Scripture Memory: How Are You Doing?
At the beginning of the month, we challenged our readers to join us in doing the hard—but inestimably valuable—task of memorizing God’s Word. To our joy, we received a very positive response.
But now a week and a half has gone by, which (in my experience) is just about the amount of time it takes for enthusiasm to begin to wane. This post (along with the comments section) is intended serve as an encouragement and exhortation for all of us to persevere.
Brett and I are currently working on Romans 8, after which we want to memorize Isaiah 53. Our goal is to have both memorized before the Sacramento Conference next month. We began our memorization with our family, all of us working to have Romans 8:26-39 memorized by mid-month (i.e. today).
To be honest, I was very diligent for the first week, then the enthusiasm began to wear off… That is, until I focused and made myself sit down and do it. It was really incredible, being able to recite an extended portion of God’s Word like that. It reignited my fire.
Brett and I now have half of Romans 8 memorized (verses 26-39 and 1-5). It’s been hard, but good.
So how about all of you? How are you doing?
February 16th, 2006 at 1:00 am
I missed the challenge at the beginning of the month to memorize, but I have been memorizing lately, Romans 15 with 2 friends. Here is my advice for not loosing enthusiasm over Bible memorization:
1. Choose a time of day, or event to memorize every day.
2. Do it with someone (if possible)
3. Don’t just read or recite, do both
4. Recite it out loud to someone when you are done
5. Ask the Lord’s help, and he will help you if you are willing to use his help
I have found Bible memory very usefull, so many times it has come in handy when thinking about something, or talking with someone.
God bless all you rebelutionary’s
~Sparky (A Home School Graduate)
February 16th, 2006 at 2:20 am
I’m at 8:1-11…slow going, but it’s working!!
February 16th, 2006 at 2:36 am
I must say that your previous post on scripture memory really got me going. Since then, I have pushed myself to-and have completed!-John 1:1-14. Now I’m working on Romans 8, and on the 8th verse. Simply having these scriptures on the forefront of my thoughts keeps my mind focusing on the straight and narrow.
Is there a specific reason why are you guys memorizing the verses out of consecutive order?
February 16th, 2006 at 2:38 am
I am working on the first chapter in Ephesians. It is so rich! I think it is easy to miss the depth when simply reading through it. I like to work on it at night and recite it to someone in my family before going on to the rest of my reading. My brother has been a great help! Thank you for the encouragement.
February 16th, 2006 at 2:55 am
I’m only a couple verses away from finishing Colossians 1, after which I will proceed to Colossians 2. I’ll set myself the goal of finishing chapters 1 and 2 both before Sacramento. =)
February 16th, 2006 at 3:02 am
I’m with you. I finished Deut. 6, some weeks ago. Since this Sunday I’ve been reviewing it. Last night I put down Rom. 7:1-4. (Before that was James 1-2 and Rom. 6) It seems to be in spurts. But maybe it shouldn’t be. I agree that goals are important. So, I’m committed to finishing Romans 7 by the end of this month.
Here’s a couple quotes from John Ruskin to encourage us:
“My mother forced me by steady, patient, daily toil, to learn long chapters of the Bible by heart, as well as to read it every syllable through, aloud, hard names and all, from Genesis to the Apocalypse, about once every year; and to that discipline – patient, accurate, and resolute – I owe, not only a knowledge of the book I find occasionally serviceable, but much of my general power of taking pains, and the best part of my taste in literature. From Walter Scott I might easily, as I grew older, have fallen to other people’s novels, and Pope might have led me to take Johnson’s English, or Gibbon’s, as types of language, but once knowing the 32nd of Deuteronomy, 119th Psalm, 13th of 1st Corinthians, the Sermon on the Mount, and most of the Apocalypse, every syllable by heart, and having always a way of thinking with myself what words meant, it was not possible for me, even in the foolishest time of youth, to write entirely superficial or formal English, and the affectation of trying to write like or George Herbert was the most I could have fallen into.”
