Know the Word

Photo by Joel Muniz on Unsplash.

Access to the Bible is so prevalent in America, why should anyone memorize verses? The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. We can find it in any local book store, hotel, or hospital room. One can even read the Bible online and cross-reference against at least a dozen versions to understand the Scripture better. Our Constitution upholds a freedom of religion so believers can go to church and hear the truth.
 
Not all countries have ready access to the Word of God. In his book “The Heavenly Man,” Brother Yun describes how when he read the book of Matthew, he memorized the whole thing and later shared it with his family and neighbors. In China, they didn’t have Bibles lying around to read at one’s leisure.
 
During the Soviet Union, a group of young adults met in secret in Moscow to see how much of the Bible they could reconstruct from what they had memorized. In the course of the week, they wrote down the four gospels, much of the Psalms, and many hymns.
 
How could these young people memorize whole books of the Bible? One verse at a time.
 
The key to learning anything is starting small. I love God’s Word, but am nowhere near able to recite an entire gospel like these people in closed countries. I spent one year memorizing the book of Philippians, but it took the entire year. Learning God’s Word takes effort, but the time invested will yield eternal rewards. Here are a few reasons we should learn Scriptures:

Love for God

If someone you loved wrote you a letter, wouldn’t you read it? And if it included encouraging words, maybe you would even repeat those words to yourself. When I love God, I will not only want to read His Word, but commit it to memory.

Desire for Obedience

Since God’s love language is obedience (John 14:15), if I want to obey God, I need to know the Word. Psalm 119:11 says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” The Holy Spirit uses each verse I treasure to help me not to succumb to temptation.
 
Memorized verses are strong weapons in my spiritual arsenal to undermine the attacks of the enemy. First Corinthians 10:13 that says, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” God won’t tempt me, instead He will create a way for me to escape if I look for the exit ramp.
 
An example would be when I want to snap at someone irritating. The Holy Spirit reminds me of Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (NKJV). I have a choice in how I respond. I can answer with soft words or makes things worse by countering with frustration. Thinking about the verse slows my reaction time and helps me respond with kindness that dissipates tense moments. All because I knew the verse.

Importance of Learning the Whole Verse

One problem I face is memorizing Scripture references. In writing this blog, I forgot that the verse I just used was found in Proverbs 15:1. Fortunately, I used a concordance, but that is not always an option. Once while doing missions overseas, I tried to find a Bible verse for someone in a foreign language. I couldn’t whip out my Russian concordance because I didn’t have one. I missed the chance to share the gospel to an interested soul because I focused on memorizing just the words in the verse. Knowing where the passage is from is just as important.
 
Now that we’ve discussed some of the benefits of committing God’s Word to heart, will you join me in memorizing Scripture? On my social media, I used to post a verse of the day. The Lord placed on my heart a desire to share a memory verse of the week. I write the same verse every day for a week so that repeated exposure helps the truth stick in people’s minds. Here’s this week’s memory verse:

Proverbs 3:3, “Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.”
 
Proverbs 3:3 admonishes us to tie mercy and truth around our necks and write them on my hearts, wearing them wherever we go. When we keep God’s truth nearby, we won’t rush into sin from deceit because truth outshines the lies. Mercy will catch us if we fall and usher us back into the light of the Lord.
 
Each post includes short notes of commentary or memorization tips. If you are like me, especially since the invention of smart phones, I find it tough to remember anything. Here is a list of ten ways to help you memorize Bible verses.   

Ten Scripture Memory Techniques:

1. Print a coloring page with the verse and dwell on God’s Word while creating a beautiful depiction of the truth. Hang it where you can see it to help you remember the words.
2. Use hand lettering to write the verse and draw a picture showing its meaning.
3. Write the verse on an index card and keep it in your pocket. Read it while stuck in line at the grocery store or waiting for your child’s band practice to end.
4. Set Scripture to your favorite song or make up your own tune and sing the Scriptures into your heart.
5. Record yourself reading the verse and play it on repeat while driving around town.
6. Make up motions for the words of each Scripture to act out what God’s Word is saying.
7. Create a Scripture journal. Write the verse by hand 10 times every day.
8. Read the verse aloud five times every morning and night including the verse’s address.
9. Find a Scripture memory buddy and text each other the passage every morning. Call each other at least once a week to recite the verse.
10. Write the verse on ten separate sticky notes and put them in your purse, pocket, desk, countertop, bathroom mirror, etc. Saturate yourself with the Scripture in places you will be throughout the day.
    

Even if you don’t want to learn the same verse that God leads me to share on a given week, you can find another one that closer matches your needs. May we exercise our rights to learn as many verses as possible. Knowing God’s Word will never hurt and will only bless your heart as it fills with rich truth.

• What are some of your memorization tips?
  
• Which verses do you want to remember?
  
• Which verses that you’ve memorized have blessed you the most?