Get Into the Word and Let the Word Get Into You!

I love this message:  Get into the Word and let the Word get into you!  I heard Lysa TerKeurst of Proverbs 31 Ministries say this at a recent women’s conference, and it struck a chord with me.   

You’re probably familiar with the first half of this imperative:  Get into the Word.  Verses like 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV), “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth,” and Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV), “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart,” are foundational verses that emphasize that the Bible is inspired and alive and powerful and worthy of reading and study.

But how do we let the Word get into us?  We let it penetrate our innermost beings by meditating on it, by savoring it, by ruminating on it, by praying it, by immersing ourselves in it, by storing it in our minds and hearts so that God can use it to speak to us.  And that is what we on this Scripture Memory Team are doing---allowing the Word of God to enter first our minds and then our spirits through memorization.

Memorizing Bible verses is not simply an intellectual exercise; it is a spiritual discipline with rewards far greater than we can imagine.  It is an activity that speaks volumes of love to the Lord, for it requires sacrifice on our part---the sacrifice of our time and energy; it is an act of obedience because He has asked us to hide his Word in our hearts so that we won’t sin against Him (Psalm 119:11).

I memorized Psalm 51:6 when I began this journey of deliberately memorizing Scripture.  In the New International Reader’s Version, it says:  “I know that You want truth to be in my heart; You teach me wisdom deep down inside me.”  I so want God’s truth and His wisdom to be “deep down inside me.”  What about you?

Has God given you a verse of truth and wisdom to memorize this month?

The Transformational Power of Scripture

Gary Smalley was a featured speaker on a Webinar to which my husband and listened recently. Gary, a well-known psychologist, is a Christian and the author or co-author of many books, including The Blessing, The DNA of Relationships, The Hidden Value of a Man, and The Key to Your Child’s Heart as well as Guard Your Child's Heart: Establish Your Child's Faith Through Scripture Memory and Meditation. 

We have 20,000 to 60,000 thoughts each day, according to Dr. Smalley, and every thought seeps into our hearts or subconscious minds.  He declared that he wants a “forest” of Christ’s thoughts in his “heart”—a forest that overshadows the thoughts of the world, which he defined as pride, pleasure, possessions, and avoidance of difficulties.

Smalley went on to say that in order to think like Christ, our thoughts have to be centered around humility, love of God, loving others, and rejoicing in difficulties.  And then he began quoting Scriptures to make his point.  I realized that here is a man who, by his own admission, has been memorizing the Word for years. 

“The more passion we put into meditating on and quoting verses during the day, the more they become part of your subconscious (heart),” said Dr. Smalley.  He looks for every opportunity to think about God because for him, “God is like unexpectedly finding a cool, natural spring in the desert---my living water, my high tower.”

Gary Smalley decided to put God to the test five years ago.  Lustful thoughts had bombarded him for years, and  he had despaired of ever getting rid of them. But he asked God to show him a new verse that would put those thoughts to rest, and God gave him Galatians 5:13-14 ( ¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” NIV). 

Gary said that he meditated and thought about these verses for two solid weeks. One day he was in a swimming pool and two bikini-clad women entered the pool enclosure.  When he realized that his first unbidden thoughts were, “I wonder if they have anyone who loves them.  I wonder if they know that God loves them,” he knew that God was answering his prayer.  He reported that God is giving him a love of people to replace the lust that had plagued him, and today he is 99.99% free of lust as he continues to fill his mind with Scripture.

This should encourage all of us to dig into the Bible and to memorize Scripture and to meditate on it. This is not just an exercise; it is one of the ways the Holy Spirit is able to transform us closer and closer into the image of Christ.

Those of you who are memorizing, are you experiencing this transformation in your lives?  II Corinthians 3:18 says that the Spirit makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image (NLT).  The New American Standard describes it as being transformed from glory to glory. I pray that each of us is finding this call to memorize a powerful tool that God is using to change us bit by bit into His likeness.

And now, let’s see your "glory" verses!

Spelling Champion---or God's Champion?

