The Israelites are supposed to write all the words of the law on the stones that are set up and plastered together, permanently. They are to write them plainly.

Do you keep God’s law before you? Do you know His Word plainly? Do you ever write out verses in your own words or rephrase them in your own way?

I don’t mean changing Scripture or making it suit your needs, but I do mean putting God’s truth in your mind and heart and mouth by making it your own, repeating it in your own way.

For instance, when Jesus taught the disciples to pray, He didn’t say, “Repeat this prayer.” He gave an example of how to pray, an example of the manner in which to pray.

You can pray, “Lord, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” But you could also pray, “Lord, let your will be done in my life and in my home as it is in heaven.”

Sometimes for personal Bible study, I write out verses, maybe just a couple of verses on a page. I don’t write them normally, though. I write things that go together, maybe under each other, and things like that. Then I underline things in various colors, like red for a command. Then at the bottom of the page I write out what I think the verses are saying, summarize them.

When I get to the end of the book, I’ll write a summary of the book.

I’m currently working on memorizing Ephesians. There’s no need to memorize exactly one translation. There are many translations. I don’t need to know one of them. I am after God’s words, not a translation. When there is just one too many “according to“or other such awkward phrasings at times, I adapt it. I’m not changing God’s Word. I’m putting it in my heart. It needs to go in how I will understand and be able to hold onto it. Recite God’s Word with feeling, not with rote memory. Say it like you mean it.

Repeating God’s words to yourself is in a way exactly what it means to meditate on them. Get God’s Word in front of you and on your heart and mind.