Reviewing Bible Memory Passages - Part 1

I cannot tell you how much Scripture memorization has helped me this last year and the last few months in particular. It's made a big difference in my Bible study time, in what I take away from studying, in the satisfaction I find in my studying, and especially in my thought life.  Memorizing Bible verses has been a game changer for me.

Part of my Scripture memorization this time around has been relearning passages I had memorized years ago. I was encouraged to see how quickly I was able to relearn them! Yet even as I relearned them and added them to my "rolodex of Scripture" I wondered how I was going to keep them all in my head. My brain is like Swiss cheese...it's full of holes (so things seem to fall out as fast as I put them in my brain). So, I did some digging on ideas for reviewing the Bible verses you've memorized, and I found this gem with John Piper...



After watching this I found that I stressed less about remembering every verse. Knowing how I work, that itself will be a help.

I'm also putting together a list of verses that I want to have ready and available on the tip of my tongue, to pull out and use at any time. These passages are ones that I feel will help me where I am now and with what I see my ministry is.

So tell me, what is one Scripture passage that you want ready in your mind? 

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Tips and Tricks for Bible Memorization

Memorizing Bible verses isn't easy but it's one of those things that is very worthwhile.

Here's a few tricks to memorizing that I've learned along the way...

1. Ask God to help you!
2. Be accountable to a small group—your Bible study or prayer group, a friend who will ask you about it and prod you when necessary…
3. Write the verse on a card and post it somewhere you’ll see it or carry it in your pocket for quick and easy access.
4. Read the verse 5 times every day.
5. Draw a box around the verbs.
6. Use a site like BibleGateWay or BlueLetterBible to look up a keyword in the verse.
7. Use symbols to draw the verse then use it as a memory tool to help you visualize the verse. It really helps!! No artistic ability is needed. This is for you, not a gift for Rembrandt.
8. Sing the verse. Remember Silly Songs with Larry? Anything goes.

My personal favorite tricks are... 

• Write the verses using brightly colored pens (I write the verse 5-10 times, depending on my time and how well it's sticking in my head). The brighter the pens, the better it works.
• Look up every cross reference listed for the verses I'm working on. 
• Read about the verses in a commentary or two, to help me understand it more.
• Put motions to the verse. 

I have to admit though that if people were to actually see me doing the motions they'd probably laugh. When I was walking early in the mornings, I'd memorize. I was always very thankful we live on back-country roads so only the deer and dogs would see me waving my arms around. But it helped!! Now, as I drive to work I'll say my verses and my motions have to be limited to what I can do while driving. But, they still help!!

Try different things until you find what works for you.
But the biggest key: Just do it!

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Road Blocks to Bible Memorization

Memorizing Bible verses can be hard enough, but when we don't see the things that prevent us from memorizing, it can be that much harder, if not impossible.

The other night as our ladies Bible study was wrapping up, I wrestled with the bag I use for hauling my study books in. They were getting hung up on a bag of special mints I keep in there as a reward for the ladies who have worked on their Bible memory verse. That night I hadn’t even asked if anyone had reviewed their verse. In all honesty, I was discouraged in that area of study but didn’t want to share my discouragement with the ladies. They’ve been so faithful in attending and participating and even writing out the passage we’re studying that I didn’t want to be a debby-downer nor a nag, so I simply left the bag of mints inside my bag.

But to get my books in the bag I pulled the mints out, and one of the ladies commented on them. So, I asked the dreaded question...

Has anyone worked on their memory verse?

And again, no one had. Their faces said it all.
That’s when I heard Dad’s voice in my head…

Why aren’t they trying to memorize anymore?

I didn’t know, so I asked them.
They had great answers! From silly to painfully honest...

• “I have the memory of a goldfish.” (She doesn’t but it was definitely worth the giggle.) And if you want to think about this one seriously, if you have a bad memory that's the very reason you need to memorize --to exercise your brain and keep it learning new things. Use it or lose it.
• “I didn’t know what to memorize. I just want you to tell me which verse.” (So I did. Right away. I’d had one in mind for her, right from the very beginning of this round of study.)
• “You told me I couldn’t memorize the verse I wanted to.” (And she was right. I DID tell her no. Good grief! What kind of a teacher am I?! In my defense, I said no because I was sure she had memorized Ephesians 2:8-9 as a kid since she’d grown up in the church. But I also told her that if she began remembering the verses to add verse 10. Hehe.)
• “I just haven’t done it.” (And I was thrilled to hear muttering coming from her corner even while shenanigans were going on as we worked through why I didn’t let MissM pick the verse she wanted.)

