Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Memorizing Scripture

When watching the kids, I often have a few moments here and there when I'm not doing anything or I'm driving in the car. I usually spend this time thinking about pointless things, dwelling on the fact that the children are screaming at a decibel level higher than what is safe for my ears, and even occasionally joining in the screaming. Well, I decided that I would try to use these moments in a more productive way. I'm attempting to memorize various scripture verses. I've never been great at memorizing scripture, but I know that with a lot of prayer and dedication I can do it. I did this last summer and memorized all of Isaiah 53. Sadly, I can't quote it all to you today. I can remember a few verses, but not all 12 of them. (Just a note, I did remember that there were 12 verses, but I had to check to be sure.)

I decided to start out with 2 passages of scripture for this week:

2 Timothy 1:8-9 "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,"

and

Proverbs 31:10-12 "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life."

I'm praying that the Lord might bless me in this goal. I believe that this will help the days go by quicker, help me during the times when I am frustrated, and be a general blessing in my life.

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Psalm 119:11 "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."

2 comments:

Chris Crouse said...

Lydia - what a worthwhile endeavor. As David said, the result of hiding the word in our heart, is prevention of sin in our lives. It is good to keep in memory, then when we are about to partake of some sin, or omit some necessary work, the scripture will remind us we're about to sin!

Obviously, as a preacher, scripture memorization has been a big blessing. I love to be able to quote verses verbatim without turning to them, as it is less distracting. Plus, the additional blessing of Psa 119:11.

I'll be praying the Lord helps you. Most folks can remember, if they simply work at doing so.

strem said...

This is wonderful!! As you know, I am ashamed that I have trained my brain to keep information until I need it (for a test, for example) and then dump it as soon as I don't need it. This has been a big regret. I have tried re-mapping my brain, but it isn't working so well... and this is especially frustrating and discouraging regarding scripture. In the last two years, I've tried to keep two portions very sharp in my mind: Proverbs 31 and Romans 5:1-5. And, I try to work on them regularly to not allow my memory to slip, but it is a real struggle when starting new passages. I've tried, but I need to try again. Thanks for reminding me and challenging me and praying for me about this.