|

Memorize Scripture And Shape Your Soul

Memorize Scripture and Shape Your Soul  -christyfitzwater.com

I made the best grilled chicken the other night. You’ll find the recipe at thenourishing home.com. It was the marinade that made my guys happy.

My newlywed daughter has been looking for simple recipes, so I sent the recipe to her and asked if she had balsamic vinegar.

No. What’s special about balsamic vinegar? she asked.

It’s flavorful and savory, I told her (trying to sound all Food Network.) I’ll buy you some.

Do you remember the newlywed days when you were condiment and seasoning poor? Well, just poor in general. You looked at all those recipes you wanted to try, but you couldn’t afford the five ingredients you were missing? That’s what it’s like to try to live without having memorized Scripture. You open the cupboard of your soul during the day and find the shelves empty.

But what a rich life we can have when we make God’s words a permanent part of our thinking.

No other spiritual discipline has shaped my life the way memorizing Scripture has, so I thought I’d share my method with you, if you want to give it a go.

I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.  (Psalm 119:30 NIV)

How to Memorize Scripture

Buy 3 x 5 notecards. Of course, it helps you have a love for all things paper and pencil.

Find a verse and write it on the notecard. Put the date in one corner and the “address” of the verse in the other.

Practice the verse every day, including the address, during your time with the Lord. But think of it like coffee and chocolates. Say it slowly and enjoy each piece. Meditate on the verse as if it’s going to change your life someday. I wrote about how to meditate on Scripture here.

Do it. Believe it. In the New Testament, the Pharisees –who were always chesting up to Jesus –would have had the entire Old Testament memorized, but they never let it get past their brains to their lives. We have to let Scripture challenge us and make us uncomfortable and change how we live and think.

At the end of the week, add a new verse. Now you’ll review the old verse and start memorizing the new one. Keep adding a verse a week until you are working on six verses every day. It sounds like a lot, and it is. But actions that change us always require investment of time. The review process is vital, if you want the truth cemented in your mind.

At the end of six weeks, toss out the first verse you learned and add a new one. So now, for the rest of your life you’re always reviewing five old verses and working on one new one.

If you want an extra challenge, learn the verses in Spanish.

Okay, so that’s what I’m doing, but you can start with English if you would like.

Like balsamic vinegar and all the things that add flavor to life, you’ll never be sorry you added truth to your cupboard by memorizing Scripture.

6 Comments

  1. Thank you sweet friend for the kind shout-out about my balsamic chicken recipe. But more so , for this beautiful post! I just love how you so wisely share that not having God’s word in our hearts is like having an empty cupboard and so our lives are less seasoned and flavorful as a result. I so needed this reminder today and am thankful for your sweet gentle words to remind me to hide God’s word in my heart! Love to you! xoxo

    1. Oh you’re so welcome! You have no idea how lingering your inspiration has been for me about cooking, and you know I needed it, sister! We think my son-in-law may have some milk and/or gluten allergies, so they’re trying to go a few months without those things. I’ve been trying some of your recipes to help them find stuff to eat. So THANKS!! I’m glad if I could encourage you in return. And P.S. I love your website. The colors in your graphic make me smile every time I see it.

  2. Steve Sundquist says:

    Always a good word, cousin!

Comments are closed.