Bind [my commands] on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart (Proverbs 7:3).

The Proverbs (and the Bible in general) regularly speak of binding or inscribing God's Word directly onto one's person.  Bind it on your fingers... Write it on your heart... Fasten it around your neck... Wear it like a crown... Strap it onto your forehead... It's an interesting way of thinking about applying the wisdom of the Bible.  Ancient Jews took these distinctives quite literally, making small boxes called tefillin (or also known by their Greek name, phylacteries) which could hold a tiny scroll and be strapped onto the forehead or arm.  But what is the best way to interpret the directives of Proverbs 7:3 for today?

I believe a significant part of the application of this verse may be memorization -- internalizing the words of Scripture to such an extent that they become a part of us, just like our fingers or our hearts.  But are there other ways, too?  What about "Christian jewelry" -- like the "gospel bracelets" with beads of five different colors symbolizing the gospel story, or the 1990s phenomenon of WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) accessories?  I cringe to think of these trends -- which are, to my personal taste, somewhat tacky -- might actually be biblically-motivated... but then again, maybe they're fulfilling Proverbs 7:3 in their own ways.  I've seen other believers embrace this concept by going to the tattoo parlor -- having Bible references inscribed on their bodies, or Greek or Hebrew letters, or visual representations of biblical themes; but again, I'm not so sure if this is really "my thing."

So how would I do it?  How do I bind God's commands on my fingers and write them on the tablet of my heart?  Well, in addition to memorization (which is probably about 75 percent of it for me) -- one of the things I like to do, in the spirit of Proverbs 7:3, is to give the Bible a prominent place in my home, in my backpack (which I always carry with me), on the table at the cafe where I'm sitting, and wherever I go.  I like to read it when I've got a few minutes of downtime -- and then not  just hastily hide it when my next appointment comes up.  I like to reference the Bible in conversation, while actually being able to poing to the physical book or gesture towards it.  I want to be known as a "person of the Book," as Christians have been known, for centuries, and give the Bible a place of prominence in my life.

Another way that I bind God's commands on my fingers and write them on my heart is to integrate the Bible into my smartphone -- which, let's be honest, has become something of an extension to the human body in our times.  I store Bible texts that I'm trying to memorize in the Notes section of my mobile device... I use Bible-based applications on the device... I listen to teachings on the integrated audio player... I follow blogs of respected Christian thinkers... And in all of these things, I like to think that I'm binding the Word of God to my person.

But these are just a couple of scattered thoughts.  How do you bind God's commands on your fingers and write them on the tablet of your heart?  If you have any clever ideas along these lines, I'd be interested in hearing about them.