Our church participates in LTC: Leadership Training for Christ. This is a program that trains children, 3rd grade to seniors, many different skills such as teaching, speech, puppets, sign language, and scripture memorization (to name just a few...there are too many categories for me to mention here). One of our elementary school boys memorized 30 scriptures since October and got a gold for it! 30 scriptures! This has really encouraged me to keep going on my scripture memorization. So, this morning, I moved on from my last scripture, Micah 6:8, to my new scripture, Psalm 139:23-24.
Micah 6:8
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
This verse may prove to be very challenging to me. Not because of the complexity of the memory work, but because of what it can really mean in my life.
This year, I have made a renewed effort to memorize scripture. I am becoming increasingly aware of how important this is in my daily struggle with sin!
And, as if God is rewarding me or patting me on the back, the verses I have memorized have come up in various situations around me. For example, last Sunday at our Small Group meeting, the person leading the discussion was referencing a scripture, but was not able to find it. But, I recognized the verse he was looking for and realized it was in 2nd Peter, not 1st! I was able to help him find it and move on with his thoughts. It just feels good to know I am able to use what I am memorizing!
So, here are the scriptures I have memorized so far:
Psalm 25:4-5 Isaiah 55:2 Isaiah 55:10-11 John 16:33 Psalm 119:11 1John 5:14-15 Joshua 1:8 Psalm 51:10 Psalm 62:5-6 2Peter1:5-8 (I learned this in two sections)
And now, on to number 11!
Phillipians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
I will share later what my memory system is, but for now, I will just challenge you to think about work on memorizing scripture. As Psalm 119:11 says: I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. It works!
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11
This morning, I read the second section of Psalm 119, "Beth." I said in my last post that I was going to try to figure out what the sections and titles in the Psalm are. However, my husband, as intelligent as he is, already knew and posted the answer in the comments on it. For those of you who did not get to read it, each section title is a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each section, in Hebrew, is eight lines, each of which starts with that particular letter. It is basically a very large acrostic!
Beth
9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
12 Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees.
13 With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.
14 I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.
15 I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
16 I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.
Basically, the Psalmist, thought by some to possibly be Ezra, the priest, asks the question, how do I live a pure life? Then, he answers the question, stating you have to "live according to (God's) word." He spends the next 7 line/verses telling how he does that.
He seeks God wholly, asking for help not to fail.
He memorizes God's word, so that he will not sin.
He praises God and asks him to teach him.
He recites God's word.
He rejoices in God's word as he would riches.
He meditates on God's word.
He delights in God's laws and vows to not neglect it.
Wow! How many of those things do I do? How about you? While I try to obey, I sometimes think of God's commands and the example Christ gave as a burden or chore. Instead, I should be rejoicing in them! Delighting in them! Do I neglect God's word? I have for a long time. I am striving to change that now. I still slip, but I am doing better. How about you? Are you up to the Psalm 119 Challenge?
This seems like a guide for a study time. Begin by seeking God and asking for his help. Then work on scriptures I am memorizing. Then, praise God and ask him to teach me in my devotional time. Read the word out loud. Rejoice in the treasures that God has showed me in his word. Meditate on what I have learned. Delight in that and vow not to neglect God's word. How powerful would that be? I think I will try that during my next study time.
This morning, for my devotional time, I read the first section of Psalm 119- Aleph. (I am planning on looking to see if I can find what the title divisions mean.)
Aleph
1 Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD.
2 Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.
3 They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.
4 You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.
5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!
6 Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.
8 I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.
It seemed to me that the section was broken into three parts. First, verses 1-3 talk about those who obey God's word and are blessed because of it. Then, in verses 4-5 state that God has given us precepts that are to be obeyed. The Psalmist wishes he obeyed those precepts constantly. It wraps up with verses 6-8 stating how things would be different if he did steadfastly obey God.
The thing that jumped out to me in this passage is verse 6:
Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.
I feel that way when I study the Bible. It is like a mirror, or a magnifying glass into my life. It points out to me all of the things I do or don't do that I should. It shows me my heart and how it measures up to the godly-or ungodly- people in the Bible.
