your mind immediately. But someone might ask, “Why bother?”

 

Think of it this way: Whether we’re aware of it or not, we memorize lots of stuff – phone numbers, birthdates and anniversaries, addresses, the Pledge of Allegiance (at least we used to), song lyrics, times when our favorite shows are on TV.  If we can do all that, why’s it so hard to store some meaningful Bible verses into our memory banks? 

 

In striving to grow in our faith, whether we’re new believers or have been followers of Jesus for decades, wouldn’t it make sense to “hide God’s word in our hearts,” as King David declared in Psalm 119:11?

 

I remember a story about Dawson Trotman, founder of The Navigators and an enthusiastic advocate of Scripture memory. A frequent traveler, sometimes it wasn’t convenient for him to pull out his Bible, or it wasn’t readily available. Especially in parts of the world hostile to Christianity. However, having “hidden God’s word in his heart,” Trotman could readily recall the passages he’d committed to memory.

 

Many of the verses in my blog posts are ones I have memorized over the years, not only through rote repetition but also by often referring to them when circumstances dictated. For instance, when I find myself fretting over something that’s beyond my control, the admonition of 1 Peter 5:7 might come to mind: “Casting all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you.”

 

If I’m particularly concerned and need more to lower my anxiety level, I also consider Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Admittedly, that might be a bit long for a refrigerator magnet, but it’s an amazing assurance.

 

I’ll never forget the time a friend of mine, Pete George, who’s now with the Lord, gave the evening message at a conference. During his talk he cited at least 50 Scripture verses, not to show off his keen memory but to undergird the principles he sought to convey. Not once did he glance at his Bible or notes. Those verses had become part of the spiritual fabric of his being. Quoting them was as natural as breathing.

 

Have you ever tried Scripture memory? There are numerous plans available. However, I’ve found the best approach is when you read a particular verse that resonates with you, especially one that seems to address a situation you’re facing, take a few moments to write it down on an index card. (They still have those, right?) Then review it every day, whether you’re in your car (stopped at a light, not while you’re driving); at your desk at work, or even taped to the mirror in your bathroom.

As the apostle Paul exhorted his protégé, Timothy, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). When we memorize Scripture, we can file those verses in our spiritual filing cabinet and God through His Spirit can enable us to access them when needed. Even without a refrigerator. 

The Habit of Hiding the Right Words in Our Hearts

How good of a memory do you have? I’d venture to guess it’s a lot better than you think. For instance, you know your name, address and phone number, the names and birthdates of close family members and special friends, and probably several passwords. You know the directions to all of your favorite places, and can recite the days, times and channels of the TV shows you wouldn’t think of missing.

 

How about the lyrics to your favorite songs? Or lines from your favorite movies? If you’re a sports fanatic, you can probably recite lots of information about your favorite teams and recall details of memorable games and individual player performances. Maybe you can recite at least portions of historic documents like the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, or the Gettysburg Address.

 

We could suggest many other categories, but the point is simple: We have pretty good memories, as long as the things we’re remembering seem important enough to us. Which brings us to the topic I’d like to focus on: Scripture memory.

 

Scripture memory? I can almost hear some reading this responding, “Oh, I could never memorize Bible verses.” But in reality, you can – if it’s important enough to you. There’s no secret or magic to it. It’s just, as David wrote of the Scriptures available to him at the time, “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” (Psalm 119:9,11).

There was a time when I, too, would have insisted I couldn’t memorize passages from the Bible. But then I realized that I already had. Dating back to my elementary school days (back then we called it “grammar school”), I had learned a few of the Psalms, since we read them at the beginning of every school day, including psalms 1, 23 and 100. To this day, I can recite them – and it’s partly because of hearing them over and over before we started our classes.

 

Those days, of course, are sadly gone. In the supposed “wisdom” of the U.S. Supreme Court back in the 1960s, they determined the so-called “separation of church and state” – greatly misinterpreted, in my opinion – should prohibit prayer and Bible reading in public schools. It’s still done in many private schools today, but not in most public schools.

