Learning Scripture

 Learning Scripture

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

I recently overheard someone listening to music and try to sing the words. It must have been new to them as they were only singing the words they could remember. They listened to the song over and over again to memorize the lyrics.

This got me thinking, we don’t we do the same with scripture?  Not only does memorizing Scripture allow us to act more like Christ in the face of temptation, it also allows us to hear His voice and His words as we go through each day.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

By memorizing Scripture, God’s words are planted in our memory, grow deep, and strong. They become a natural part of our thinking and responding.

Matthew 4:4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

We know that in this world there will be trouble, but having Scripture hidden in our hearts can help them face whatever life throws at us. When Christ’s words are our words they help us to better relate to others and to put others above ourselves. They remind us of Christ’s sacrifice for us and how we, too, should put others above ourselves.

How do we memorize scripture? Well just like the person I overheard, you listen or read over and over again, until you can recall all the words. You can listen to the Bible through your Bible application or listen to someone who sings the verses. There are several people out there on YouTube or other social media that do that. I know at least one artist that does that, she calls it Memory Mondays.

So driving down the highway, listen to scripture, when at home read your Bible over and over again.

How many of you remember the movie The Book of Eli? A drifter, Eli, has been wandering westward across North America for thirty years carrying the last known Bible. Anyway, Eli reads from this book every day and in the end, the book gets destroyed, but Eli is able to recite the entire Bible to someone who is recording, because over 30 years Eli memorized the entire Bible. Oh and by the way that Bible was a Braille Bible!

The point is, listen or read the Bible and memorize scripture. I cannot tell you which scripture to memorize and I am not advocating learning the entire Bible, but praying and letting God show you which verses to learn.