The Value of Memorized Scripture
Years down the road from their intensive year of being mentored, guys tell me the Scripture verses they memorized continue to help them through life. Why? Listen to the words of Charles Spurgeon . . .
“There may be a promise in the Word which would exactly fit your case, but you may not know of it, and therefore you miss its comfort. You are like prisoners in a dungeon, and there may be one key in the bunch which would unlock the door, and you remain a prisoner still, though liberty is so near at hand. Should you not, besides reading the Bible, store your memories richly with the promises of God? You can recollect the sayings of great men; you treasure up the verses of renowned poets, ought you not to be profound in your knowledge of the words of God, so that you may be able to quote them readily when you would solve a difficulty, or overthrow a doubt?”
When I was young in my faith, the Bible was overwhelming to me. There’s just so much there. People often refer to it as the “owner’s manual for life,” which is a pretty good metaphor as the answers to all life’s questions are there. But I needed a quick reference guide . . . a few of the most important verses to guide my thought-life and my most important relationships. I found that if I tagged the verses with a keyword, they’d be easier to call up in relevant situations. Here are a few of the verses that help me every single day . . .
Priorities: But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)
Fruit: But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control; against such things, there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
Fear: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)
Humility & Gentleness: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11: 29)
Peace: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)
Faith: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Talk: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29)
Marriage: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. (Ephesians 5:25)
Prayer: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)
Fatherhood: Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)
Let me challenge you to jot down one of these Scriptures, including the ‘keyword’ and reference and memorize it this week. Do another one next week. By Cinco de Mayo, you’ll be able to bring ten verses of Scripture to mind. You may find God bringing to mind the exact Scripture you need at the exact time you need it . . . for yourself or for others.
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Responses (3)
Good read here Regi. I agree with you on this matter 🙂 I strongly believe that Christians should go back to this practice because it will aid our spiritual growth tremendously. Thanks for sharing.
Regi – I love this. As someone who had the benefit of being in a Radical Mentoring group 9 years ago, I can testify that getting these verses in my head during that time has changed the man that I am today.
thanks for this friend! memorizing scriptire is very important. I look at it like this, if your the type of person to give advice throughout the day, why not give meaningful advice?(the word of god), you have to remind people of the basics, and sometimes YOU may know just the words.