I could relate to each of their reasons.
Well, except for being told I couldn’t memorize the verse I wanted to. I had good teachers who encouraged me and told me I could, not one who told me I couldn’t. (Such a Duh moment for me! Sheesh!)

Part of succeeding is knowing what your handicap is and finding a work-around…finding what is preventing you from succeeding and then learning how to move past those things.

So tell me, what keeps you from memorizing?

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No Limits

Off and on throughout the day I've been thinking about limiting God--something I do far too often. I should know better. I have the sea urchins to remind me...

Even though I grew up on the coast of Maine, I had never found a sea urchin that I could bring home. The shells captivated me but the few I found were either broken or still smelly and awful so they stayed where they were found.

But a couple years ago when I went to visit Cheryl in Puerto Rico we found oodles of sea urchins. More urchins than I ever would have imagined possible. The funny thing? I had asked God for one. Just one to put on my shelf and I would be thrilled and content. I think God snickered. We didn't find just one. We found a gazillion of them. They were everywhere. Little, adorable sea urchins.

Thankfully, whenI found myself limiting God this morning the Bible verses I'm memorizing came to mind.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power the works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:30 NAS

God can, and will do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think. So let's quit being naysayers and let Him to do it! Let me tell you, if we do, the biggest shell collecting bucket we can find won't hold what He has for us.

Let's open our minds and hearts and start watching for what God will do when we let Him. 

#NaBloPoMo Day 3

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Let Your Light Shine

You are the salt of the earth;
but if the salt has become tasteless,
how can it be made salty again?
It is no longer good for anything,
except to be thrown out
and trampled under foot by men.

You are the light of the world.
A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket,
but on the lamp stand,
and it gives light to all who are in the house.

Let your light shine before men  in such a way that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:13-16 NAS

#NaBloPoMo Day 2

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Bible Memory Verse: John 1:12-13

This week's memory verses have me thinking and rejoicing.

While traveling, we visited a church and attended a really cool Sunday School class. They had just started studying the Book of John and one of the class members said something about privileges vs. rights--something that really stuck with me. While memorizing this passage this week, I dug into that thought. Here's what I found...

A privilege is a special entitlement to immunity granted by the state or another authority to a restricted group, either by birth or on a conditional basis. It can be revoked in certain circumstances. In modern democratic states, a privilege is conditional and granted only after birth. By contrast, a right is an inherent, irrevocable entitlement held by all citizens or all human beings from the moment of birth. (Wikipedia)

The fact that God has given us the RIGHT to become children of God blows my mind. Being a child of God is an irrevocable entitlement.

How do we get that right? By believing in His Name--the Name of Jesus and what He did for  us by dying on the cross, paying the penalty for our (MY!!) sin, and then conquering death by His resurrection from the dead. Jesus certainly didn't have to pay the price for my sin, but He did. Voluntarily. Because He loves me. He loves us.

So tell me, do you have the right to become a child of God? And if you are a child of God, are you using that right correctly?

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Until It's Done

I've been mulling over a verse for next year, and, to be honest, I haven't settled on one yet. But this verse keeps coming to mind--one I memorized a while ago that I often return to.

It's a great verse to be meditating on as we move into 2012.


Then David said to his son Solomon,
"Be strong and courageous, and act;
do not fear nor be dismayed,
for the Lord God, my God, is with you.
He will not fail you nor forsake you
until all the work of the Lord is finished."
1 Chronicles 28:20 NAS

Be sure to check the Cafe for more links to WFW

Won't you join me memorizing 1 Chronicles 28:20 this week at Living by Grace?



*Photo by courtesy of sxc.hu

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The Service of Worship

Each week at Living by Grace, a devotional discussion Facebook group, we post a memory verse and this week's is Romans 12:1...

Therefore I urge you brethren,

by the mercies of God,

to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice,

acceptable to God,

which is our spiritual service 

of worship.

~Romans 12:1

Be sure to check the Cafe for more links to WFW

Won't you join me memorizing Romans 12:1 this week at Living by Grace?



*Photo by courtesy of sxc.hu

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WFW

Each week at Living by Grace, a devotional discussion Facebook group, we post a memory verse and this week's is Philippians 4:7, to go with last week's verse which was verse 6.

And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Peace, real peace--God's peace, is found in Christ Jesus...

Be sure to check the Cafe for more links to WFW

Won't you join me memorizing Philippians 4:6-7 this week at Living by Grace?

