"Cause me to know the way
wherein I should walk;
for I lift up my soul unto Thee."
(Ps. 143:8)

Perhaps the most significant role of the Word of God is that it inerrantly reveals to us the nature of its Author. Although Creation points to a Creator (Ps. 19:1) and our conscience bears witness that "sin is a reproach" (Prov. 14:34), apart from the Scriptures we have no "knowledge of salvation" and are unable "to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (Luke 1:77; 1 Tim. 2:4). As N. A. Woychuk points out in Thus Says the Lord, "There is only one way to heaven, but there are many secret paths that lead to hell." The only way to avoid these "secret paths" of destruction is to know "know Him that is true. . .even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life" (1 John 5:20).

Of course the Scriptures not only reveal the commandments of God; they also reveal the power of God and His many "wonderful works" (Ps. 40:5). The parting of the Red Sea points to the omnipotence of Him who promised, "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee" (Isa. 43:2). The preservation of Daniel in the lions' den undeniably confirms that "with God nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37). The cleansing of the leper attests the ability of Christ to also "forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

We also see the faithfulness of God revealed in the promise that He "will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able" (1 Cor. 10:13); the justice of God manifested in the suffering of "the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God" (1 Pet. 3:18); the holiness of God declared by hosts of angels (Rev. 4:8); and the love of God demonstrated "in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8).

Few things affect your relationship with God more than your perception of Him. The Scriptures accurately reveal the nature of God and make it possible for us to enjoy "the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor. 1:9). And while it may indeed be possible to know the truth and willingly "reject the word of the Lord" (1 Sam. 15:23), walking daily in the "path of life" (Ps. 16:11) is only possible to those who sincerely pray with the Psalmist, "Order my steps in Thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me" (Ps. 119:133).

If you’re reading this, then chances are you already know that writing has been a part of my life for many years now. And despite the fact that I’ve not been especially active in the blogosphere over the last 12 months (sorry!), I've often felt that my ministry would involve a commitment to writing on a regular basis.

Another aspect of my life you may or may not be familiar with is that I'm a firm believer in the importance of Scripture memorization. Scripture Memory Fellowship, a ministry that has been instrumental in my own spiritual life over the years, is one of few organizations dedicated solely to the practice and principle of memorizing Scripture, and I've been honored by an invitation to serve as a weekly contributor to their brand new website which debuted today: www.scripturememory.com.

In case you're unfamiliar with the ministry of SMF, our goal is a simple one: to get God's Word into people's hearts systematically. We have a variety of resources available, including memory books which organize verses by topic, and audio CD's with whole chapters set to music. My blog posts will point to these resources when appropriate, as well as highlight other methods of Scripture memorization I have found to be effective.

To be clear, this does not mean I’m discontinuing my posts here. In fact, as I return to writing on a regular basis one of my goals is to publish more devotional materials right here at A Look at Life from Deerstand. I’m simply sharing this news in hopes that you'll take a few minutes to look around the new site and send me any feedback or questions you may have. I'd also be interested in knowing what you'd like to see written about on the blog.

Please check back often and, as always, keep in touch!

NOTE: If you’d like to purchase any Scripture memory tools from the website, be sure to use the coupon code “welcome” during your checkout for 20% off through 11/30/14.

A couple years ago I attended a two-day homeschool expo with my family. The last workshop I attended was unplanned until nearly the last minute when I decided to check out a class focusing on the importance of memorizing Scripture, which was  something I had recently become very interested in.

While there I met Jim Woychuck, director of Scripture Memory Fellowship, and Phil Walker who is also very involved with the increasingly-popular Bible Bee, memverse.com, and his own international Scripture ministry located in Indonesia. In particular, Memverse and Scripture Memory Fellowship completely revolutionized the way I memorize and strengthened my commitment to continue doing so throughout the rest of my life.

SMF’s primary goal is to encourage people to systematically memorize Scripture in the most effective ways possible, while the main purpose of meverse is to make this process easier and less time-consuming. Though they aren’t technically affiliated, this dynamic duo of Scripture memory tools makes memorizing the Word of God easier than it’s ever been and leaves us without excuse before our heavenly Father.

