7 Ways to "Hold Fast"

In Philippians 2:16, Christians are called to "hold fast" to the Word of God. Theoretically we may understand that, but practically? In my dad's sermon yesterday, he highlighted seven ways that Christians can hold fast to the Bible. May you be encouraged, convicted, and motivated anew by this list.

1. We hear the Word of God (Eph. 1:13).
2. We read and apply it (1 Thess. 2:13).
3. We study and interpret it carefully (2 Tim. 2:15).
4. We meditate on and memorize it (Col. 3:16).
5. We are taught it (Gal. 6:6).
6. We speak it (Phil. 1:14).
7. We love it (Titus 2:5).

Hear his full sermon here.

9 Great Resources to Use to Memorize Scripture Right Now

On Monday I shared an article by Tim Challies compiling some reasons for Scripture memory from Donald Whitney's book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. But memorizing Scripture is something that's easier said than done. I thought I'd compile a few resources to aid you in this task.

The Verses Project - This is definitely one of the coolest resources I've seen when it comes to memorizing Scripture. The Verses Project is a website with over one hundred Scripture verses put to music, along with artwork of the verses to assist you in your memory (you can download it as desktop, tablet, or mobile phone wallpaper or print it as a poster), and a devotional. If you're looking for just the artwork from The Verses Project, as well as a few extras not on their site, you can check out Hand Lettering Co.

Typographic Verses - Typographic Verses is for the visual learners out there. If you need the verse in front of you, TV has you covered. They, like The Verses Project and Hand Lettering Co., have dozens of free downloadable pictures of Scripture verses.

"An Extended Approach to Memorizing Scripture"- This lengthy article by Andrew Davis is free as a PDF, but if you don't like PDFs it was also recently made into a Kindle book which you can purchase for $.94 on Amazon. If you're looking for a structured method for Scripture memory and a way to make the verses stick forever, Davis has the answer.

Fighter Verses - A resource you can do on your own, with your kids, or with your church, Fighter Verses is an adaptable program to memorize Scripture. It has an app and it includes devotionals, resources, tips, music, plans, charts, and lists of categorical verses to memorize. For the organizer, this is definitely a viable option.

Music and More - Here are a few more miscellaneous resources:

Seeds Family Worship - Scripture put to music, designed especially for children and families. Their newest album is due out in the fall.
Memorize Now - A flash card memory system.
JumpStart3 and The Rizers - Two more options of Scripture put to music, this more geared towards kids and in the way of Top 40 style music. JumpStart3 does sometimes add some extra lyrics in their songs, all of which may not be totally accurate. But the simple verses to Scripture are very catchy. And The Rizers have some fun videos to go with a bunch of their songs.

There are so many creative ways to memorize Scripture, ways to get over slumps and discouragement. Don't give up on Scripture memory because it's hard. Persevere, and you will feel its rewards!

Image Credit: http://images6.alphacoders.com/490/490695.jpg

5 Great Reasons to Memorize Scripture Right Now

For those struggling or discouraged in Scripture memory, or for those who have never considered it, here is some great encouragement. Tim Challies writes,

There are few areas of the Christian life where there is a wider gap between what Christians want to do and what Christians actually do than in this area: memorizing Scripture. We all know that we should, we all have some appreciation of the benefits, and we would all love to be released from the guilt of doing it so little. Here, courtesy of Donald Whitney and his book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (now in a brand new edition), are 5 great reasons to memorize Scripture today.

Read the rest here.

My Memory Journey ... So Far

If you've been around this blog for any amount of time, you've probably noticed that I value Scripture memorization pretty highly. After Dad and I read Andrew Davis' article, "An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture," (i.e. memorizing whole books of the Bible) a little over two years ago, we first got bit by the book memory bug. We decided to memorize our first book of the Bible together. I got to pick it, and so I chose a book that's a bit of an unsung hero - Colossians. And so we followed Dr. Davis' approach to the letter, memorizing all ninety-five verses of Colossians within a few months. After that, we continued reciting the book every day for one hundred days.

When we were done, we couldn't believe that it actually wasn't as hard as we'd thought it would be. We were no geniuses with special memory skills. We just went slowly and carefully, memorized one verse a day, took breaks on Sundays and recited our old verses every day. By September of 2011, we had retired it to a "once-a-week slot" and now will be reciting it every Monday for the rest of our lives.

