I definitely did not rise to the A-Z Blogging Challenge for April! There are reasons, but they are only big reasons to me, so I won't go into it.  I am still going to finish the challenge, even if it's late.  So . . . on to the letter M!


Memorizing scripture is something I did on occasion before I started college.  It was usually during VBS week in the summer or similar events.  Once in high school, I decided I wanted to memorize the book of Philippians, but only made it through the first chapter.

But in college, memorizing scripture was part of our classwork.  Almost every class had regular quizzes on the verses and passages that we were supposed to remember.  I must admit, I put more time into it early on than I did in my later semesters.  I can still quote some of the verses I memorized in my first few semesters.

The most significant passage of scripture I memorized in college was the Sermon on the Mount.  Three chapters.  One of the classes I took on the Life of Christ had the option of taking a normal final at the end of the semester or memorizing the Sermon on the Mount.  I'm not sure what made me decide that this was a good idea or that I could even do it.  I had memorized large sections before, but not nearly that large and not with as many different sections to keep in order as the Sermon on the Mount.

I dug in and started memorizing.  I memorized verse after verse, piling one on top of the next.  Once I was fairly certain I had each section memorized, I started rehearsing the order of the various topics Jesus touched on in the Sermon on the Mount.

Finals week came, and up to the last moment, I was still going over the chapters.  Finally, it was time to sit down and see what happened.  In the classroom, I sat next to other marathon memorizers as well as those taking the standard final, and I started writing.

It's been several years now since I sat in that room to write out the Sermon on the Mount, so I can't remember exactly how well I did, but I do remember I did a respectable job.  And for a few weeks after that, I could still quote a majority of it, but now, I could paraphrase bits and pieces, but I certainly wouldn't have them in the right order, and I would probably leave out large chunks.

So is memorizing the Bible important? And is it still worthwhile when you don't remember it over time?

I think that familiarity with the contents of the Bible is important.  Memorizing the Sermon on the Mount was an important achievement for me.  Not only do I know that memorizing large chunks is something I can do, but for a significant amount of time, I spoke the words out loud and in my mind, over and over and over.  The act of memorizing allowed me to hold it in my mind, thinking about it and dwelling on it.  And now, even if I don't remember it well, I know it a lot better than if I hadn't ever memorized it.

Devoting time to memorizing scripture is not about memorizing words in a particular order but putting the words in your mind.  Even if you don't always remember a passage for years after, the time spent memorizing is time spent dwelling on the words of God.  And that's never a bad thing.


Do you make an effort to memorize scripture?  What is the largest passage you've memorized?  How has memorizing scripture been useful to you?

This is another in a series of posts to answer the questions that Amanda Socci asked me at Write Nonfiction in November.  If you are a nonfiction writer, make sure you check out her nonfiction writing challenge taking place in November.

What do you mean when you say "the God of the Bible?"

This is really a very easy question to answer.  It is simply that when someone says, "God," everyone means something different.  When I speak of God, I want to be clear that I am speaking of the God who is represented in the 66 books of the Bible.

I do realize that even if I try to narrow my meaning by pointing my readers to the Bible, people may still walk away with a picture that is different than I have, but the Bible is always a good place to start.

Please read the scripture below and consider it.  Write it down somewhere where you can see it all week.  Maybe even memorize it.  Over the week, if you have any thoughts about it, or if God says anything to you about it, please come by and let the rest of us know in the comments.

                                                        Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It's that time of year again.  With New Year's Day comes that question:  do you have any resolutions?

One of your resolutions might be to read the Bible more.  If you're looking for a Bible reading plan, check out these five Bible reading plans.  But today, I want to remind you that there are more ways to interact with the Bible than simply reading it.

Reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is no small feat, and I encourage everyone to do it because it is good to be familiar with the Bible as a whole, but we should be taking time to focus on smaller chunks as well.

A fantastic way to do that is by memorizing scripture.  I promise it's not so hard as it sounds.  How many song lyrics have you memorized over the years?  Or baseball stats?  Recipes?  Memorization isn't as hard as we try to make it.  It just takes a little time and commitment.

"Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You."  Psalm 119:11 (NASB)

I memorized that one in VBS years ago.  Memorizing the word of God helps us to know the difference between right and wrong and can keep us from sinning.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."  Psalm 119:105 (NASB)

This is another VBS memory verse.  The Bible can give us direction in our lives, to keep us from stumbling off the trail and getting lost.

Memorizing the word of God makes it easily accessible.  In this technological world, we may begin to think that memorization is unnecessary.  I disagree.  If you're in the midst of a trial, the Holy Spirit can call scripture to your mind, and it's a lot easier if it is already in your mind.

If you're speaking to someone about God, whether in evangelism or encouragement, the other person might not be willing to wait for you to fire up your iPhone to look up a passage.  If you know it, you can simply tell them what the word says rather than stall the conversation to find it.

Choose a translation.  In my opinion, you should memorize from the translation you use most often.  It should be one that you don't have too much trouble understanding, and you want the words to feel somewhat natural to you.

If you have trouble choosing a translation, I suggest you look at the English Standard Version, Holman Christian Standard Bible, or the New American Standard Bible.  If you're still not certain, you can leave me a comment or talk to your minister.

Memorizing scripture comes down to repetition.  When I was in college, we had memory work for almost every class, so we had to come up with a system.  I wrote my memory work on index cards and would carry them with me while I was working on them.  Sometimes I would walk around campus with the notecards and read them out loud over and over until I could say them from memory.  If you have the scriptures you're memorizing easily accessible, you can take advantage of small pockets of time to work on them, such as waiting in line at the grocery store or sitting in the waiting room at the dentist.

One of my professors suggested posting scripture in the shower.  My eyes are not good enough to read anything without my glasses, so I never attempted this, but if you have good eyes, you can type or write out your verses and then have them laminated.  Put it on your shower wall and repeat them aloud while you're soaping up.

The main thing is to put them in front of you often.  Repeat them over and over again until you can say them without looking.

Once you have them memorized, don't forget to come back to them every so often.  Keep them in your mind.  Memorizing scripture isn't beneficial if you forget them.

Decide what verses you want to memorize.  I'll offer you a few scriptures you could start with, but you should choose scripture that you find useful in your life.  If you struggle with worry and anxiety, choose scriptures that calm you.  If you struggle with believing in God's love for you, choose scriptures that remind you of His love.

My biggest suggestion is that you be careful not to take verses out of context.  When you find a verse you like, read at least several verses before and after it.  Make sure you are not pulling a single verse out of a group of verses that should be taken together.

For example, one of the most memorized verses is John 3:16:

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."  (NASB)

It's a beautiful verse, but the next several verses add quite a bit to the thought.

"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.  He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.  For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."  John 3:17-21 (NASB).

I realize that is a mouthful, but you can break it up, memorizing one verse at a time.  Memorizing larger chunks of scripture is hard work, but it is much more fulfilling.  One semester in college, I memorized the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) in lieu of a final exam.  It was difficult, but it was a great experience.  I won't suggest that you memorize whole chapters, but know that it is possible if you have the desire to do so.

Suggested Scriptures


Psalm 27:1-3
Proverbs 3:5-8
Isaiah 40: 28-31
Lamentations 3:21-24
Matthew 11:28-30
John 3:16-21
John 14:6-7
Romans 3:21-26
Romans 6:20-23
Romans 8:28-30
Ephesians 2:1-10
2 Peter 3:8-9

Of course there are many others you can choose to memorize, but I don't want to overwhelm you.  Choose one of these or one of your favorite passages and get started!

Did you memorize Bible verses as a child?  Do you still remember any of them?  Have they been useful to you as you have grown?



This post contains affiliate links.

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God."  Psalm 20:7

"Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh.  Is there anything too hard for me?" Jeremiah 32:37

"He then answered, 'Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.' "      John 9:25

"He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.  For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink."

John 6:54-55 NASB

"But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head."  Psalm 3:3

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:  Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

"The Lord is with me like a mighty warrior."

Jeremiah 20:11a

"I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul."

Jeremiah 31:25

You talk:

"Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh.  Is there anything too hard for me?" 

Jeremiah 32:27

 

(contains affiliate links)