Photo by Ryk Neethling |
I'll never forget the Sunday morning after service when Rose approached me. At 76 years old, she looks not a day over 60, and beams with exuberant joy in the God of her salvation. After a few minutes of chatting, the question came.
"So, Rachel, what Scriptures have you been memorizing lately?"
I stuttered and fumbled for a minute, and then admitted with embarrassment that I wasn't memorizing any.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, with earnest concern. "It is so important for us to be hiding His Word in our heart! It's one of our biggest tools in the war against the flesh."
She was absolutely right.
Growing up in Bible clubs, and then attending Bible college, I had memorized many verses because it was the thing to do. People encouraged me, prodded me, looked over my shoulder to make sure I was keeping in line...
And when I got out of that environment, I tried to shake away some of the legalism I'd been ensnared in. Tank top straps must be at least three fingers thick, I must spend at least thirty minutes reading my Bible each morning, if I wear jeans on Sunday I must not love God, etc.
I'm not disparaging the Bible clubs or schools entirely. God used these people and places in my life for very much good, and I am thankful for those lessons and experiences. However, I had to make my faith convictions my own, the result of personal study of the Scriptures, not an institution's rule book.
Unfortunately, Scripture memory was one of the good habits I'd shaken off with the not as good things. But reflecting on Rose's words as we drove home, I knew she was right and I'd been wrong. This was something that I needed to do if I was going to obey the Lord by meditating on His Word day and night.
I shared the conversation with my husband. He to, was convicted, and the Lord was pleased to use one gracious, godly older woman to change the course of our family's spiritual disciplines, and the entire tone in our home. Isn't He gracious?
We both decided that we needed to be memorizing the Word, but where to start? I am terrible with numbers, and memorizing references has always been a challenge. And though I'd memorized many verses over the course of the years, I'd forgotten the majority of them.
I was reminded of a scripture memory program someone had told me about while still in college. I contacted the man who had shared it with me initially and asked for the instructions. He shared them with me, and I've been memorizing verses with this system for the last three years.
What I love about this system? 1) It gets the verse stuck in your head with a simple formula that engages your eyes, ears and mind. 2) It incorporates life-long review of the verses you've already memorized so that you cannot forget them.
This week I'll be sharing how it works, one piece at a time. I'm not sure who came up with the system in the first place, so I am sorry that I cannot give proper credit to whom it is due. I'm sure that whoever it was would just be glad that people are using it as a tool to hide the Word of God in their hearts.
The system may seem a bit complicated at first, but I promise in practice it really isn't, once you get the hang of it. Bear with me!
Coming Tomorrow: I'll be sharing the WHY of memorizing Scripture, as the case presents itself in the Word of God. Because before we do something, we need to understand WHY, right? Then later this week I'll be sharing the details of the system itself. Stay tuned!
Have you committed yourself to regular Scripture memory? How has it positively impacted your spiritual life? If not, I encourage you to make the commitment now! There is no better time than the present.
Part 2- The Why
Part 3- Learning
Part 4- Daily Review
Part 5- Weekly and Monthly Review
Part 6- Conclusive Summary
I am glad You posted this for us. I am working on day 2 tonight. So far it is working.
ReplyDeleteOh good, so glad Cheryl! It has been a great program for me, hope you continue to enjoy it as you hide His Word in your heart.
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