“I opened my oldest Bible just now . . . yellow, now, with age, and flexible, but not unclean, with much use, except that the lower corners of the pages at the 8th ch. of 1st Book of Kings and the 32nd ch. of Deuteronomy are worn somewhat thin and dark, the learning of these two chapters having caused me much pains. My mother’s list of chapters with which, learned every syllable accurately, she established she established my soul in life, has just fallen out of it, as follows: ‘Exodus 15 and 20; II. Samuel 1st ch., from 17 v. to end; I. Kings 8; Psalms 23, 32, 90, 91, 103, 112, 119, 139; Proverbs 2, 3, 8, 12; Isaiah 58; Matthew 5, 6, 7; Acts 26; I. Corinthians 13, 15; James 4; Revelation 5, 6.’ And truly, though I have picked up the elements of a little further knowledge . . . in mathematics, meteorology, and the like, in after-life, and owe not a little to the teaching of many people, this maternal installation of my mind in that property of chapters, I count very confidently the most precious, and, on the whole, the one essential part of all my education. For the chapters became, indeed, strictly conclusive and protective to me in all modes of thought, and the body of divinity they contain, acceptable through all fear or doubt; nor through any fear or doubt or fault have I ever lost my loyalty to them, nor betrayed the first command in the one I was made to repeat oftenest, ‘Let not mercy and truth forsake thee.’”
-Quoted in Marshall Mather, _John Ruskin: His Life and Teaching_, 9-10 (19
February 16th, 2006 at 3:35 pm
Jacqui: Glad to hear you’re persevering! Keep it up!
Sarah: That’s great to hear how well you’ve been doing. Keep fighting!
The reason we memorized Romans 8 out of order was because our family was memorizing Romans 8:26-39 together, so we did that first, and then started working on the earlier verses.
Elizabeth: I’m so glad you’re memorizing and that your brother has been able to help you. That’s great.
Brian: Go for it, brother! We’ll be asking you if you accomplished your goal when we see you in Sacramento. You do the same for us.
Nathan: It’s great to have you with us! Thank you for the amazing quote, that is quite an encouragement and an inspiration.
February 16th, 2006 at 3:43 pm
Our youth group studies a different book of the New Testament each year. So far I have memorized 1 Corinthians 1-6, 1 Thessalonians, and Colossains. This year we are studying Hebrews and I am trying to memorize key passages in that as well, like Hebrews 4:12-um… 17 I think, and any and all verses that talk about Christ. Its an encouragement to see others doing the same thing!
February 16th, 2006 at 4:43 pm
For about two or three years now, my family has (pretty) regularly memorized scripture together. We’ve memorized the commands of Christ using this, but personally, I get more satisfaction out of learning entire chapters. For example, a while back, my family and I memorized Romans 6, and it was really great because I got the full context of it…(the last verse was the easiest!
) Now we’re working through Hebrews 11, which is very uplifting…”for such a time as this”.
I took a mega memory course about a year ago, and I can tell it’s really been helpful. The most helpful thing I learned from the course was about using visualization. For example: “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found…” I picture that everyone is out looking for Enoch, and they just CAN’T FIND him. It’s really kind of fun, and if you visualize it strongly enough even for two seconds, you won’t forget it. Of course, using initials (of words) helps, among other things…but I’ve found the visualization to be the most effective.
Finally, I don’t know if it’s encouraging, or not(!), but Rebekah Swicegood memorizes a chapter of scripture a day (or something like that, I’m a little foggy on the particulars).
It’s NOT easy to memorize scripture (everyone agree?), but who said life was easy? Somewhere in the cobwebs of my mind I think I remember a little saying…”Do Hard Things”?
February 16th, 2006 at 4:58 pm
Unfortunatly I have fallen out of the habit of geting up early in the morning and reading my bible. So at the moment that is what I am working on. I was working on memorizing John 1, but I have forgotten most of the verses after verse19. Thank you for the reminder to keep on trying.
February 16th, 2006 at 11:19 pm
The posts about scripture memorization were very
helpful to me as I’d memorized Psalms 119:1-24
some months ago but wasn’t continuing with it, I
began Romans 8 two weeks ago and am now up
to the 22nd verse. It is not easy to keep at it every
day, occationally I would sit down with a certain number of verses and just not have it in me to memorize them, (satan’s darts in full force) but just praying for perseverence to continue helped me and by God’s grace I’ll keep at it! One idea I have
is to memorize scripture as you take a walk, that
way you get both physical and spiritual workouts
at the same time. Thanks for the encouragement guys!
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