Dad got to pick the next book. He went with a really unsung hero - the minor prophet, Habakkuk. Habakkuk only has 56 verses, but they're long and they're heavy. We tackled this one, though, and, at Dr. Davis' encouragement, began memorizing two verses a day. This was okay at first, but quickly bogged us down and we switched back to one verse a day. Habakkuk is an amazing book, highlighting these conversations between Habakkuk the prophet and God about judgement and sovereignty. What is the most encouraging part is chapter three.

It's funny - when you memorize so many verses and spend so much time thinking about them, you start inventing different ways to remember them. Dad and I specifically got into rapping them. No, not with paper and ribbons. But with words to a beat. It was the end of Habakkuk 3 that we really got into this, beginning at verse eight and then running all the way to verse nineteen. So, yes, my middle-aged dad and me, his teenage daughter, can rap the end of Habakkuk (of course, we can just say it normally too, but what's the fun in that?)

So after Habakkuk, it was my turn to pick again. I was really feeling up for the challenge. We had memorized a book with four chapters, and a book with three chapters. They hadn't taken us too long and they were unsung heroes. Now I was changing everything. It started when I looked at Dad one day and say, "What do you think about memorizing Romans?" I won't lie - he laughed. He thought I was being ridiculous. Memorize Romans? It sounded impossible, insurmountable, sixteen chapters of theological eloquence that we would be pretty difficult to hide in our hearts. It would be a whole new ballgame.

But we began thinking about. We started reading it. We thought about how cool it would be to have Romans under our belt, how our faith would be strengthened. It was Martin Luther who in his Preface to Romans said,

 "We find in this letter, then, the richest possible teaching about what a Christian should know: the meaning of law, Gospel, sin, punishment, grace, faith, justice, Christ, God, good works, love, hope and the cross."  

So we started to memorize it.

And no, as I write this, we're not done. But this week, we did just finish chapter eleven! Eleven chapters down, five to go! I don't write this to make you feel inadequate or to make me look good. Far be it! And I'm not saying memorizing whole books of the Bible is going to be a piece of cake. It takes hard work, determination, accountability and a whole lot of prayer. It takes sweat and songs and brain freezes and even more prayer. It takes time.

But you can do it. I can do it. My dad can do it. Donna who is memorizing Romans and is in chapter nine now can do it! Amanda who memorized the book of Philippians with her Bible Study can do it. Any Christian with any desire can do it. We may not be commanded to memorize books of the Bible, but we are instructed to hide God's Word in our hearts. It may be harder for you than for me. But that doesn't mean you can't memorize Scripture.

Now my question to you is: will you?

Singing Scripture

Sometimes I find the easiest way to memorize verses in Scripture is to sing them. I make up a tune or a beat and either sing or rap the words of God. It's encouraging and edifying and definitely a blessing. A resource for Scripture memorization is Fighter Verses, a program connected with Desiring God. Fighter Verses includes a structured plan of memorization. The program recently released a video of music put to Matthew 5:43-48 and so I wanted to share it with you and thus encourage you to memorize Scripture, meditate on Scripture and ... yes, sing Scripture!

A Great Month for Scripture Memory

Today is a big day for Dad and me. We are privileged and blessed to start Book #2. By that I simply mean the second book of the Bible that we're memorizing together. After starting Colossians in May of last year and finishing in September, we reviewed the book for 100 days in a row, after which we selected our second book to memorize and will begin doing just that tonight. What book did we pick, you ask? Well, I picked Colossians, so Dad got to pick Book #2, and he chose ... Habakkuk!

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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?
4. 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.

Memorizer: Part 3

  As I've written the previous posts in this series, I've attempted to motivate you to memorize Scripture. I've even made a case as to why we should memorize Scripture. But now's the time to lace up those Nikes and just do it. Below are three links to websites that I hope and pray will help you along in the memorization process. So, memorizers, remember once you've got those verses down in your heart, never let them go.

http://www.memorizenow.com/ 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 only uses the ESV (English Standard Version). Personally, I prefer the ESV translation, and I recommend this tool, but because of this site's limitation of translation, you may not benefit as much from it.

http://www.productivity501.com/how-to-memorize-verbatim-text/294/ is an article on memorization. At the bottom of the page, the site lets you put in a verse, and it gives you just the first letter of each word.

http://scripturememory.org/ is a Scripture memorization flashcard quiz.

