It's Wise to Memorize

My teenage son is memorizing the Sermon on the Mount. He just popped it on me the other day. “Hey Dad, I’m memorizing the Sermon on the Mount. You want to hear what I’ve got so far?”

{sidebar id=1}It reminded me of the day I came home from work when he was little. He ran up to me and said, “Hey Dad. You want me to sing every song I know?”

I think he was inspired by the fact that I had memorized the Sermon on the Mount as a young man. I myself was inspired after seeing another young man dress up as Jesus and recite the Sermon on the Mount.

Memorizing scripture is a powerful tool in your spiritual growth. It’s one thing to read the Bible, or even study the Bible. But nothing drills the truth of God’s Word into you like memorizing it.

Some of you would rather be drilled by the dentist than have to memorize. But let me tell you, memorizing Bible verses is different than anything else you have memorized. Yes, it still requires work and repetition, but God adds a satisfying joy to the process.

I have memorized some large chunks of scripture over the years. I remember enjoying a sermon on John 14 one time, so I decided to memorize it. There was a time when I was really getting a lot out of the book of James, so I memorized it.

My most aggressive effort was to memorize the book of Romans. I haven’t finished it yet, but let me tell you, you really get a handle on a portion of scripture when you memorize it.

Here is my memorization strategy. I learn one verse a day. I write it down on a little card and I repeat it repeatedly. Then I start at the beginning of whatever I’m memorizing and repeat it all the way through up to my new verse.

I also take time to ponder it and let it soak into my soul. I think about what it means within the context of the rest of the verses.

One thing I don’t get hung up on is memorizing each verse number. That just bogs me down and distracts me from the task at hand, which is learning the Word of God.

If you have a good mind for memorization, then I stress that you should be using that gift to memorize the Bible.

But what if you don’t have such a gift? Maybe for you memorization is really hard. I know people who say that, yet they know all the characters and plot twists in their favorite soap opera. I know guys who can drop sports trivia on you like snow at a Bills game. If this is you, you have no excuse for not memorizing scripture.

{sidebar id=1}Don’t think that you just can’t do it, like there is a barrier you can’t break through. Not so. God has blessed each of us with a wonderful brain, and what better way to exercise it than memorizing His Word? And for older folks, this is a great way to keep your mind sharp.

Find someone else to join you. Then you can encourage each other, and talk about the passages you’re memorizing.

Most of my Bible memorization has been done in the car. It’s a great place to recite passages out loud without bothering anyone. For me, the “out loud” part helps make it stick.

I have not done it, but I think it would be easy to memorize scripture while out for a walk or a jog. Instead of letting your mind wander randomly, corral it into something useful.

Does your job involve manual labor that you can basically do without thinking? Then apply your mind to this.

How do you know what to memorize? You can always start with your favorite passages. Let’s say you’ve always enjoyed Psalm 23. Well go ahead and commit it to memory.

There are certain lists in the Bible that are helpful to know, such as the fruit of the Spirit, or the “think on these things” in Philippians 4:8.

With Valentine’s Day this week, maybe you could hustle up and learn the “love chapter,” First Corinthians 13.

Is there a certain issue you are dealing with? Look up various verses that pertain, then memorize them. God has a wonderful way of changing the landscape when we truly get a grip on His Word.

Maybe you think you are too busy, or that your mind is too cluttered. Let me tell you, memorizing God’s Word is like bringing in a maid for your brain. Scripture de-clutters your thinking and brings peace.

We can say God’s Word is true and powerful, but do we believe it if we don’t make the effort to learn it? Now is the time to take a run at it. Pick something and just do it.

I’ll sum it all up with this.

It’s wise to memorize.

Comments?

E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

Be inspired by this YouTube video about a man attempting to memorize the entire Bible: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfnB4qWJhes

This article originally published on February 12, 2008.

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