His Word in My Heart

I will be honest, I have a passion for STUDYING Scripture, but MEMORIZING it, now that is another story. I wish I could sit here and give you several tips for I how memorize Scripture, but sadly, I cannot.

In the last couple of years, our pastor has placed an emphasis on Scripture memory, not just for children, but for adults as well. Almost every IFB church you step into, will have some sort of Scripture memory program for the children—Awanas, Master's Club, Lighthouse Kids' Club, you name it. But when is the last time you've seen such a thing for adults and teens? Why is the priority of Scripture memorization all of a sudden diminished once a child is done with 6th grade?

A few years before we moved to Virginia, I read a book that really transformed my view of memorizing Scripture. The author's story of how memorizing Scripture completely changed her life was incredible and stirred a thirst in me to have the same experience. I memorized a few different things here and there, but life caught up to me, and I lost my zeal.

In the last few years, I've found myself making excuses like, "Well, the Bible doesn't actually COMMAND us to memorize Scripture. In fact, the word memorize is not even in the Bible, so as long as I study and meditate on it, I'm good."

*But here are some COMMANDS about God's Word that we DO find: "know God's Word, remember His Word, do not forget His commandments, have His Word ready on our lips, meditate on His law day and night, dwell on Christ's words, store up His words, Keep God's Word within our hearts."

*"...memorizing Scripture is just a vehicle for accomplishing those objectives. God desires for us to know Him intimately, and that's why He gave us His written Word. It is God's revelation of Himself. There are many avenues that lead us into a greater knowledge of His Word, and memorizing is just one of them. The goal is to know God and to walk closely with Him."

[*Quotes taken from His Word in My Heart by Janet Pope.]

Ok, maybe I need to rethink my scripture memory position. :) Between the conviction of that book and my pastor putting emphasis on scripture memory, I think I am ready to take the challenge again! Who is with me?

Practical Takeaways:

1. Avoid making excuses for NOT memorizing Scripture, or it will never happen.

2. Remember that Scripture memory is just a tool to help us know God better.

3. Get a friend and take the challenge!

Check Out These Resources:

His Word in My Heart by Janet Pope: This is the book I was referring to throughout the post. It just might change your ideas and convict your heart about memorizing Scriptures, just like it did for me. I highly, HIGHLY recommend it. (FYI, this book uses different Bible versions.)

Forever Settled, A Book of Scripture Memory for Adults and Teens by Pastor Steve Boots: I'm so excited about this book. My brother-in-law spent hours putting it together for our church family, but it is available for anyone to purchase on Amazon! Woohoo! I will give you an inside look in my Instagram stories next week, so be sure to come back and check that out! I've just started working through this book. If you'd like to join me, leave a comment or send me a message. I'd love to do it with friends!