 

But I digress. At a marriage conference soon after I came to saving faith in Jesus Christ, the subject of Scripture memorization came up. It wasn’t a stern lecture or even a strongly persuasive presentation. The speakers that day simply pointed out that hiding God’s Word in our hearts is indeed a good idea, whether we’re striving to build a happy marriage, be effective parents, do well at our jobs, or just become good neighbors.

 

To help us, the husband-and-wife duo proposed our first memory verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, which says, “Pray without ceasing.” That’s it – three words. I thought, “I can handle that,” and it became the first of many verses and passages I’ve etched into memory over the years.

 

If you think memorizing three words, along with their “address,” is too difficult, what about the verse immediately preceding it: “Rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16). Actually, one Bible translation reverses the word count. In it the same verses say, “Be joyful always; pray continually.” The next verse is a bit more complicated, but very doable: “in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

 

The point is, why is it important – or meaningful – to stash such verses into our memory banks? I doubt if God will ask us one day, “And exactly how many verses did you memorize, My child?” But as David stated, it’s the way to “keep our way pure,” to learn how to consistently follow and live for the Lord everywhere and anywhere we go.

 

There’s much more I could say about my experiences with Scripture memory, but a key principle I learned is that the best way for securing them in our minds is to put them into use. For two years I participated in a small group discipleship study developed by The Navigators, and part of the commitment was memorizing specific verses and being able to recite them aloud. This might have seemed daunting to some, but being a goal-oriented person, I gladly accepted the challenge.

 

One week, however, the memory verse was lengthy. Even by breaking it down into sections, I was having trouble remembering it in its entirety. It was even printed on a small card so I could review it in my car – when I was stopped, of course. So one day I asked my assistant if I could review it with him, giving him the card to check my recitation. Saying the passage aloud, and sharing it with another person, was what I needed to cement it into my mind.

 

The verse was 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to ma;. and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” 

 

That’s a mouthful, no question, but its message is also very important. How are we to respond when tempted, when sin tries to lure us in? This reminds us that we’re not unique in the temptations we face, and don’t have to submit to them if we turn to God and His power. And it’s helpful to have in our spiritual “filing cabinet” for easy access in times of need.

 

So do you memorize passages from the Bible? If you do, great. If not, you can – if you want to. If you’re not sure where to start, choose a simple one. How about John 10:35, “Jesus wept”? Easy enough for you? Or if you read a verse that seems to speak directly to you, or hear one during a sermon or radio message, try working on that one. Because it’s important to you. Who knows? The practice might be life-changing!

Utilizing the ‘MMA’ for Spiritual Growth

Are you familiar with MMA? If not, it stands for Mixed Martial Arts, a sport that includes boxing and a mix of other combative techniques. The reason I ask is because every day we are all involved a battle – spiritual in nature – and one way of achieving victory is through another type of MMA: Memorization, Meditation and Application.

Spiritual growth, I’ve discovered, isn’t a continual upward trajectory. Initially it might seem that way, but sooner or later everyone hits a plateau, maybe even slips back a bit. We and Jesus don’t just ride off into the sunset without ever looking back.

This can be disconcerting because we live in an instant, right-now society. We’d like to become spiritual giants immediately; we don’t want to go through the daily grind that maturing in our walk with Christ requires. But we don’t have any choice in the matter.

Many books have been written about the process of growing in our faith, so I won’t try to present a simple how-to here. But if we can get a handle on the importance of “spiritual MMA,” that would be a good start.

Years ago, The Navigators developed what they called the “Word Hand Illustration,” representing five methods for effectively taking in the Word of God. The five fingers represent hearing, reading, studying, memorizing and meditating. This have proved helpful for my own spiritual growth, and I’m going to focus briefly on the importance of Memorization and Meditation. But I think the “hand” might need a sixth finger - Application. Thus, the “MMA.”

Most of us have heard the Word preached and taught through sermons, or at conferences and retreats. Reading the Bible is an excellent habit some of us maintain on a daily basis. And the most industrious of us study the Scriptures, perhaps by reading slowly and thoughtfully or using supplemental tools like commentaries and concordances.

But when it comes to memorizing Scripture, or meditating on it, I suspect fewer of us are actively involved in these practices. And it’s to our detriment.

