From “Discipleship and Discipline” by William H. Hicks, copyright March, 2005:

“The second responsibility of Christ’s disciples is to be a student of God’s Word.  In II Timothy 1: 13, Paul encourages Timothy as follows:  “Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.”  We disciples should have the same attitude as the Berean Christians who, Paul notes, “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.”  (Acts 17: 11).  Our Lord Himself said, in John 8: 31, “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples;” and again, in John 8: 47, He says, “He who is of God hears the words of God;”; and again, in John 14: 23, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him.”  When I was a young boy (7 – 12 years old), we were in church all day on Sundays.  We attended Sunday School at 9:30AM, 11:00AM worship, had dinner at church at about 1:30PM to 3:00PM, had afternoon worship beginning at 3:00PM or 4:00PM, and then had evening worship beginning at 7:00PM.  That’s a long time for a kid to be in church!  Between worship services, particularly between the 11:00 AM service and the afternoon service, I would stand in the pulpit and read the Bible.  For hours at a time.  I would read any Scripture that I could.  I didn’t know that God was working on me even then; I just was totally absorbed in His Word.”