Memorizer: Part 2

 

What's the big deal about memorizing Scripture?

Sadly, that is the question I hear most often when it comes down to Scripture memorization. People don't like to memorize Scripture because: a) it takes hard work, b) it's challenging, c) they have no idea where to even begin.  So, in this series we're going to learn how to cross those hurdles.

Hard work. Two words that nobody likes to hear. When I hear hard work I think of scrubbing all the bathrooms clean. I think of washing all the dishes after Thanksgiving dinner. I think of babysitting. I think of many an unpleasant thing. But hard work does not have to be a bad word. Hard work can be a very good thing, a rewarding thing. Such is the case with memorizing Scripture.

But some hard work is useless and fruitless. Memorizing Scripture is certainly not useless and/or fruitless.

I like the way the NIV translates Psalm 119:11 -- "I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." 

We're hiding God's Word in our hearts [memorizing Scripture] not because it's a useless process, but so we won't sin! That doesn't sound like fruitless hard work to me!

Hurdle 1: Okay, so we've crossed the first hurdle. Scripture is indeed hard work, but it's truly rewarding and beneficial to our spiritual life. Though, it's still challenging. So, tune in for part three of the MEMORIZER series as we discover how to cross the hurdle of challengingness.

Memorizer: Part 1

So, a few months ago I wrote a blog post on memorization. Remember John 15:13 - "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friend"? It was called Memorizing Maniacs. Well, in Sunday School my dad started a memorization contest. So, to kick-off his memorization contest and the beginning of the first series I've posted since March, here's cute video my grammy sent me on Scripture memory. I hope this motivates you and shows you that even a little child can memorize Scripture!

To read Psalm 23 for yourself, click here.

Memorizing Maniacs

Do you have difficulty memorizing Scripture? Everyone does. For some memorization comes to them easier than to others. No matter how good of a memorizer you are, God commands us to hide His Words in our hearts, so that we might not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11). In Sunday School last Sunday morning, my dad went through some great steps to memorizing Scripture. I would like to go through them with you today. The verse we'll use is John 15:13: "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."

1. Step #1 ~ Learn the reference. When we recite Scripture, we need to start with the reference and end with it too. The book we are looking in is John. Where is it? In John. John chapter 15. What chapter? What book? Chapter 15 of the book of John. We're looking at John chapter 15, verse 13. What book? John. What chapter? 15. What verse? 13. We're learning John 15:13. Do you have it?
2. Step #2 ~ Write out the verse. (Quiz: What's the reference?) We may need to write the verse out 1,000 times, but writing it down is very important. John 15:13: "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13. John 15:13:"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13.
3. Step #3 ~ Once we think that we've got it, let's start taking words away.

"Greater ? has no one than this, that ? lay down his ? for his ? ." John 15:13. Can you help me fill in the blanks?

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13.

Great job! Now, let's put only the first letter of each word. Think we can get it?

G L H N O T T T S L D H L F H F. John 15:13 (Don't cheat and look up!)

4. Step #4 ~ Don't look at the computer screen or at your Bible and recite your verse. Can you do it? Let's work on it!

All right, fellow memorizing maniacs, see how easy that is with a little hard work! But don't turn around and forget John 15:13. Start out reviewing it every day for a month. Then, move to once a week. After that, you can review it once a month. Doing those things will guarantee that you keep John 15:13 in your heart forever!

Time To Put Psalm 119:11 Into Action

I have hidden Your word in my heart, so that I might not sin against You. -Psalm 119:11

Yes, you read the title correctly. It's time to put Psalm 119:11 into action. It's time to listen to the example that we should follow. It's time to stop sitting around, wasting time, and memorize Scripture.

Nope, I'm not kidding. I say what I mean, and I mean what I say. We (and yes, I say we) need to memorize Scripture. I know some people have more trouble memorizing Scripture, but it's not impossible. Anyone can do it. How do I know that? "This Book of Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night." (Joshua 1:8) Take it from my good friend, Moses. We need to memorize Scripture. Now, I bet you're asking me, 'How do you know that the Old Testament commandments aren't just for their time?' My answer is that "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16) We need to memorize Scripture. No joke. No lie. All truth.