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In Everything

Each week at Living by Grace, a devotional discussion Facebook group, we post a memory verse and this week's is Philippians 4:6.

Do not be anxious about anything, 

but in everything,

by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God.

(NIV)

Be sure to check the Cafe for more links to WFW

Won't you join me memorizing Philippians 4:6 this week at Living by Grace?

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Don't Just Listen

Each week at Living by Grace, a devotional discussion Facebook group, we post a memory verse and this week's is James 1:22.

Do not merely listen to the word,
and so deceive yourselves.
Do what it says.
James 1:22

Be sure to check the Cafe for more links to WFW

Won't you join me memorizing James 1:22 this week at Living by Grace?

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A Spirit of Power

Each week at Living by Grace, a devotional discussion Facebook group, we post a memory verse and this week's is 2 Timothy 1:7, building on verse 6, which we memorized a couple weeks ago.

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity,

but of power

and love

and discipline.

2 Timothy 1:7 NAS

Far too often I settle for fear, not stopping to remember that God has given me so much more. It's time to remember!

Be sure to check the Cafe for more links to WFW

Won't you join me memorizing Psalm 34:18 this week at Living by Grace?



*Photo by courtesy of sxc.hu

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God's Word on Evolution

Each week at Living by Grace, a devotional discussion Facebook group, we post a memory verse and this week's is Hebrews 11:3.

By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.~Hebrews 11:3 NAS

We don't have to debate, dither, or duck when it comes to evolution.
We have God's Word on it.

God's Word brought something from nothing.
End of story.

Be sure to check the Cafe for more links to WFW

Won't you join me memorizing Psalm 34:18 this week at Living by Grace?


*Photo courtesy of Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA/NASA/ESA) and Amy Simon (Cornell U.)

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Hope for the Brokenhearted

Each week at Living by Grace, a devotional discussion Facebook group, we post a memory verse and this week's is Psalm 34:18.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted

and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18NIV

Be sure to check the Cafe for more links to WFW

Won't you join me memorizing Psalm 34:18 this week at Living by Grace?



*Photo by torli, courtesy of sxc.hu

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Kettle Club!

I've been looking forward to this all month! Today is the February Wrap Up for the Kettle Club that Kristen at Exemplify Online's Blog initiated a month ago. The Kettle Club is a group of bloggers that have committed to reading their Bible before jumping into blogland. Kristen, our fearless leader, has posted some discussion questions that you can read here, but I'm just going to jump in...

I'm doing a cover-to-cover read through of the Bible again this year, and I'm reading chronologically. Currently I'm in Deuteronomy, so my mind is full of Israel's wanderings. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through the Pentateuch, and Joanne's Ponderings at Exemplify's blog have made it even better! (Thank you, JoDear!)

One of the reasons I love reading the Bible chronologically is because it puts everything into perspective for me, and helps me see and understand better. Reading cover-to-cover is definitely something I'd recommend to people—especially reading through chronologically.

I used to do my Bible reading at night, sitting in bed, when all was quiet and peaceful. I love reading my Bible then, but I've changed my ways. I now read during the day, often mid-morning, once the kids are settled into their school day. It means that I have many more distractions and interruptions, which I don't like, but (and this is a big but!!) but my kids now see me consistently reading and studying God's Word—with pen in hand and across the room from my computer. My email could be pinging in like crazy (LoL—and often is!) but I keep my tail in my chair and do my Bible reading. It has been worth every single interruption and distraction! You wanna know why? Because now my kids are following my silent example! That makes it worth it!!

There have been times I've almost drawn blood from biting my tongue, and there have been times I've shamed myself with my responses to the kids over the interruptions—but they've been learning times for me, and I'm getting better. I see the kids pulling out their Bibles, and that's why I'm reading while they're up. If I blow it with consistently poor responses, the kids will be driven away from God's Word, and that consequence is just too high. It makes me really stop and think (and pray!), which is good.

Doing my Bible reading before my computer time/work starts helps me keep cyber-things (and daily life things!) in balance—much better than doing it at bedtime did! It also helps me not feel so overwhelmed when weeks like this one comes along. ::eye roll::

Bible memory is something I'm trying to get back into. I keep forgetting to get over to the LPM blog (Beth Moore), but I love what's going on over there. For March I want to memorize 2-4 verses. Very doable for me—if I remember (which is pathetic, but true). Hopefully by posting that here again, I'll do better.

