Memorization Monday
On Sunday evening I had the privilege of sharing the gospel with someone’s beloved grandmother who will depart this earth very soon. Her family is very concerned for her spiritual state because, though she has been gracious in her life, there is no indication that she has ever experienced the grace of God in salvation through Jesus Christ. I mention this because I felt once again the importance of Scripture memory because of a dumb mistake I made. As a rule I never visit someone in the hospital without my pocket NAS Bible. I have read from it many times at the bedside of children, the elderly and my own family. However Sunday night, in somewhat of a rush, I forgot it. The family graciously gave me an opportunity to minister to her and to speak with liberty about her soul and her desperate need of Christ. For a long while, all I had was the Scriptures tucked away in my pea-sized brain. The Lord was gracious and brought many lengthy passages to memory but it reminded me once again of the need to “hide away” the Scriptures in my life.
Hereafter, I will use Mondays to highlight a passage that I would recommend for memorization. I think longer passages are better than a verse here or there but you can do what works best for you. If your not convinced that Scripture memory is for you than I would recommend you read Psalm 119 to remind you of its crucial importance. For too long the people of God have gotten by on a paltry diet of therapeutic quips from man’s wisdom or trite truisms that have no eternal value. So redeem the time today by satiating your mind with the Word of the Lord. You may be called on when you least expect it.
Today I am working on memorizing Isaiah 53. Blessings to you.
posted by Paul Lamey at 9:02 AM
2 Comments:
Paul, what process do you use to memorize? My wife and I have been working to memorize this past year. I was reading Piper's 'When I Don't Desire God' and in chapter 8 he gives a process that has been very effective for us. I am halfway through Romans 8 and my wife has memorized Philippians and is almost done with the first chapter of James. If you are interested I have linked to FBC Durham's website at my own:
http://www.throwtheword.com/doctrine/2006/01/extended-memorization-of-scripture.html let me know what you think.
Stephen,
I have seen Andy Davis's suggestions on memorization before and they are very helpful and practical. For me there is no substitute for repetition. I print out the given passage and recite over and again throughout my day. I also focus on the numbers as well because I shortchange myself if I don't know where the verse is. Working on passages helps me to get the context and flow rather than focus on a verse here or there. My wife and I also work on the same passages every week so we can help each other. I don't think there is any magical solution other than hard work and consistency but it always pays off in many ways.Thanks for dropping by.
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