“I can’t memorize things!” people say. Really? We all know phone numbers, home addresses, names of family members and friends (sometimes even their birthdates), our Social Security number, and the days, times and channels our favorite TV shows come on. There are lots of other things we memorize. So the excuse, “I can’t memorize,” isn’t valid unless we have a true memory disability. It all comes down to this: If it’s important enough to remember, we can memorize it if necessary.

I used to fall into the “I can’t memorize Bible verses” camp myself, until I realized that through repetition I had learned passages like Psalm 1, Psalm 100 and Psalm 23 (“the shepherd’s psalm") even as a boy. That was when the Bible could still be read in public schools; too bad that’s no longer the case.

But as an adult, I still didn’t think Scripture memory was for me. Then my wife and I attended a marriage conference where the speakers said memorizing meaningful Bible verses would be helpful. They got us started by teaching 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “pray without ceasing.” That was it – three words. In short order I had succeeded in memorizing my first verse. 

Then I found an even easier verse that immediately preceded the one I had just learned: “Rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16). Wow! Two verses and five words launching my Scripture memory journey.

Soon afterward I got into a small group discipleship program that included learning a total of 65 verses over a period of two years. They weren’t all as simple as the first two I memorized, but this practice proved foundational for my spiritual growth early on. As King David wrote, “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” (Psalm 119:9,11).

That “hiding God’s Word in my heart” became real not only through rote memorization but also through meditation. No, I didn’t sit with legs crossed yoga-style, mumbling some mantra. But I did spend a lot of time pondering not just the words but also what they meant. This brought to mind a verse from one of those psalms I had memorized in my boyhood: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2).

Preacher Charles H. Spurgeon used to explain that in reviewing Bible passages for his sermons, he would ask, “What does it say? What does it mean? What difference does it make?” This led me to the third part of MMA – application. In fact, I realized that sometimes the best way to memorize a verse or Bible passage, particularly one that was long and complicated, was to put it into practice. 

One of the verses I found especially helpful in this regard was 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” Pondering this verse I concluded that the Word of God is not only inspired by Him through His Spirit, but it’s also intended for practical use in our everyday life.

There’s much more I could say about this, but I’d like to close by asking: Are you taking advantage of “MMA” for the spiritual battles we face each day? 

In the sixth chapter of Ephesians, we read about the “armor of God,” and the one offensive weapon of this armor is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). Without striving for mastery of God’s Word, it’s like going to war with guns but no bullets. Is it time you got your ammunition?

Hiding So We Can Seek

Remember the children’s game, “hide and seek”? Some of our grandkids still play it. What a simple game: One person closes his or her eyes, counts to 10, 20 – or 100 – while the others conceal themselves somewhere in the yard or the house. Younger ones get easily frustrated seeking to find the “hiders,” so after a few minutes it’s kind to let them “find” you.

While I haven’t played the hide and seek game in a long while, for a long time I’ve been playing a kind of spiritual hide-and-seek that has proved to be important to God’s growth process for me.

In the early ‘80s I participated in a discipling group using material by The Navigators. A requirement of the three-year program was to memorize the 60 verses in the Navs’ Topical Memory System, along with a set of five verses called “Beginning With Christ.” Learning 65 verses, including title and “address,” seemed daunting but spread out over many months it wasn’t too bad. Especially for goal-oriented people like me.

It wasn’t the task itself that mattered, but the forming of a spiritual “filing system” in my mind for accessing Bible passages that applied to everyday circumstances. Followers of Jesus are instructed to actively and earnestly seek Him. In Isaiah 55:6 we read, “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.”  Jesus later said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). While this can apply to any specific needs, there’s no greater need than a deepening relationship with the Lord.

One effective way to do this is by “hiding” the Word of God in our hearts. Many centuries ago, King David wrote, “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” (Psalm 119:9,11).

The apostle Paul, writing to his protégé, Timothy, also affirmed the importance of knowing – and applying – biblical truth in everyday life: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

I sometimes hear people respond defensively, “Oh, I’m terrible at memorizing. I could never memorize Scripture.” Really? What’s your phone number? What about your spouse, or teenage son or daughter? Your Social Security number? Your home address? Or when your favorite TV shows are on? 

