Memorizing Scripture is one of those spiritual disciplines that I had allowed to lapse in my life. Earlier this year, the Spirit used a friend and a Lead Like Jesus Leadership Encounter to nudge me to re-engage with scripture memorization and meditation.
But be sure to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.—1 Samuel 12:24
1 Samuel 12:24 is the first verse I began to memorize. Samuel’s words to the people of Israel have a way of cutting through the clutter in my heart and mind. They remind me of what’s truly important in life and call me to remember how God has transformed my life since we began journeying together.
Next on my list was Romans 12:2—Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.
Familiar words, yet the power is not in their familiarity; rather, the power flows through the practice of focusing on God’s truth so that it reframes my perspective on the world around me. As I memorize the words of Scripture, God’s wisdom increasingly becomes the filter and grid through which I process the events and emotions of my life.
Third was Colossians 3:23,24—Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Again, familiar words, but do they find their way into my everyday life? I was reminded this week that these words apply to all of life as I examined my attitude about missing previously planned activities in order to carry for my “cranky because she wasn’t feeling well” three year old granddaughter.
Next (and last for now) was Luke 4:42—At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for Him and when they came to where He was, they tried to keep Him from leaving them.
What a reminder to make time with the Lord a priority in my life! If Jesus needed to purposely seek one-on-one time with His Father in order to resist being pulled every which way by people around Him, certainly I need time alone with God, too!
I’m working on others, I even have an application on my iTouch that feeds me new verses to memorize. For now, these verses keep me focused on the basics: Loving God, letting Him transform me; loving others, and nurturing my relationship with God, no matter what else I do!
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