I recently heard about a spelling bee, held every year in Cheyenne, Wyoming, for contestants who are 50 years of age or older.  It piqued my interest since I was once a school spelling champion; and the fact that the first place prize is $5000 raised my eyebrows as well.  Hmmm…..I used to be fairly good at spelling, and who can’t use an extra few thousand dollars, I thought.  Maybe I should try out for this.

The current champion, a high school math and physics teacher from Tennessee, gave an interview that detailed his studying techniques. He compiled study lists of unfamiliar words from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary—8,400 words, in fact---and he reviews the words constantly.  He practices as he drives to and from school; he runs 3 miles a day, with word sheets in hand; and during the summer, he immerses himself in studying for the spelling bee up to 8 hours a day.  His daughter quizzes him, and when they get going, they can cover 400-500 words per hour.

Does that make your mind spin?  As I read those words, my initial reaction was this:  I would rather spend my time on words that make a difference, on words that speak life and hope and truth, on words that glorify God, on words that teach me about eternity, on words that have the power to transform lives.  I would rather memorize Scripture than find obscure words and practice their spelling. 

I would rather be God’s Champion, learning to know Him better day by day, than Spelling Bee Champion, with its accolades and monetary prize.  How about you?

Fellow Champions, let's see your verses!

Don't Lose Confidence--You Can Memorize!

Even though there are snowflakes in the air as I write, I am so glad to see April come because it holds the promise of spring after a long winter.

Just as April breathes promises of the earth warming and awakening to new life after a season of winter dormancy, so too the promises in the Word of God invite us to look into the future of today, tomorrow, and eternity.

I love finding those nuggets of truth that are for all of us who love and trust the Lord.  And I love committing them to memory because then they are with me wherever I go; whether I’m washing dishes at home or sitting in the emergency room of the hospital, whether it’s talking with a friend who’s going through hardships or counseling children with decisions to make, the Word is available and relevant and timely. 

Hebrews 10:35-36 tells us not to lose our confidence but to persevere so that when we have done the will of God, we will receive what He has promised us.  So don’t lose confidence when it comes to memorizing Scriptures, but persevere—keep at it, even if it is difficult---because you are doing the will of God, the same God Who tells us over and over in the Scriptures that He sets great value on His Word and that we are to do the same.  He encourages us to hide his Word in our hearts, to meditate on it, to teach it to our children, to speak of it when we lie down and when we rise up. And we know that if He tells us to do something, He also gives us the ability to follow through—it is part of His faithfulness to us.

Here are 10 suggestions for Bible memorization from the pen of Robert J. Morgan, the author of 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart.  These hints are laid out in his book on pages 43 and 43.

            1) Resolve to memorize just one verse—only one. 

            2) Go over the verse daily, making it part of a routine.  For example, work at it while folding the laundry or exercising or while getting ready for bed.  If it’s part of another routine you’ve already established,  it’s more likely you’ll remember to work on your verse.

            3) Keep your memory verse in front of your eyes, ie. on the bathroom mirror, at the kitchen sink, by the computer, on the dashboard of your car, on whatever you are apt to look at regularly.  You can use post-it notes and applications to good effect here.

            4) Say it out loud and repeat, repeat, repeat!

            5) Put the verse to music and sing it (or rap it).

            6) Read the verse in context and study its meaning.  Write it out.

            7) Learn the reference as well.

            8) Review, review, review!

            9) Try to find some mental associations for either the verse or its reference. For example, if I were memorizing I Corinthians 2:16, I would associate the reference with my birthdate (2/16).

            10) Use your verse by praying it, preaching it, or quoting it for other people.

You can start today to apply any or all of these suggestions to your new verse for April 1.  Let’s see what you are memorizing!

Preparing to Memorize

With this verse we’re finishing the first quarter of 2011!  I thought that it might be helpful to show you how I prepare to memorize the verses I have chosen. 

The very first consideration is to make sure that the verse you are planning to commit to memory is one that speaks to you, that connects with your heart, that is something on which you need or want to meditate.  Once you have found that verse, then you can examine it carefully to find little “hooks” on which to pin your memorizing. 

Let me explain.  Here are my verses for March 15:

I Peter 3:3-4

Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.  You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.

