Show Thyself Approved!

2Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

When I was in school our teachers would instruct us on developing good study habits. They knew that if they could get us students to practice this principle it would be of great value to us for the rest of our lives. They would always remind us not to wait until the night before your exam to beginning studying. This panic behavior was called cramming. Cramming involves trying to pack a large amount of information into our brain in a short amount of time. This normally proved to be a very exhausting and unwise practice. The brain best retains and remembers information by repetition.
The scriptures instruct us to study. The word study is defined as the process of learning about a subject by reading, thought, intuition, or research. Studying is a process, line upon line, precept upon precept. Studying requires meditation and pondering. It involves research, seeking, searching, and digging. It requires interest, if it is of no interest to you, more than likely you won’t stay with it long enough to absorb it. It requires time and attention. One should never plan to study something unless they can give the subject their undivided attention and sufficient time in their day. Distractions promote ignorance. How can you retain something specific if you have 25 other things interrupting your thought process?
Some people think that their spirit man is incapable of being distracted but this is quite the contrary. Our spirits must mature and be trained in the arena of focus. The bible tells us to set our affections on things above, this takes practice. To set something implies you have to hold something in place until it is immovable. We have to resist the temptation to wander and drift, this to takes practice.
When I hear the word study, I hear discipline. A person who is studious generally is a person of discipline. Discipline speaks of control and order. Have you ever tried to study a subject with unorganized notes? It is very frustrating and time wasting to study like that.
An effective student is a consistent student. Giving time each day and sometimes several times a day, depending on the project, can yield great results. A consistent student generally is a confident student, they are not freaking out on test day. Jesus never showed up for a test with anxiety, He was always in peace because He was prepared!