The first 5 years of our marriage, Jill and I lived in a house owned by the church. One of the perks to living on Church property is that the lawn is taken care of. However, because of that, we didn’t pay much attention to the yard (my passion for yard maintenance came after the kids arrived and dad-mode was activated). One summer we began to notice an abnormally long weed growing out of the ditch by the road. It had gotten so big that the lawn crew was mowing around it every week, thinking we had planted it there. I'm ashamed to say how long it took me to finally walk out there and examine it, but when I did, I pulled back its leaves only to discover a plump, ripe watermelon. "How is this possible? We didn’t plant this…?" I thought. More than likely it was the result of someone spitting watermelon seeds out of the window as they drove by. I know that plant certainly didn't spring from nothing. The bottom line is this: where there is fruit, there is ALWAYS a seed.

THE WORD

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

James 1:21-22

Our church is currently in a sermon series exploring why the Word of God is so indispensable for a believer's life. James clearly states that not only do we need to hear it, read it, and know it, but we need to plant it within our hearts. The Bible is not just a book to be read, it is seed to be sown.

If the expectation of the Christian life is to BEAR FRUIT, then naturally the only way we can do that is to plant seed. Now for the hard truth: if you’re not seeing fruit in your life it may be because you’re not sowing seed in your heart.

Often, within the Church, I think we tend to oversimplify instructing people to just "go home and read your Bible." If we're being honest, it's not exactly an easy read. 66 books written by 40 different authors, over a span of 1500 years, available in hundreds if not thousands of translations (including other languages)... and it's not even a book, it's a LIBRARY of books complete with various genres including history, poetry, and more!

Opening the Word can be intimidating enough, let alone planting it. However it's the lamp to our feet, the light to our path, the bread that sustains us, and the sword that protects us. If you're going to be a follower of Jesus, you're going to have to be a planter of His Word.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO PLANT THE WORD?

The most simple way I can answer that question is this: with MEMORIZATION and MEDITATION. Memorizing and meditating on the Word brings healing to your spirit, body, and soul.

Have you heard about Neural pathways? They are parts of our brain that basically serve as roadways for our thoughts. The more you think a specific thought the wider that pathway becomes, therefore the easier it is for your thoughts to continue going down that path. Think of it like a path in the woods. The first time someone goes in, they create a little foot path. As more people walk on it, it becomes a trail, then perhaps a dirt road, and before you know it, years later they could be laying a FREEWAY through where a forest once stood simply because of the amount of traffic over time. Neuro-scientists have discovered that our thoughts create pathways in a very similar way. I once heard someone say “Your brain is wired to use the LEAST amount of energy possible to come to a conclusion.” That means your thoughts will gravitate to what you have most internalized.

Romans 12:2 tells us to "not be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." The renewing of your mind is the rewiring of your brain. Memorizing scripture may sound like a school assignment or something you do in Children’s Church growing up, but this should remain a part of your spiritual formation all throughout your life. Planting requires a process. A seed must be nurtured, watered, protected, and properly positioned to go from SEED to FRUIT. (Plant-moms can confirm.) In the same way we can't expect to just simply read our Bible plan and have it bear fruit if we're not willing to record, reflect, and remember what we read.

5 TIPS FOR PLANTING THE WORD

1. Adopt a SYSTEM.

It's wise to systemize the things that we want to be most committed to. I've found people tend to place a negative stigma around treating your time in the word like a chore, but chores are the things we know we can't afford to avoid! I respect not wanting to "go through the motions" with the Bible but I would rather fight with my heart at the same time each day than fight with my schedule because I refuse to make it a priority.

Adopting a system often looks like:

a. Getting a Bible reading plan so you can remove the mystery of where to read each day. (Visit Breezewoodchurch.org/nextsteps or tons of other places online to find a good one.

b. Committing to a daily time and guarding it.

c. Disciplining yourself to journal and reflect on at least one thing you read each day.

Your system for memorizing scripture and journaling doesn't have to look the same as anyone else, but you are going to have to find a method that works for you if you plan to make this a consistent part of your life.

2. Take small BITES.

I need to confess something: I have never read the Bible in a year. Now before you drag me into the center of town and stone me, let me just explain myself. I personally find it very unfruitful to read large portions of the Bible at a time. Typically I set aside the mornings to read through scripture slowly and the evenings, before bed, to read a whole chapter or more of the Bible.

Relieve yourself of the pressure to read it all and know it all! Take one scripture at a time if that's what it takes to get the Word inside of you. When I first began to really get into the Word I determined to STOP READING when a verse or even just a word hit me. I would write it in my journal, reflect on it, pray through it, and begin the process of memorizing it. Once I had it down, I moved on to the next one. Getting in the Word is not as important as getting the Word into you. Completing a Bible plan is a great goal but not always the most fruitful one.

3. RELEVANCE matters.

I've noticed that when I find a good tv show my mind automatically wanders back to it throughout the day, wondering what will happen next or when a specific plot point will be unraveled. When something intrigues you, your mind will naturally gravitate to it in the quieter moments of your day.

If the scripture doesn’t mean anything to you, it won’t stick. So the first step to applying the Word to your life is applying the Word to the page. By journaling revelation you receive from the scriptures, you are involving your heart in its truth. Sit in the scriptures that come alive to you. Memorize the ones that LEAP from the page into your heart.

Meditating on the scriptures is the key to conquering unhealthy and intrusive thinking patterns. We all battle with toxic thoughts that can seemingly wage war against us at any time. The more you can equip yourself with ammunition to counteract those thoughts when they come, the better off you will be. The only way we are able to "take every thought captive and make it obedient to Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5) is if we know what it is Jesus commands and that means we must know His Word.

4. REPETITION helps.

Write the scriptures over and over. Force yourself to say them out loud from memory. Write them on the back of your hand or use them as the background of your phone. The point is to keep the Word before you daily. Moses instructed the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6 to "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. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

Even though I grew up in church and could quote many scriptures I had heard over the years, I never opened the Bible for myself until around the age of 17. As I grew in the discipline of the Word I eventually developed a habit of writing specific verses that I wanted to memorize on individual notecards and keeping them in a small basket. Over 15 years later I still add to that basket and it sits on the desk in my office. To this day I regularly pull cards out as I walk the church campus and pray through them. I certainly don't have them all memorized but they stand to be of great value to me as a tangible part of my spiritual walk and history with God.

Repeating scripture over and over is like muscle memory for your brain. The same way you don't forget to ride a bike, or shoot a ball, or play an instrument simply by constant repetition is the same way your brain won't forget the Word that you set out to plant within your heart.

5. Do whatever it takes.

This is obviously very broad and perhaps not helpful, but I make it the final tip simply to emphasize that whatever sacrifice this may require of you, whatever frustration this may cause in you, and however many trial-and-errors you may have to endure, it's worth it.

If Jesus thought scripture to be the most effective strategy against the enemy while enduring the wilderness, there's no hope for the soul who convinces himself otherwise. Abundance often lies on the other side of inconvenience. Jesus promised an abundant life to those who are willing to lay down their own. What the planted scripture is able to do for you is far more valuable than what it will cost for it to take root. Choose TODAY to begin your journey of making the Word a priority in your daily life and bring a few friends along with you.