I don't want to be put to shame when I read the Bible. I want to be encouraged to continue running the race with endurance, not scolded for taking my place on the sidelines. For this to happen, I need to strive to live every day in accordance to God's will and commit myself to knowing fully what that will is.
This brings me to my new scripture I am memorizing. This one is a little longer, so it will probably take me a while. It is Isaiah 55:10-11
10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
How rich is that?! God has a specific purpose for the words he spoke in the Bible and He will continue to work towards that purpose until it is achieved! If I only search for it, God will show me his will. Thank you God! This reminds me of a Casting Crowns song, The Word is Alive. I will leave you today with their song.
Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
I sat down this morning to read Psalm 119 in it's entirety. One thing continued to jump out at me. It was the Psalmist's longing for God's law; God's word. He thought it was eternally important.
Verse 20: My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.
and again
Verse 72: The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.
or here
Verse 97: Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
I don't know that I yearn for God's word like this. I mean, I know it is important, but wow, to long for it, to think of it as more precious than gold, to meditate on it all day long? There I have a long way to go.
The word should sustain us through thick and thin; through good times and bad times; from morning to evening. I should be meditating on it.
But, I don't have my Bible with me while I am walking through the hospital at work. And I can't look at it while I am driving. To this, the Psalmist says,
I will never forget your precepts for by them you have preserved my life. (verse 93)
and
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (verse 11)
By memorizing God's word, we can have it with us all of the time. We can pull it up during times of struggle, temptation, joy, and need. It can help us keep from sinning! That is powerful stuff! I know I have heard this before, but something about reading through this Psalm and hearing over and over again how the Psalmist wants to understand, obey, and remember God's word, it just hit home.
I hope this has been inspirational to you, because it has been for me. Join me as I spend the next few weeks digging deeper into each of the sections of Psalm 119.
I am starting a devotional study on Psalm 119. It is packed full of references to studying and memorizing God's word, and since that is my theme for the year, I wanted to study it deeper.
My theme verse from it is going to be verse 11: I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. In order to do this, you must do two things. First, you must read the Word. Read it in a way that more than just skims, but to really dig in to see what it has to say to you.
Secondly, you must retain it. I think this can be done in two levels. I think just knowing what it is saying in general and having an idea where to find that is one level. That is where a lot of people start, and unfortunately, where a lot of us stop- me included until recently. There is nothing wrong with this level. It covers a large range of topics that can help guide us in our daily lives. But, when you get into a predicament, it helps to have more than a general knowledge. It helps to know exactly what God promises in that matter. This is where you need the second level where you find the passages that really speak to your heart and life and memorize them so you can recall them when you need them...that you might not sin.
God commands us to do this. He explains to us why we need to do this. Yet, still we resist so many times! Join me as I delve into Psalm 119 to learn about study and memorization. I am going to begin by just reading the Psalm through, not focusing on individual pieces, but just getting a feel for what it is about. I will be posting about my thoughts on it on Sunday. If you would like to join me on this journey in God's word, check back Sunday to see what I found and to share what you discovered.
Today, we are doing a Backwards Edition of WFMW. Instead of posting a tip, we are supposed to post a question. I would love to know any tips for memorizing scriptures that you use or have heard of. Or, if there are any tips for Bible study that you have. I am really trying to dedicate myself to knowing God better through study and memorization of His word this year. It is going to be my theme for 2008. Any ideas? Thanks!
This year, I am committing to memorizing scripture. I would like to invite you to join me. The scripture I am working on now is Isaiah 55:2. In the NIV, it states:
Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
I like the way the New Living Translation puts it:
Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.
In the Message, it says:
Why do you spend your money on junk food, your hard-earned cash on cotton candy? Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best, fill yourself with only the finest.
How true is this! How many times do we focus our time...energy...money on things that are not uplifting, encouraging and please God? If Christ truly is the center of my life, I need to ingest only the things that will help me grow in Him.
Now, I am not saying that I have to give up everything except studying the Bible. But, I do need to take a good look at the way I spend my time, energy and money and ask myself if it is junk food, or fruit.
