I can remember a time when my grandfather and I were at a counter service restaurant. As we ordered our meals, I noticed a scripture written on a whiteboard at the back of an “employees-only” door. On it, Luke 17:6 was written in full—“He replied, ‘If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.’” Later, when we picked up our drinks, I saw the very same verse—this time, just as the chapter-and-verse reference— written in ballpoint pen on the side of the cup of lemonade. Little did those employees at that restaurant know that they encouraged me so much that day.

Scripture is absolutely meant to be shared. Though God gave us His word to hide in our hearts, according to Psalm 119:11, He also meant for us to share it freely with others. Because this idea is so important, I want to present to you three ways that I’ve found to be effective when sharing scriptures.

1. In order to effectively share scripture, you must discover God’s Word for yourself. 

This can be achieved through daily Bible study, whether on your own, in Bible class, or with the aid of a guided study. Studying scripture on your own allows you to become intimate with His Word, and your relationship with God will grow because of it. You can also grow your relationship with Him and the scriptures themselves in group studies, and see how others react to and reflect on the verses you discover together. There are so many resources out there that can help you study the Bible alone or with others in a way that allows you to grow not only in your knowledge of what His Word says, but also in your relationship with God Himself.

2. Once you find a scripture, find your outlet. 

The verse shared with me at the restaurant was by way of a ballpoint pen note on a Styrofoam cup. You can share your favorite verses through cards, social media updates, or small doodles on Post-It notes, to name a few methods. Whether you want to stay conventional or go out of your comfort zone, sharing scriptures becomes easier the more you do so. Also, where you share scripture makes a difference. Scripture is well-received in a public place – like the restaurant I visited—or privately in a card envelope. However and wherever you share it, verses in God’s Word will always be meaningful and faithful, even in ways that you cannot see in the present moment. It’s important to make a habit of it, which leads me to my third and final point …

3. The most important thing is to keep on sharing scripture.

Consider modern news media today; how do you think it spreads so quickly? Normally, it’s by television or a newspaper, but in this modern day and age, we receive news from our computers or even our cell phone screens. The secret to getting news out is releasing it in a timely manner, and repetitively, so the world knows about it. Imagine if you shared scripture the same way. Imagine if you shared your favorite verse the moment you found it to everyone on your Facebook friends list or to your Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram followers. If everybody did this, can you imagine how much scripture would be shared? Better yet, can you imagine the impact that could have on anyone—and everyone—who sees what scripture you share? In this way, sharing scripture is an incredibly easy, but incredibly powerful form of evangelism; scripture shared by Christians—and shared often—can be a positive impact on this world today.

In closing, I want to share one more component that’s just as important as sharing scripture—memorization. Sharing a verse you love via handwritten or electronic methods is one thing, but it’s also just as important to to commit it to memory. When it’s in your memory, you’re more readily able to share it. That way, whether you’ve known a specific verse a only for a week or your entire life, you’ll be at the ready to help someone else, and be able to fulfill your calling as given in the Great Commission, expressed in Matthew 28:18-20: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

By Savannah Cottrell

This article appears in the December 2014 issue of Think magazine.