Have you ever found yourself singing along with a random commercial on TV before? Or have you ever found yourself quoting the dialogue right along with the actors of that commercial? Without even trying to, we learn the lyrics to our favorite and sometimes our not so favorite commercials. I know that I have found myself sitting in front of the TV before quoting a commercial without even realizing what I was doing. This actually happened just a few days ago. I do not even remember what I was watching now, but I was sitting in my chair working on my laptop when I heard a new commercial come on. After singing “Jingle Bells,” the commercial broke off into “Our House.” Immediately I thought it was a Maxwell House commercial again because I have grown accustomed to associating that song with that brand of coffee. I was singing the lyrics of that song when I looked up at the TV and realized that they were not advertising Maxwell House. It was a Verizon commercial! I then realized how quickly these commercials can become integrated into our lives, which prompted me to write this new post.
If you have been a regular reader of this blog, and not necessarily of the posts that have been walking through the Bible, you might have noticed that I am a big believer in the importance of memorizing Scripture. Just about two or three years ago, I thought I had done a great job at memorizing Scripture, participating in Bible Drill and knowing verses from several books of the Bible. But as I got into college, I learned that Jews (at least in earlier times for I am not sure about today) were required to memorize the entire Pentateuch during their childhood. That means that they would know by heart the first five books of the Bible! Then, professors required Scripture memory in some of my classes, and they required passages, not verses. I began to see the importance of memorizing chunks of Scripture and not just single verses, although both are beneficial. Now, I have begun to make the commitment to memorizing whole books.
But before this post becomes a pedestal for me to stand on so that I can showcase all my accomplishments, let me say that that is not my intention at all. In previous posts I have mentioned my desire to memorize a book, at the time Philippians. But that plan fell through, I became discouraged, and it never happened. I have told you about the encouragement I remembered gaining from David Platt who came to Union and quoted Romans 1-8 in a chapel service. That encouraged me to get back into memorization and I finished learning 2 Timothy, which I had done most of a few years before that service. But for some reason, I could not get back into it and find the commitment to learn Philippians from start to finish. My problem was a lack of commitment.
Finally, back in the spring I told you about a commitment I made with some students on a recent mission trip about Scripture memory. We committed to learn Philippians, and I was able try this again. About 10 weeks later, I finally accomplished this task, and it was because I made a commitment to God, and He gave me the strength and ability to do it. I have since been working on 1 John, and am amazed at how easy it has become. But it has only come by commitment and sacrifice. There is a method I found thanks to the leader of that mission trip, and by setting aside 20-30 minutes each day, I gradually worked my way through these books. I will not go into detail about that method now, but if you would like to know more, leave a comment, and I will get back to you. Basically though, by learning two verses a day (I now do three) and reviewing each day, you can work your way through any chapter or book. Once you have reached your goal, review it for 100 days, and you will have it down almost perfectly. Then, by studying it about once a week, you will be amazed at how well it sticks with you.
I share this method with you today because it worked so well for me. While there is no magic in the different methods you can use, for me having an organized plan was much better than me trying to figure out what to do and how much to do each day. If you commit yourself to it and are willing to sacrifice a little bit of your time each day, you can learn a chapter of Scripture, which might be a great first goal. Who knows, you may even be able to memorize your favorite book. We all probably know hundreds of songs and hundreds of commercials that we could quote at any time. So why do we not put more time into memorizing God’s Word? I encourage you to find a method that works for you and start today. As I said, if you would like to learn more about the method that has worked for me, just let me know below and I will send it to you. Most importantly, I pray that if you decide to do this that you will not do it for your own glory but for God’s glory.
Matt
No comments:
Post a Comment