Finally, there is a reward for memorizing Scripture. No, I'm not talking about a plastic toy, a McDonald's gift card, or even a million bucks. I'm talking about a blessing. In truth, you will be blessed by memorizing Scripture. Maybe it will be a plastic toy, a McDonald's gift card, or a million bucks. No matter what, though, you will be blessed.

Romans Road Review, Or Not-Part 3: Romans 10:9; Romans 10:13

Welcome to my final post of our Romans Road reviewing (or learning). Today we are going to finish off our 6 steps to salvation. For a quick review over what we learned so far, let's look at our first 4 verses: John 3:16; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; Romans 5:8. We learned that God loved the world, but we sin and can't enter God's presence. We deserve death, but God sends us a gift. The gift is Jesus, God's son, who died on the cross in place of us. Today we will look at the final verses (Romans 10:9 and Romans 10:13) of this series.

'If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.' -Romans 10:9

'All who call on the name of Jesus will be saved.' -Romans 10:13

So by reading the other 4 verses we learn what God did for us, but these verses tell us what we need to do. We need to confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. That means that we need to say that Jesus is Lord, but that's not all. We need to believe in our heart, not just in our head, that God raised Jesus from the dead. If we do this we will be saved. The most important thing though, is to call on Jesus. If we call on Jesus we will be saved. It says right there in Romans 10:13. That means that our 6 steps to salvation are:

1. God loved the world. (John 3:16)
2. We sin though, and can not enter God's presence. (Romans 3:23)
3. We deserve to die, but God sent us a gift. (Romans 6:23)
4. God sent us Jesus to die in our place. (Romans 5:8)
   
5. We need to say that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that He is raised from the dead. (Romans 10:9)
6. We need to call on the name of Jesus and then we will be saved. (Romans 10:13)
   

Romans Road Review, Or Not-Part 2: Romans 6:23; Romans 5:8

Welcome back to reviewing, or learning, the Romans Road verses. Yesterday we looked at John 3:16 and Romans 3:23. We learned of the first two steps to salvation.

1. God loved the world (John 3:16)
   
2. We sin though, and can not enter God's presence (Romans 3:23)
   

Today we are looking at Romans 6:23 and Romans 5:8 to get some help for our problem.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. -Romans 6:23

But God demonstrates His love for in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. -Romans 5:8

This means step three to salvation is that we deserve to die, but God gave us a gift through His son, Jesus Christ. God showed us His love by sending us the gift of Jesus Christ to die in our place. Wow! Is that amazing or what? Jesus took our punishment. The only perfect being to walk the earth took the punishment for millions of worthless sinners. Now this is great, but we can't stop here. But, we are for now. Don't fret. We'll finish off the last Romans Road verses tomorrow. So the first 4 steps to salvation are:

1. God loved the world (John 3:16)
   
2. We sin though, and can not enter God's presence (Romans 3:23)
   
3. We deserve to die, but God sent us a gift (Romans 6:23)
   
4. God sent us Jesus to die in our place on the cross (Romans 5:8)
   

Romans Road Review, Or Not-Part 1: John 3:16; Romans 3:23

Hello, readers. At my church, Gospel Light Baptist Church, in Sunday School, we are memorizing the Romans Road verses. We memorized John 3:16; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; Romans 5:8; Romans 10:9; Romans 10:13. I wanted to share them with you, two at a time. This may be review to you, and it may not. Today we are looking at John 3:16 and Romans 3:23.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him will not die, but have eternal life." John 3:16

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

In these two verses we learn of the first two steps to salvation:

1. God loved the world
2. We sin though, and so can not enter God's presence

God is perfect and holy and sin can not be in the presence of Him. So now we have a problem. But what can we do about this problem? Tune in tomorrow as we discover how God solved our problem. Or if you just can't wait you can email me anytime or you can look it up yourself with the scriptures above.

These verses may be new to you and they may be review. If you haven't memorized these I would encourage you to because the Romans Road verses will help you lead a person to Christ. They sum up the gospel in a few verses. So, the gist of it: God loved. We sinned. Tune in tomorrow to find what's next.