Paul Adams has written an excellent post on why we should memorize Scripture, to which I say, “Amen.”
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. We live from the inside out. What we think (as well as how we think) matters. What goes into our minds comes out in our lives. This is the main reason I’ve titled my website “Teaching Minds, Changing Hearts,” because it is the content in our minds that drives the change of our hearts. Yes we have moments when we act before we think, but predominantly our thought life dictates the course of action that we take.
Over the years, I’ve memorized hundreds of Bible verses and it’s made a huge difference in my thought life. While the movement from my mind to my life has been slow, I wonder what kind of person I would be if I did not have the knowledge of God’s Word in my life. So, I’d like to say a few things about memorization of Scripture.
Everyone can memorize. It takes no special skill.
Read it all here.
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On October 18, I will preach a sermon with the title, “How to Hide.” The goal will be to stress why we should memorize Scripture and also how you can go about it. Many people fail to memorize Scripture because they don’t have a system.
One of the first principles for Scripture memory is a matter of repetition. If you repeat a verse 25 times on one day, 20 times the next, then 15, then 10, then 5 – – you will have repeated that verse 75 times.
Then put the verse on a 3*5 card and review it once a day for a couple of months. That truth will become a part of your heart.
Below is what one of my Scripture memory worksheets looks like. Notice there is also a copy of the first verse in my system (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Thanks, Chris. May the Lord put His Word in our minds and hearts so we may live in accordance with truth!
I really like your proposed system. Repetition is the key. 3×5 cards work great and I’ve used a grease pencil on my bathroom mirror (substitute “doorpost”) for the few minutes I have to look at myself in the morning. Moreover, putting bibles (even small paperback NT) in select rooms of the house and glove compartments of our cars helps.
Sola Scriptura!!
There is a web site for memorizing bible verses that might be helpful.