Whether or not you are currently memorizing Scripture, I highly recommend taking advantage of these two tools. My decision to become involved with these ministries has truly transformed my walk with God by filling me with both a greater love for and knowledge of Scripture and I am confident they can do the same for you.

 

 

“Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.”

               -II Timothy 2:9

Have you seen the newest poll on my sidebar? I put it up a while back hoping to get some feedback on a very important question that I myself have been pondering a lot lately: will the U.S. government ever ban the Word of God? Of course I’ll be one of the first to admit that it seems pretty unlikely right now since, after all, our country’s greatest pride is its establishment of religious freedom; but if you’ll remember, there was a time when we stood firmly on the individual rights of all humanity and now our congressmen and women are passing legislation which daily destroys innocent life by way of abortion. Our country is headed downhill both morally and spiritually, and I believe it would be a dangerous mistake to take anything for granted at this point.

So what were the results of my poll? 87% of my readers believe the Bible could one day become illegal. Yes, that’s right: 87%. That’s a huge majority, and yet would you believe that one study indicated more than a third of all verbally professed Christians (Titus 1:16) do not read this precious Book at all? The very Word of God, which most of us are apparently afraid of losing, would probably not even be missed by a large part of those who claim to love it so much! Too often, we find it more convenient to hide the Scriptures in our bookshelves than to hide it in our heart (Psalm 119:11), and to hang a verse or two on the wall than to read and apply It to our lives (James 1:21-25).

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.”

                 -II Timothy 3:1

Though we generally tend to think questions beginning with the words “What If” are dangerous, I believe they can sometimes be the most healthy questions one can ask. What if your Bible was taken away from you tomorrow? Would you know enough of it to live according to God’s will? What if you had to choose between your life and your faith? Would you waver or stand firm? What if you were arrested for being a Christian? Would there be enough evidence to convict you? These are questions we may one day have to live out our answer to, and it is time now for us to prepare ourselves for whatever the future may hold – no matter how unlikely we think it is.

 

 

 

 

 

“For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”

                                                       -II John 1:7

I recently attended a homeschool expo that comes to our area every year, and one of the most intriguing classes I attended throughout the course of our trip was given by a former police officer and Army veteran. Though the class was aimed primarily at illustrating how to “put on the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11), he did find time in his hour to share with us how difficult it was, even as a police officer, to distinguish between counterfeit money and the real thing. He said that one time he finally decided  just to ask the people at the Treasury Department how they can tell the difference when both look so similar, and was amazed by their simple response: “We just study the original.”  The truth is, even though they often look completely authentic, when you’ve spent hours and hours studying the real thing you’re not going to be fooled by a counterfeit very easily.

The same is true in our walk with God. As John reminded us in his second epistle, “many deceivers are entered into the world” and it’s absolutely necessary that we learn how to “discern between the righteous and the wicked” (Malachi 3:18). In the same way that a piece of currency is paralleled with the original to test its authenticity, so we must compare whatever we hear with the doctrine of Christ and see if it lines up to the Holy Scriptures (II John 1:9). Of course we may not always have the opportunity to flip through the pages of the Bible looking for an answer, and that’s why we are reminded time and time again of the importance of hiding the Word of God in our hearts (Joshua 1:8; Deuteronomy 6:6). If it lines up with what God has said, you can take it to the bank every time.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.”

                                                    - 2 Timothy 2:15

In a world where there seem to be more counterfeits than true believers, it’s more important now than ever before that we know how to tell which is which. The Word of God gives us those answers, and all we have to do is bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (II Corinthians 10:5) Of course, I’ve always been told that another way to identify a counterfeit bill is by holding it up to the light, but I’ll save that for another post.