Can you recite the Pledge of Allegiance or the Lord’s Prayer, or sing all the words to the Star-Spangled Banner, or your favorite pop song? How many passwords have you stored in your memory bank? 

Granted, some people find memorizing things easier than others, but we can usually commit to memory anything that’s really important to us.

The point isn’t that we can brag about how many Bible verses we know. It’s about being able to retrieve God’s Word whenever we need it, even if a Bible isn’t readily available. Dawson Trotman, founder of The Navigators, placed high emphasis on Scripture memorization and made it an integral part of discipling others. His work often took him to remote places around the world, and he found much comfort and assurance by being able to call to mind meaningful passages applicable for the need of the hour when a Bible wasn’t handy.

Today, faced with a daily barrage of negative communication, it’s helpful to pay heed to passages like Philippians 4:8, which says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Nothing better fits those descriptions than the timely, always reliable Word of God. If you’re seeking the Lord, try hiding – His Word in your heart.

Hiding the Truth Where You Can Find It

How good are you at remembering things? Many people are quick to complain, “I have such a terrible memory.” But in many cases, our memories aren’t nearly as bad as we claim. For instance, do you know your home address? Social Security number? Your phone number, or those of friends, close family members, or where you work? How about lines from movies, or lyrics of favorite songs or hymns?

Virtually all of us succeed at memorizing information that’s important to us. Maybe we can’t recite the Declaration of Independence verbatim or the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, but we usually can manage committing to memory those things dear to our hearts.

Meeting with men I’m mentoring or discipling, I often suggest they try memorizing key verses of Scripture. If they reply, “Oh, I can’t memorize things,” I’m apt to raise a skeptical eyebrow. I sometimes tell them point-blank, “You can if you want to.”

But why bother? What’s the big deal about memorizing some verses from the Bible? We’re not trying to win a contest at church, or show off during a Sunday school class, are we? Not at all. In the Scriptures, however, God makes it clear He desires for us to make His inspired Word integral to our lives. The Bible shouldn’t be some reference book we consult every once in a while.

A profound statement about this is found in Psalm 119:9-11. King David wrote, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word…. Your word I have treasured in my heart that I may not sin against You.” The NIV translates it, “I have hidden in my heart.”

Both terms convey a strong commitment to embracing God’s truth, appreciating its great value for everyday living. The apostle Paul affirmed this in writing to Timothy, whom he had been discipling: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

This tells us the Lord inspired men to put into writing His truth for everyday application. It’s not to be confined to a worship center’s sanctified halls.

An example is Dawson Trotman, founder of The Navigators, a ministry that has made Scripture memory an important part of its discipling strategies. Trotman traveled all around the world, and often didn’t have a Bible readily available. But, having been diligent to memorize and meditate on the Scriptures, he could always access them from memory whenever needed.

How do we go about “treasuring” or “hiding” the Word of God in our hearts? There’s not just one way, but I’ve learned a few helpful tips over the years.

Years ago, my wife and I were attending a marriage conference when the speaker suggested making a commitment to memorize verses from the Bible. I had learned the 23^rd Psalm from hearing it repeated when I was in grade school. (The supposed total “separation of church and state” hadn’t been discovered yet. How scandalous was that?) But I’d never thought of making a conscious effort to commit to memory passages from the Bible.

The speaker suggested starting with a verse that’s easy to remember, such as 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” Only three words? That would be easy enough. Then he added, “If that seems too difficult, try the verse that precedes it: 1 Thessalonians 5:16, ‘Rejoice always.””

Wow! Suddenly I had two Bible verses committed to my “remembery.” Later I discovered other short verses, most notably John 11:35, which states, “Jesus wept.” Eventually, however, I realized the key for effective Scripture memory was not picking out simple passages, but finding ones that had special meaning or importance. Those are the ones most easily hidden or treasured in our hearts.

Before long I took on a little more ambitious challenge and memorized Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

This passage became my life verse that to this day serves as a foundation for my faith and trust in God, no matter what circumstances I face. Looking over the course of my life, I’ve been able to see that even when I didn’t understand what was happening, I could trust Him – and He truly has directed my paths.

