Part 2 of 3 posts looking at how we work out our one resolution for
2014, to know Christ.
Let me be honest. I find the concept of memorisation tricky to start
with.
It brings up a number of images in my mind. Well, related
to exams mostly. Memorising stuff that is just so boring. Happy that once the
exam was over I could just forget it and get on with my life. Like driving
theory. Or the maths exam. I’ve recently taken my first exam in years and had
to memorise a huge amount – it was hard work! And memorisation seems like hard work. And I have a busy life. And I get easily distracted. And my short term memory is not good (just ask my wife!)...
And yet despite all of this over the last 3 years I’ve found memorising
Bible verses and passages really helpful. Not necessarily easy, but helpful. So
why and how does meditation help us with one resolution for 2014, to know
Christ?
WHY?
1. To become like Christ.
This is the aim of the Christian life. We want the mind of Christ. We
want his words to permeate our thinking so that we might think and speak and
act like Jesus would and therefore show people Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:18: “…we all, who…contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into
his image with ever-increasing glory…”
2. To overcome sin.
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” Psalm 119:11
The word of God, Paul says,
is the ‘sword of the Spirit’ (Eph 6:17) and so when ready with God’s word we
are able to resist the evil one and show that our greatest satisfaction is
Christ rather than the sin we are being tempted by.
3. To pastor others
As someone who has been a
Christian for many years, I want to be able to bring God’s truth into difficult
situations. I want to bring people hope, peace, encouragement, challenge,
rebuke. And yet if I don’t know God’s word I end up saying something vague,
which sounds right but isn’t bringing the word of God with clarity to a
situation.
There is power when we bring God’s word into situations. Hebrews
4:12 - For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the
joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart.
4. To become wise
This says it
all really:
Joshua 1:18: This Book of the Law shall not depart
from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be
careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make
your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
5. To declare the gospel
When we are
speaking to unbelievers we don’t often have time to go to the Bible, even if
it’s only a click away. Or even when we do, we might not know where to go in any case. It is very powerful when we know the key gospel
passages and can either recite or quickly turn to a key verse. Consider
learning 1-2 verses for 4 components of the gospel message: 1) Creation, 2)
Fall, 3) Redemption, 4) Consummation.
6. To enjoy God
Meditating on
the word of God brings us close to him. Memorising verses, and in so doing
meditating on them, chewing them over, has massively deepened my walk with God.
Storing verses and passages helps us to relate to God as He is and to enjoy
Him. For example, imagine being able to call this to mind through the day:
Isaiah
61: 1- 3: "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord
is on me,
because the Lord has
anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from
darkness for the prisoners, to
proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and the day of
vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on
them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the
oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead
of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for
the display of his splendour".
“Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what it needs. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. That’s where you need it! How does it get in your mouth? Memorization” Dallas Willard, professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California
HOW?
1. Make time
I find that setting
aside 5-10 minutes a day is usually enough. If you write verses or passages down on a note card
to put in your back pocket you can read it at intervals throughout the day. Or
have them on your phone. It is possible to find slots in the day, be it at long
traffic lights, standing in a queue, sitting on a train or waiting for kids to
finish their party/football training/scouts etc.
2. Make use
of resources
There are
loads of resources around now.
Fighter verses
is a great tool which takes you through a verse a week, and has a good app
version as well as a kids version. The Navigators was where I started and they
also have a plan for you to follow both on paper and via their app.
Logos also have a tool for memorisation which is helpful.
This article has good tips on techniques for memorisation as do websites such as this one.
Kids can also learn verses and this article has some great tips for the kids. Fighter verses has a kids option
which you can find through their website.
3. Have a
plan
I find that
unless I’ve planned what I’m going to learn I won’t do it. I might say I’ll
memorise random verses I come across, but it doesn’t seem to work for me. That
also means you won’t be tempted to memorise just the verses you like.
I’ve found it
best to start small. Commit to one verse a week e.g. like the Fighter verses or
Navigators suggest. This will give you an overview of the Bible As you go you
might then gain in confidence and attempt a longer passage. Perhaps start with
Psalm 1, then Psalm 46, Romans 8.
The next step
is to memorise a whole book. I thought this sounded impossible, but got through
Ephesians last year. It really is amazing to learn a whole book.
4. Have a
method
The method
I’ve used is quite simple and unashamedly copied from others.
Essentially
you take your first verse, read it ten times, and then close your eyes or shut
your Bible and say it ten times. And that's it for the day. The next day you
open the verse up and you say that verse
again 5 (if easy) or 10 times. Then repeat the first step for the next verse. And
then you do them both together. And that's it for the day. And so on.
So basically,
the answer is: repetition and review. Repetition and review.
This resource
outlines these steps in more detail and is very helpful for longer passages.
5. Remember
the reason
Memorisation
isn’t to look or sound impressive. It isn’t boring, rote learning. It is about
the fight of faith. It is about life and death. It is about knowing Christ, not
simply knowing about Him. That means you don’t need to get too hung up on plans
– a plan and structure is there to serve you rather than enslave you, so if you
don’t reach your target (and I often don’t) then don’t worry.
Any thoughts
or other tips that you can suggest?
Some of this material is adapted from:
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