 

 

 

By now, I’m you’ve all heard me talk about memverse.com. I don’t hesitate in saying that I truly believe this website to be the most powerful and effective tool out there when it comes to helping you memorize Scripture, and that I would have far fewer verses memorized without it. Rather than having to review all of your verses day after day, the software automatically determines the precise moment when you need to be reminded of each Scripture and quizzes you accordingly. In other words, it’s possible to memorize 100+ verses and only have to study a few each day while still retaining them firmly in memory!

Anyway, the owner of memverse recently mentioned that he would love to have a tutorial video explaining how to use the site, and so I spent last night making just that. This video shows you how to navigate the most important aspects of memverse, including how to add/delete a verse and complete a memorization session. It’s all very simple anyway, but I hope this makes the learning process a bit easier for those who sign up.  You can watch it here if you’d like, or on youtube to see the full-screen, HD version (which I would recommend). Enjoy!

 

Memorizing Scripture, as most of you have already seen in my profile, is one of my favorite ways to spend time. I’ve blogged about it on several occasions in the past, and yet I don’t think I’ve ever given you the full story of how I began hiding God’s Word in my heart in the first place. Contrary to what you would suspect, I wasn’t forced to memorize by my parents, asked to by my Sunday School teacher, or even preached at by my pastor. In all reality, my love for memorizing Scripture began a little less than three years ago when I sat down to read the book  A Call to Die by David Nasser. Let me tell you about it:

Having grown up in church, I was more than familiar with verses like Psalm 119:11 and Hebrews 4:12. I knew those words were undeniably referring to the power of God’s Word and the importance of memorizing it, but I still never recognized the necessity of doing so myself. Whenever the subject was brought up by a friend or family member, I would say what everybody else who wants to avoid memorizing Scripture says and rattle off something like, “Oh, I just don’t have a good memory like you do. I can’t memorize Scripture; it’s too hard.” What didn’t make sense about this excuse is that I’d never actually tried to memorize in the first place, and yet somehow knew I would be unable to. I guess because I couldn’t recite from memory the Scriptures I’d read during my devotions that night, I assumed I had a bad memory and shouldn’t try to burden it too heavily with something as “archaic” as the Bible.

Anyway, one night I sat down to read the first devotional in A Call to Die and my safe-haven of excuses began to slowly crumble. He wrote,

“I hear people whine, “I can’t memorize verses from the Bible. It’s too hard!” That’s ridiculous. These same people know every song on their favorite CD, and I know a couple of guys who can recite the entire dialogue from The Three Amigos word for word! The first thing I want you to realize is: yes, you can memorize verses from the Bible!”

These words helped me to realize that I actually had a much better memory than I was willing to admit; I simply wasn’t willing to utilize it for the glory of God. Not only did I know every word of every song on my favorite CD, but I knew the lyrics to pretty much every Third Day song ever recorded. This realization helped me to see that, if I could devote so much time and energy to memorizing song lyrics about God, I could at least memorize the words of God which were far more significant and far more eternal than anything else on this earth.

David Nasser then outlined a list of ways to strategically hide the Word of God in your heart and mind. Amazingly enough, the list he made bears a striking resemblance to the list of ways a student might study for a test, or even simply memorize a phone number or address. The items included reading the material multiple times; writing it down; reciting with a partner, and meditating on the Scripture throughout your day. Compare these activities with the way you memorize the lyrics to your favorite song:

• First of all, you pressed the rewind button on your stereo several times.

 

 

• You looked up the lyrics on google, or repeated step one until this was unnecessary. In extreme cases, you may have even purchased a T-shirt to express your love for the artist who wrote it.

 

• Most importantly, you sung your new favorite song in the car, in the shower, and any other time you were a safe distance from any listening ears.

Basically, my point is that it doesn’t matter how much you love or hate the material, memorization requires genuine hard work. Obviously it helps if we are passionate about what we’re memorizing, and I think that’s why we rarely give a second thought to memorizing our best friends phone number or new song lyrics: we see the benefits of it, and thus pay the price and devote the time necessary to to do just that.

