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Meditate On Scripture
Before we look at techniques for memorizing parts of the Bible, we must first ask: Why should we go to the trouble of memorizing the Bible? Here are some reasons:
1. We are commanded to: "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts" (Deut. 6:6). "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads" (Deut. 11:18).
2. Storing the Word of God in our hearts and minds helps us to obey it: "...the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it" (Deut. 30:14); "The law of God is in his heart; his feet do not slip" (Ps. 37:31); "I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You" (Ps. 119:11).
3. It will make us prosperous (because of our increased obedience): "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful" (Josh. 1:8).
4. It prevents vain and evil thoughts. When memorizing scripture, one must necessarily dwell on the Word of God during one's spare time. This will crowd out less edifying thoughts. Through Scripture memorization one can easily obey Paul's exhortation: "...whatever is true, whatever noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things" (Phil. 4:8).
5. It is a battle against temptation. Christ is our example on this point. In Matt. 4 and Luke 4, He resisted Satan's temptations each time by citing Scripture. Paul states that the Word of God is a weapon in spiritual warfare: "Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" (Eph. 6:17).
6. It increases our understanding of the verses that are memorized. To memorize, one must know every single word and dwell on every single word. While doing this, one naturally asks oneself, "why this word?" Meditation on each word will, through the Spirit, give one a deep understanding of the verse and reveal meanings that are hidden to a cursory reading. "I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on Your statutes" (Ps. 119:99).
7. It aids in witnessing and teaching. If the Word is in your heart, the Holy Spirit will bring it to mind at the appropriate time. "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom" (Col. 3:16).
8. When without a Bible, one can still meditate, counsel, comfort and reprove from the Word of God. "Even at night my heart instructs me" (Ps. 16:7).
9. It aids us in our prayers. What better way to talk to God than to be familiar with the language of God through His Word. Note Paul says: "Take...the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" and then "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Eph. 6:17,18).
10. It improves our everyday conversation. What we say reflects what we meditate on and store in our hearts. "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matt. 12:34).
Now, Heavenly Father, give us the desire and the means to store Your perfect Word in our hearts; direct the time and the circumstances to accomplish this; give us diligence to be faithful in this; give us the opportunity to make fruitful use of the Word that we store in our hearts. We ask these things in the name of and for the glory of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Here are a few scriptural proofs!
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:14-17)
Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20-21)But, due to the hardness of our hearts, we have forgotten this and would rather say that the world evolved on its own. People say it created itself and that we are the center of all things instead of God.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is for ever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worth while to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:21-32)Even those of us who are able to see God in nature and who understand our accountability to him are still unable to find peace with God on our own. No man or woman can come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ without receiving a special revelation from God. This information would be forever hidden to humanity if God had not revealed it. God has revealed himself to us and this revelation is in the Christian Scriptures - the Bible.The Bible--God's Word. Fully Inspired and Infallible
The Inspiration of the Scriptures
The Bible is not a book of human wisdom, nor is not a book which only contains the words of god, mixed in with human teachings. Rather, the Bible is entirely inspired by God himself. This is why it says that all scripture is 'God-Breathed'. It comes from God's own mouth. This leads us to two inseparable doctrines of the Christian Church. These are the verbal inspiration of scripture and the plenary inspiration of scripture. Verbal inspiration means that the documents written by their original authors are word for word what God wanted it to say. Plenary inspiration is similar. It means that inspiration extends to the entire bible, completely covering every idea, thought and concept.
The Inerrancy of the Scriptures
And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times. (Psalm 12:6)
The Infallibility of the Scriptures
The Authority of the Scriptures
Our Dependence on the Scriptures
God has revealed himself in nature. If you look around and see the awesome and wonderful design of it all, anybody who can think ought to be able to see that God exists. This is God's general revelation to man and ought to be enough to cause us to seek God further.
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20)But, due to the hardness of our hearts, we have forgotten this and would rather say that the world evolved on its own. People say it created itself and that we are the center of all things instead of God.For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is for ever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worth while to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:21-32)Even those of us who are able to see God in nature and who understand our accountability to him are still unable to find peace with God on our own. No man or woman can come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ without receiving a special revelation from God. This information would be forever hidden to humanity if God had not revealed it. God has revealed himself to us and this revelation is in the Christian Scriptures - the Bible.We Must Obey His Commands
Verses Supporting Scripture Memorization
These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door-frames of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the door-frames of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. Deuteronomy 11:18-21
Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:7-8
Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. Col 3:16
We Must Obey His Commands
But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 1Sa 15:22
"If you love me, you will obey what I command. John 14:15
The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it? Joel 2:11
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him." Ac 5:32
For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. Ro 2:13
Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. 1Jo 3:24
We Must Obey His Commands
Verses Supporting Scripture Memorization
These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door-frames of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the door-frames of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. Deuteronomy 11:18-21
Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:7-8
Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. Col 3:16
Jesus knew the word of God and was able to drive away Satan when tempted.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: `Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "`He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "It is also written: `Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: `Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. (MT 4:1-11)
King David clearly saw that knowing the word of God was the key to purity.
How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your Word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (Ps 119:9-11)Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119:105)Paul says that the word is a sword in your amour against the devil's schemes.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (EP 6:13-18)God's word in your heart keeps your feet from slipping
For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected for ever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off; the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it for ever. The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip. Psalm 37:28-31
Our purpose is to become more and more like Jesus Christ. But how can we do this if we don't obey God's word? And how can we obey it if we do not know it and understand it? And how can we understand if we do not study it, memorize it and meditate on it as much as we can? Obedience to the word of God gives us guidance in everything we do today and into the future. But, it also purifies our minds and heals our hearts from any damage it may have received from past ignorance and sin. Many Christians did not grow up in Christian homes where the word of God was central. Many Christians are trapped in sin and the damage done by these and past sins is hindering their fellowship with God. It is easy for our minds to become filled with rubbish and our hearts to become hard towards God. This is what happens when things are left to run unattended. Whatever you put into your head determines what you think about. What you think about determines what you do. Together, all this determines the kind of person you will be. The things I think about in my heart form my character - whether for good or bad. Meditation
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (PH 4:4-9)The scriptures cleanses and transforms the mind
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)and heart
It helps erase the bad programming in our heads. It washes and cleans out rubbish and filth and makes room for the beauty of the character of Christ. Memorizing God's word can purify your heart and will make a profound impact on your life. What are you putting into your mind and heart?
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. PS 111:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. PR 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. PR 9:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and a deep knowledge of the word of God will give you this wisdom
Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor." (PR 4:5-9)
We are told to meditate it on it day and night. These are good reasons to memorize it. It prepares you for a life of productive Christian labor and growth. A thorough knowledge of God's word helps us in our every day life
We are told to be prepared to answer questions concerning our faith in Christ.
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
1Pe 3:15
Paul was able to reason with non-Christians because of a knowledge of the word.
When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.
Acts 17:1-4
Having the word in our hearts allows us to encourage and teach others.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Col 3:16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 2:14-17 (NIV)
Knowing and using the Word teaches us right from wrong
Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Heb 5:13-14
- It can increase our ability to distinguish truth from error in doctrine
- It will help our prayer life
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:1-11)
- Knowing God's word allows us to study the Bible more effectively
- If we know the scriptures we can meditate on it anytime wherever we are. It helps us to stand firm against Satan's attacks. (Psalms 119:97; Psalms 16:7)
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Last Updated 11/05/2006