January is perhaps the perfect month for Scripture memory. Things have slowed down after the Christmas rush, and with many long, winter days ahead of you, it's the perfect time to pick up the Word and start memorizing. Now, I am by no means saying you need to memorize whole books of the Bible like my dad and me. I'm simply saying you need to memorize Scripture. A single verse here and there. Perhaps a favourite paragraph or chapter. Or, if you're up for the fantastic challenge, a whole book! But why memorize Scripture, you may ask? Perhaps you doubt the benefits or reasons of memorizing Scripture. What's the point? Why waste my time? I'll probably forget it all in a week anyway. Well, if any of these sound familiar or relevant to you, I humbly submit just four incredibly important reasons why you should memorize Scripture:
- We're commanded. (Deuteronomy 6:4-8; Deuteronomy 11:18-20; Joshua 1:8) Memorizing Scripture is not an option; it's a duty. But I don't really like the word "duty," for it paints a picture of obeying a command begrudgingly. We should never memorize Scripture with impure hearts. We should memorize the Word with joy, and though it's not always easy, it shouldn't be a chore.
- We'll sin less. (Psalm 119:11) It's true! "I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." (emphasis mine) The psalmist memorized the Word of God with the purpose of sinning less! How cool is that? If we memorize Scripture, we'll sin less. We'll still be far from perfect, but when many familiar sins taunt us, we can counteract the attacks with truths from the Word.
- We'll be more equipped to witness. If you think of all the sermons Jesus preached and the talks Jesus had, in many circumstances, he recited Old Testament Scriptures. If you think of all the letters Paul wrote, in almost every letter, he recited Old Testament Scriptures. When you talk to friends, family, or even complete strangers about the gospel, having more of a grasp on Scripture will certainly aid you. You can share the Scriptural truths that you have hidden in your heart with others! How amazing is that?
- Our relationship with the Lord will be strengthened. By memorizing truths about the Lord, hymns of praise, verses that speak the gospel clearly, instructions on holy living, and verses that simply teach me how to serve Christ more and better, I've grown so much closer to the Lord. My relationship with Him has grown stronger and closer.
So there you have it. I now encourage you to get into the Word, memorize it, and see for yourself how you'll be blessed and edified. For some more resources on Scripture memory check below. Sola scriptura, my friends. Scripture alone.
- Memorize Now - This is a site that lets you type in your verse reference and it makes up a flash card for you. The only thing about this tool is that it restricts its translation to the ESV (English Standard Version). Personally, I prefer the HCSB translation, but I recommend this tool, though because of this site's limitation of translation, you may not benefit as much from it.
- How to Memorize Verbatim Text - This is a very good article by Mark Shead.
- Scripture Memory Flash Card Quiz - This site doesn't offer as much freedom to picking your own verses but is still good.
- How to Memorize Large Portions of Scripture - This is a very good article by Andrew Davis for those of you who want to take part in the challenge of memorizing a book of the Bible or at least a large portion.