In Joshua 1:8, the Lord commanded Israel’s new leader to meditate in the law of the Lord continually. Memorizing Scripture allows us to do that and, what’s more, will bring a peace beyond comparison (Isaiah 26:3). It takes work, for sure, but is more than worth the benefits it brings us. We’re robbing ourselves of a great treasure if we allow the excuse of a having a poor memory to keep us from hiding God’s word in our heart. The fact is, even if your mind is like a sieve, the Scriptures will keep it pure as they flow through.

I don’t know about you, but this is a question I always have a difficult time answering. It seems God is constantly revealing to me the hidden treasures of His Word through the most unlikely verses, and so it’s not uncommon for my favorite Scripture to change on a monthly, or sometimes even a weekly, basis. With that said, rather than trying to pin down one verse and calling it my favorite, I want to give you a list of four verses that have proven especially influential in my own life.

“The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:”

                           -Deuteronomy 7:7

While this verse doesn’t necessarily answer the question “Why me?” that we so often ask ourselves, it does clear up any misconception that it was because we were something special. In Israel’s case, they were not chosen because they had impressed God or because they were a great multitude of people; in our case, it wasn’t because we had earned God’s favor or because we had anything great to offer Him. It is for this reason that Paul wrote, “…by grace are ye saved.” (Ephesians 2:8)

“Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.”

                  -Psalm 10:14

Most of you don’t know this about me, but I come from a broken home. About three years ago my life was turned upside down, and yet this is a verse that brought comfort to me countless times when nothing else could. Whether you are without a father, a mother, a healer, or a friend, know today that God can be whatever it is you have need of (Philippians 4:19). He can be your helper in a way that nobody else ever could.

“Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.”

                       -Deuteronomy 23:5

It’s amazing to me when I look back over the most difficult times of my life and see how God was able to bring good out of a situation that seemed completely hopeless at the time. I know now that if I hadn’t experienced some of those trials I most likely wouldn’t even been saved today, and perhaps wouldn’t be here at all. God’s love for Israel moved Him to turn their curse into a blessing, and I know that, if you let Him, He’ll do the same for you.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

        -Romans 8:1

Obviously I wouldn’t base the URL of this blog on a verse that didn’t have a very special place in my heart. When I remember the bondage of sin that used to weigh me down and then consider the freedom I now have in Christ, a sense of joy fills my soul that couldn’t possibly be described in a blog post. When the devil, the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10), brings up our past sins to the Lord, I can imagine our heavenly Father answering, "Sin? I see no sin when I look on my child. He is without condemnation." Truly, there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.

So what about you? What Scriptures has God used to encourage, motivate, and uplift you when nothing else seemed to do the trick? Leave a comment and let me know, as I’m sure I’m not the only one who would love to read your story. Whether it’s one verse or even a whole chapter, I always love reading how God speaks to others through verses I myself might have been overlooking.

This Monday marked the beginning of the 7^th and final week of the 3 John Project I started back in December with some of you. Though I will admit I struggled near the halfway point due to the holidays, I was thankfully able to get back on track towards the end and finish in time. If you are one of those who joined me, I trust that God has richly blessed you in your efforts to memorize His Word and that the benefits of your commitment will last a lifetime.

Anyway, here’s is a video of me reciting 3 John from memory. This is actually the first time I was able to make it through with 100% accuracy, and so I was pretty excited to get it on camera. I hope you like it!

 

So lately I’ve been reading the book of Proverbs and, as always, have found myself completely overwhelmed by so many amazing verses. Oftentimes I’ll catch myself stopping every few paragraphs just to meditate on a specific passage that stood out to me, or even heading to the computer to add it to my list of verses I want to memorize. I actually use my highlighter sparingly in this book because I would probably end up coloring the pages yellow like I’ve done in James otherwise.

Anyway, one Scripture that I found very convicting, Proverbs 13:13, grabbed my attention in a new way this week and I wanted to share it with you:

 “Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.”

You see, I believe that there are very few people out there who would readily admit to “despising God’s Word.” Nevertheless, verses like this make clear to us that such people are out there, for God would not waste time describing the fate of a people group that didn’t exist. In other words, just because we don’t think we fall into this category doesn’t necessarily mean we’re completely innocent.