At times, I’ve tried to learn a new verse that seemed too difficult. The solution was not only to try learning the words and their context, but also put the passage into use. One of those was 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

I was trying to learn it unsuccessfully until I decided to share it with a friend as we were riding in his car to a meeting. He wasn’t a follower of Christ, but I asked if he’d mind if I recited the verse since I was trying to learn it, and he didn’t object.

Without realizing it at the time, I was applying the principle from another verse, James 1:22, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Soon I had “hidden” the verse in my heart – and many times, when confronted by temptation, I’ve brought it to mind for help in making the right decisions. I guess it’s okay to hide the Word of God – as long as you know where to find it.

It’s There, Just Bubbling Below the Surface

This official image from "The Beverly Hillbillies" TV
comedy shows them after finding "bubblin' crude" oil.

Remember the theme song of the classic TV comedy, “The Beverly Hillbillies”? It told how Jed Clampett and his family struck it rich on their homestead: “And up through the ground come a bubblin’ crude. Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.” Wouldn’t it be fun to make a similar discovery in our own back yards?

But the “Hillbillies” ditty didn’t tell the whole story. Finding crude oil is just the beginning of a complex process. Typically, it’s not “bubblin’” out of the ground. There’s a lot involved in discovering where raw petroleum can be located, then extracted from the ground, refined for a wide array of uses, including gasoline and motor oil, and only then taken to market.

My friend, Clarence, and I were talking about this as he shared the idea for a book he’s hoping to write. (I won’t elaborate on that – I’ll wait until it’s published.) But as we talked, it occurred to us that this process – exploration and discovery, extraction, refining, and implementation – applies to many areas of life.

For instance, recently I’ve learned two friends have daughters with great artistic promise. Their talents seem almost prodigious. But knowing they have innate abilities in the arts isn’t enough. They’ll need to draw it out, pursue ways to develop it, and then learn how to utilize it not only for personal enjoyment but also as a potential livelihood.

The same can be said of people with natural leadership abilities, people skilled in various crafts, schoolteachers, accountants, scientists, chefs and so on. What do they have a knack for – and a passion? How can they start “extracting” those abilities that lie within, refining them, and putting them to use for the benefit of many?

The psalmist wrote of God, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:13-16).

I believe this passage speaks of much more than prenatal development. It also refers to how God has uniquely designed each of us, providing unique personalities, talents and traits for use in life. Our challenge is to discover them (the “crude oil” the Lord has instilled in us), draw them out (with the help of others), nurture them for usefulness, and then put them to use.

There’s one other important application for this process of exploration, extraction, refining and implementation. It involves the Bible, the Word of God.

As a teen I read through the Scriptures, cover to cover, as a personal project. Just so I could say, “I’ve read the Bible.” But during that endeavor, I didn’t discover anything. I didn’t extract anything. I certainly didn’t refine, or implement anything I read. I simply read the 66 books to say that I had.

Only years later, desiring to know God better and understand what being a follower of Jesus Christ means, did I begin the digging and learning, understanding and applying.

The Navigators' "Hand Illustration"

The Scriptures clearly address these crucial steps: To believers in the city of Colossae, the apostle Paul wrote of discovery: “…the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26-27).

What are we to do with God’s truth after it’s been discovered? We’re to extract and dig into it deeply: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked…. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-1-2).

Next comes the “refining” of wisdom and understanding of what God has entrusted to us. Paul wrote to his protégé, Timothy: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Finally, the Scriptures instruct us, don’t just hold onto God’s truth and ponder it. Use it, as Paul admonished followers of Christ in the ancient city of Philippi: “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice” (Philippians 4:9).

Years ago, The Navigators, a ministry of evangelism and discipleship, developed “the Hand Illustration.” It depicts five steps in mastering and utilizing biblical truth: Hear, read, study, memorize, meditate. This visual is helpful because if we’re faithful in implementing each, we can’t help but do what the apostle told the Philippians. To offer a paraphrase, he was saying, “Okay, you know it. Now do what it says!” The Bible’s not intended to remain just “bubblin’ crude.”