Tag Archives: Memorizing God’s Word

Thoughts for 2024

 

It is Thursday, December 28th and my thoughts are moving forward to 2024. Our last carload of family left this morning for their trek across the state and over the mountains to their home. Things are quiet and ideas are swirling. Here are some of those ideas I’m thinking about for the new year.

  1. A different reading through the Bible Plan I’m settling on is from www.FiveDayBibleReading.com

 

2. I want to pick some verses from the Bible to memorize. I’ll be strategic in my choices to make it easy on my brain. Since our current sermon series at our church is in the book of Colossians, I’ll choose verses from that book to memorize. I got a head start with this one on December 21st. This is actually Colossians 1:13 and 14.

 

Picking some key words helped me to remember the sequence, delivered, transferred, redemption, forgiveness.

3. Starting a new daily devotional. In researching Liverpool for our travels last September I read about J.C. Ryle, the first Bishop of Liverpool appointed by Queen Victoria in 1880. I’ve been reading his writings on Holiness and I asked for this devotional for Christmas.

 

4. Reading some new to me good books that we have ordered and received as gifts.

5. Getting acquainted with a new coffee machine/system I ordered for our church kitchen.

6. Putting plans in motion on how we would like to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. Our wedding was in December and the weather can be unpredictable so we are thinking about autumn or late Spring for whatever we land on to enjoy with our little family of 10. (Lord willing)

7. Always and it seems forever implementing something in the eating world to drop some pounds.

8. Adding a daily 30 minute physical activity to my schedule.

9. Intentional time with our Grands.

10. Birthday gifts for three of ours who have January birthdays!

I was just thinking how I don’t have to make sure I write 2024 on checks instead of 2023. So few personal checks are written these days. I was also thinking that I’m not a fan of election years with all the nonsense that goes on and is already going on. With that in mind maybe less TV and more reading will be the best of plans. Have you been thinking about 2024 and what you might want to do that is new?

A paragraph from daily readings by Spurgeon on the 28th of December;

“…Faith lays hold upon the Lord Jesus with a firm and determined grasp. It knows His excellence and worth, and no temptation can induce faith to place its trust elsewhere. And Christ Jesus is so delighted with this heavenly grace that He never ceases to strengthen and sustain that faith by the loving embrace and all-sufficient support of His everlasting arms…”

Memorization

Over the last several years the habit of memorizing scripture has eluded me. It was something that I put on the back burner with excuses. I let my self talk tell me that it is too hard since I’ve gotten older. Well that is a lie and I’m leaving that and other excuses behind. Dear and I decided to memorize Psalm 19: 7-9 together and that has gone well. I’ve challenged our kids to memorize Romans 12:1-2 as part of their “getting healthy” goals for the year. In the midst of this renewed effort to train my brain a dear friend suggested a group of us memorize Psalm 1 together. Can you feel the congruence of all of this?

These days I’ve shifted to the ESV (English Standard Version) Bible. In my early years of Sunday School I memorized verses in the KJV (King James Version). During the early 70’s my Bible of choice was the NASB (New American Standard Bible). It was in this version that I first memorized Psalm 1 so I had to go back to this version for this latest exercise of re-memorizing it.

The photo I posted is from the Bible that Dear gifted me as a wedding gift in December of 1974.

So onward and upward, I’m putting my brain to the test and I’m sure the results will only do me good.

Hebrews 4:12

12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Update: Some of you have asked for tips in memorizing. Our brains work differently but here are some things that work for me and some things I’ve learned from others.

Be careful what version of the Bible you choose to memorize from. The King James Version and The English Standard Version are more poetic over all. Don’t choose The Message as it is more prose and it’s hard to grasp. Some versions have more rhythm and that’s easier for the brain to grasp. I don’t recommend the NIV version either for memorization. (Thank you Julie)

I use 3×5 or 4×6 cards to write the portion of scripture I want to memorize.

Start small. Choose one verse. Think about the verse. Dissect the verse. Write it out several times on notebook paper. Take your 3×5 card with you in the car and when you have to wait anywhere pull it out and go over it.

Try writing it out from memory.

Hand the 3×5 card to somebody (friend or spouse) and then try to recite it out loud while they check to see that you’ve got it right.

When you wake up in the middle of the night go over it in your head. It’s amazing how much more clarity you have when you are awake in the night with nothing else to do.

Now you are ready to go on to a larger portion of scripture. I hope these tips help. Here’s another truth, the process is good even if it takes a long time to get it perfect.