So what does it mean to despise God’s Word? It means we don’t like what It has to say when It challenges our way of life. It means we’ll probably read a lot faster through the Ten Commandments than we do through more “comfortable” passages like 1 Corinthians 13, and John 3:16. It means that we’d rather spend our time engulfed in fantasy novels than in the Word, and find it easier to quote Scripture to others than to ourself. After all, anybody who looks into a mirror and sees a face other than their own must have seriously impaired vision (James 1:22-25).

As we read in James 2:10, breaking even one law of God is like breaking all of them. In the same way, despising even one Scripture or intentionally overlooking just one passage is no different than despising the whole Thing. By rejecting part of It, we’re rejecting all of It. As I like to say, the Bible is God’s Word, not a math textbook: so don’t add or subtract, just rightly divide.

No book in history has ever compared to the Word of God. It has  been hated and loved; burned and cherished; neglected and trusted; criticized and yet never undefended. Many countries have banned Its use entirely, while others have built their very foundation upon Its words. Amazingly enough, what makes God’s Word unique is not the fact that It has proven so controversial, but that It has proven Itself accurate time and time again:

• Scientists once falsely believed that air had no weight, even though God had told us otherwise thousands of years earlier (Job 28:25).

• At a time when it was largely accepted that the Earth rested upon the back of a large animal or giant, the Bible spoke of its suspension in space (Job 26:7).

• Long before the discovery of atoms, the invisible “building blocks” of Creation, God had revealed “…that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” (Hebrews 11:3)

• During an age when Science claimed the earth to be flat, Christopher Columbus sailed west through faith in the Scriptures: “It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth…” (Isaiah 40:22)

In Isaiah 55, God promised us that His Word would not return unto Him void. Like the rain and the snow from heaven, It has a purpose that will be accomplished. Though mankind has attempted numerous times to block that purpose, they have failed miserably on every occasion and have served only to further prove the inerrancy of Scripture. As it was said by Charles Spurgeon, “Had I written [the Bible], there would be men who would pull it to pieces at once, and perhaps quite right too. But this is the Word of God; come, search, ye critics, and find a flaw; examine it, from its Genesis to its Revelation, and find an error. This is a vein of pure gold, unalloyed by quartz, or any earthly substance. This is a star without a speck; a sun without a blot; a light without darkness; a moon without its paleness; a glory without a dimness.”*

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

        -Hebrews 4:12

Without a doubt, the Bible is the inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It has no equal, and thus reflects the nature of Its Author (1 Samuel 2:2). Jesus is Its grand subject, our good is Its design, and the glory of God is Its end (John 1:1, 14; 1 Corinthians 7:35; Philippians 2:9-10).

 

*http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0015.htm

Over the past few months, my Scripture memorization efforts have not been nearly what they used to be. While I never stopped maintaining the verses I’d previously memorized, adding new passages of God’s Word to my list rarely happened. That’s why, starting this Monday, I’m going to begin the process of memorizing III John, and I’d love for you to join me!

I know some of you are no doubt thinking that to memorize a whole book of the Bible is absurd; but in reality, III John contains only about 15% more words than the average Christian song. Why is it that we don’t hesitate to memorize the words of Tobymac and Third Day, and yet are hesitant when it comes to hiding God’s own Word in our heart (Psalm 119:11)? It’s not as hard as we tend to think, and the rewards are far greater than being able to sing along to our favorite tunes.

Anyway, I hope you’ll prayerfully consider joining me in committing this wonderful passage of Scripture to memory. I plan on moving forward at a pace of 2 verses per week so that anybody who is willing to truly apply themselves can participate. Even if you’re somebody who has never memorized Scripture before, consider this the perfect time to start! Also, be sure to check out the new page I’ve added to my navigation bar (above) dedicated to this project.

I hope you’ll join me, and please be sure to let me know if you do!