The first thing I notice about these verses is the theme of beauty.  Specifically, verse 3 contrasts outward beauty with the beauty that comes from within in verse 4.  So I will be remembering:  outward beauty (first verse) vs. inward beauty (second verse). 

I also see that both of these verses are commands:  Don’t be concerned about……vs. You should clothe yourselves instead with…….

Verse 3 has a list:  fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, beautiful clothes.  How can I remember these in order?  If I imagine hair on the head, jewelry around the neck, clothes on the body, I’ll be putting the nouns in order from the top down.  The adjectives are in reverse alphabetical order (fancy, expensive, beautiful) so I’ll think about that, too.

The key word in these verses is beauty:  outward beauty---beauty that comes from within---unfading beauty.  And then one “beautiful” is thrown in with the word clothes. 

What does God want in me?  “A gentle and quiet spirit.”  How do I know?  [It] “is so precious to God.”

I’m also going to be remembering that the word “quiet” is translated in different versions as peaceful, meek, mild, tranquil, sweet, gracious, calm, and not anxious or wrought up so that I know it doesn’t actually refer to a specific personality type but to an attitude that God values.  And no, I am not memorizing all these adjectives—I just think it’s important to know that there are different ways to express “quiet” so that I’m not stuck in the trap of thinking that because my personality doesn’t fit into that category, my inner self is not and cannot be pleasing to God.

Because I’ve carefully examined them, I already have these verses half-memorized!  Now I need to repeat, repeat, repeat, and repeat them some more so that they will stick in my mind and migrate to my heart.

What works for you as you memorize?  Maybe you can help out one of our fellow SMTers with your suggestions.  Feel free to share your thoughts and your methods as you post your verses for March 15.

Choosing a Translation

It’s the beginning of a new month and time to concentrate on a new verse! 

Whenever I decide what I want to memorize, I try to look at several translations to find the one that is the most meaningful to me.  For me the easiest and quickest way to compare the wording of different translations is by searching online.  I have two favorite sites:  www.biblegateway.com and its passage lookup feature, and www.biblestudytools.com, which has a few versions that Bible Gateway does not have.  A third site that I have recently found is http://net.bible.org/, which showcases the New English Translation of the Bible.

If you love one translation above all others, by all means use it.  If you half-memorized a verse years ago in one translation and want to finish the task now, why go through the frustration of unlearning and then relearning the same message in different words?  But if you don’t have a preference, why not take a look at a variety of translations?  You might be surprised at the richness of interpretations and wordings that can exist in one simple verse.  And you just might find a new favorite version of the Bible for your personal study!

I’m looking forward to seeing your newest verses.  Bring them on!

Finding the Right Verse

February 15, 2011

I get pretty excited about finding just the right verse to memorize, the verse that is going to be my constant companion for the next couple of weeks, the verse that swirls around in my mind and comes to the forefront of my thoughts, the verse that is going to be part of me for life.

I don't know what that verse will be for the second half of February, but let me tell you how I found my February 1 verse.  I was watching a Lysa TerKeurst (of Proverbs 31 Ministries) webcast, and a guest on her show quoted Psalm 90:14 by saying, "Satisfy me in the morning with Your unfailing love, and I will sing for joy and be glad all my days."  Wow!  That connected with me immediately, and I quickly looked up Psalm 90:14 in my Bible.

But the verse wasn't the same; it didn't have the same appeal to me, and the "luster" was somehow gone.  I rewatched the webcast, thinking I had written down the wrong reference.  No, I had the right reference and the right verse---the difference was in the wording.  Psalm 90:14 actually says, "Satisfy us in the morning......that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days."  Lysa's guest had personalized the words, changing the pronouns to refer to herself.  And once I realized what she had done, there was the verse that had captured my attention:  "Satisfy ME in the morning with Your unfailing love.............."

My mind knows that this verse really says, "Satisfy US....." but in my heart, I can say, "Lord, satisfy ME...." and make it my personal prayer.

Blessings as you choose your verses for the end of February; if you haven't joined us yet, it's not too late--just jump in and let us hear from you!