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

                           -I Peter 3:15

Yesterday I talked a little bit about the importance of becoming grounded in what we believe. Today, however, I want to take things a step further and show you the importance of being able to defend your beliefs through Scripture to both sinners and Christians alike. In other words, though it is important to be grounded in our beliefs, we must make sure we are being grounded on the right foundation (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

As we read in today’s Scripture, being able to defend what one believes is a vital part of each Christian’s faith. If we respond with “Ask my pastor.” whenever we are questioned about our faith or our convictions (I’ve been given that answer before), we are going to come across as nothing less than a narrow-minded, judgmental legalist who thinks that whatever he/she says goes. After all, would you give up driving your car just because an environmentalist said you should? In the same way, no sinner is going to forsake his sinful lifestyle without first being shown a good reason to.

Martin Luther once said, “Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason, my conscience is captive to the Word of God.” The fact is, you won’t have any luck convincing somebody of your convictions if they have no real Scriptural basis. In fact, if you are only holding onto those standards because your pastor said they were right, chances are you’ll leave them behind yourself as soon as the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence. I’ve seen this happen myself to many people who, though their convictions were not without Biblical foundation, eventually forsook them because they had never been shown the verses they were supposed to be living by. If you are absolutely sure that what you believe is true, then it’s more than worth the time necessary to look up a verse or two on the subject.

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”

                          -Galatians 1:8

*

If you're reading this post, then you probably already understand the importance of studying God's Word. But in my own personal walk with God, there have been many times where He has opened my eyes to see the value of having the Scriptures in a clearer light. That is, I thought I knew the value of God's Word a couple years ago; but now, I esteem the words of His mouth more than my necessary food (Job 23:12). They are more to be desired than much fine gold, and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb (Psalm 19:10). Why? Because all of those things are temporal. All of our earthly treasures will one day melt with a fervent heat (2 Pet. 3:10), but the word of our God shall stand for ever (Isaiah 40:8). To put it in the words of Christ Himself, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." (Matt. 24:35)

As the photo above illustrates, even the most beautiful things in life will fade. Our life, as well as anything we might gain during it, is only a vapor. It appears for a while, and then vanishes away (James 4:14). Why then spend the few years we have on this earth seeking after things that won't last any longer than we do, when we could instead be laying up for ourselves treasure in heaven, "where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth"? (Luke 12:33) The only thing on this earth that will last is the Word of the Lord. That is why it is so necessary to memorize and study it. We live a temporal life, surrounded by temporal things and temporal treasures; but through the Bible, God has made a way for us to have something eternal to carry with us along the way.


*Photo © 2010 - Dakota L.

"A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings."

                            -Proverbs 1:5,6 

In this portion of Scripture, Solomon begins a long chain of proverbs on how to attain (and retain) wisdom. To speak personally, I always have a hard time reading an entire chapter of Proverbs at once because you could literally spend an entire day focusing on only one verse. To put it in the words of a pastor I once knew, "Proverbs is just so full of meat", and this verse is no exception.

Before he goes very far in his instruction, Solomon first speaks of the necessity of  "...understanding a proverb, and the interpretation." These words are a very fitting introduction to this 31 chapter book because, though it may be "full of meat", it won't do us a bit of good if we are unable to understand any of it. In the same way that a car is useless without its respective key, reading 100 chapters of Scripture per day is of little to no value if we lack the understanding whereby we may apply it.

In the 8th chapter of Acts, Philip came across a man reading the words of Isaiah the prophet. Notice, though, what he said in verse 30: "Understandest thou what thou readest?" No, he didn't inquire as to the number of chapters he'd read that day; he wanted to know if he understood it. Though it is imperative that we set aside a good amount of time each day for prayer and Bible study, we shouldn't feel guilty if the Lord speaks to us in such a way that we only end up reading a single chapter due to the deep meditation spent on a handful of verses. While some people boast of being able to read through the Bible in a short length of time, God isn't looking for speed-readers; He's looking for people who will study His Word earnestly and diligently, regardless of what their CPD (chapters-per-day) average is.

So here's my challenge to you: when you are done reading this post, go and open your Bible. Read the first chapter that you see, then come back and comment with a few words, not stating what you read, but what you learned. And as a word of advice, you might consider beginning your study with a prayer similar to David's: "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." (Psalm 119:18)

"And take...the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

                            -Eph. 6:17

In the first century, before the days of armored tanks and automatic weapons, the sword was the primary offensive tool used in battle. No, it wasn't some relic that could be found hanging over one's fireplace, or a plastic children's toy; it was a deadly weapon. For this reason, Paul chose the sword as a fitting symbol of God's Word.

But as good an illustration as this may be, we read in Hebrews 4:12 that the Bible is in fact "sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." When faced with spiritual battles, we are no less than doomed to failure if we enter the battleground without our sword.

"And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada...went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow:"

                            -II Samuel 23:20

In our walk with God, we will face our fair share of battles. And just like what happened to Benaiah, those battles often take place in the most inconvenient of circumstances. In this case, Benaiah's battle took place in the middle of a pit right in the dead of winter! When we encounter such situations spiritually, we don't have time to run and get a Bible, or to flip through our concordance until we find the desired Scripture; we've got to know the Word, and make our decisions according to Its teaching - often without a minute to spare. The fact is, by the time we get off the phone with our pastor asking for verses on predestination, the window of opportunity to witness to our friend or neighbor may well be past.

"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates."

                            Deuteronomy 6:6-9

Finally, we memorize Scripture because it is an express commandment from the Lord. Memorizing God's precious Word is no more optional than church attendance or prayer, and we should make whatever sacrifices necessary to ensure that it is part of our daily lives.

"The law of Thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver."

                            -Psalm 119:72

Though he was human, and thus made mistakes from time to time, it is obvious from verses like this that David had his priorities straight. Gold and silver are two of the most precious materials on earth, and yet he said they were nothing in comparison to the law of God. Despite the fact that all he had at this point was Genesis through Deuteronomy (and the psalms, of course), he valued those words more than many of us value the Bible in it's entirety today.  Verses such as John 3:16 and Revelation 21:4 had not even been penned yet, but yet he realized the importance of what he did have.

How many of us feel that way? What if somebody offered you $100 to tear out those first few hundred pages of your Bible? What about $10,000? $1 million? I know that I would not accept any amount of money to abstain from eating for the rest of my life, but didn't Job say that he esteemed the Words of God to be more necessary than food? (Job 23:12) The Bible, from cover to cover, is inspired by God, and nobody can put a price-tag on it.

Let us come to the place where it can be said of our generation, "...and the word of the LORD was precious in those days;" (I Samuel 3:1)

In the day and age in which we live, many people see no real need to memorize the Bible. With countless commentaries, devotionals, dictionaries, study Bibles, concordances, and cross-references, we have an "all-you-can-eat buffet", so to speak, of God's Word. But it doesn't matter how readily available the Bible is to us, memorizing It is still a God-given command!

"Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee."

                            -Psalm 119:11

"...lay up His words in thine heart." 

                -Job 22:22

"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:" 

-Deuteronomy 6:6

Though this country might be bursting at the seams with Bibles, what will happen when you are trying to witness to someone on the street corner, or at the grocery store? You can't run home and get your Bible; you've got to have it in your heart. That is one good reason why we memorize it.

Now I understand that some of you are probably reading this and saying to yourselves, "But I can't memorize. It's too hard, and I don't have a good memory!" But let me ask you this: what is your favorite song? When you think of it, go ahead and sing the chorus...yes, sing it!
Do you see? You can memorize; it's just a matter of willpower. We memorize what is important to us, and if the Bible is important enough to us, we'll put forth the necessary effort to hide it in our hearts.

So what can you do? A verse per day? A verse per week? Whatever you are able to do, I challenge you to give it your best and, I promise you, the rewards will be well worth the effort.



NOTE: Scripture Memory Fellowship is an amazing organization that has memory books, Bible trivia games, and CD's that are all designed to help you memorize the Bible! I strongly encourage you to check it out! Also, memverse.com will store, and quiz you about, your memory verses - all for free!