Some nuggets from this past month:
How God called Bezalel by name, filled him with the Spirit in wisdom so he could fulfill what it was God called him to do. (Exodus 31:2-3, 35:30-35)

From Korah's Rebellion (Numbers 16) I learned about Shrouded Responsibilities, and it's really changed my view on doing things I don't understand—which is something that I've really struggled with.

There's more, but I'm hoping to blog about them soon—but probably not this week!

This month I'm taking an online class, and it's going to take more than I anticipated. That's okay, but I really want to learn as much as possible from the class. It's going to take even more juggling and balancing—and that's a prayer request. I feel God has called me to write, which means learning and preparing as much as I can. I know that He will enable me, as He did Bezalel, but I also have to be responsible and study and practice.

Don't forget to join us at Exemplify Online's Blog for links to other Kettle Club members! They're a terrific group of ladies!

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Hey You!

One of the things I'm doing this year is getting back into Scripture memorization, even though I'm not walking in the mornings now. I've joined the accountability team at Beth Moore's Living Proof Ministry blog where we meet on the 1st and 15th of each month to check in and write out the verse we'll be memorizing over the next two weeks. It's incredibly amazing and encouraging to see the number of people doing this. Wow!

The first verses I memorized were Philippians 3:13-14

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 3:13-14

For these next two weeks I'm memorizing a verse that I rediscovered while preparing my lessons for the girls I co-teach on Wednesday nights at my church. I'm hoping to blog what I learned from that lesson (I always learn so much when I prepare a lesson!) but for now, here's the verse:

Then David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished. ~I Chronicles 28:20

We're to be courageous and act, not just sit there trembling and hiding in our cozy little corner. We have God's promise that He will be with us, enabling us to do the work He has called us to—until the work is finished!

This is right where I'm at now. Until the work is finished. I have work I need to finish so I need to be strong and courageous and act.

This is a verse that has jumped out and grabbed me several times over the years, and I had been asking God which verse to memorize next. When I looked this passage up for my lesson, I knew this was the verse. I challenged the grade school girls to memorize it with me and told them that I hope to be able to quote it to them next Wednesday. I also enticed them with a reward if they could quote it, and a few of them seemed interested in taking up the challenge.

But for now, here's a message to myself...

Hey You

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Regrets & Resolutions

This week At The Well is hosted by my dear friend, LauraLee. Here are the thought questions she put to us:

The New Year is a time for us to let go of the past and look forward to newness. Everyone thinks about that differently. Answer any of these questions, all the below, or just give your thoughts about the New Year.

1. What is your favorite "resolution" in the Bible?

2. Do you do a New Year's resolution? Why or why not? Does your family make a resolution together?

3. Usually a resolution comes as a result of regretting something you didn't do the year before...how do you let go of the regret and move forward?

4. (optional...only if you wish to share) Have you ever made a resolution in the past that you didn't keep and wish you had?

Okay, to be perfectly honest with you, I cannot remember the last time I made a New Year's Resolution. It took me about two year's failed resolutions to realize they didn't work for me. Thankfully, I found what does. Goals.

I like to dream big. If you don't dream big, you end up with small, and in my case, barely enough to squeak by. One of my favorite quotes is:

When you reach for the stars, you may not quite get one, but you won't come up with a handful of mud either. ~Leo Burnett

So I dream big and reach for the stars. Yes, it means I don't quite reach my goals (as Joanne can attest to. LoL) but it keeps me moving forward and that forward motion is so important.

For this year I have writing goals, Bible reading goals (Cover to Cover, chronologically in 2009), and now, new this morning, I have Scripture memory goals, which I want to share with you. My friend Kristen posted about this and it was exactly what I've needed and wanted, and I'm soooo excited! Beth Moore, at the LPM blog, has encouraged and challenged us to join her in memorizing 24 verses (of our choice) this year. There's a huge accountability team there (when I just checked and there's 2936!) and I joined in. (For those of you wanting to memorize John 15, go visit Vonnie, that's what she's doing this year!) Scripture memory is something I used to do as I walked in the mornings, but when that ended, so did my memorization time and I've missed it greatly. I'm starting with Philippians 3:13-14. I've got my 3x5 card on my keyboard and I'm working on it.

The week between Christmas and New Year's is a time of looking back, evaluating and then looking forward for me. In that order. It's an important time for me, and yes, regrets do play a part in there, but I do not dwell on them. I use them as a tool to push me forward so that they don't weigh me down. How? By giving it to God and forgetting what lies behind and pressing forward. (Which happens to be the first verses to memorize this year! LoL, imagine that.)

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead; I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 3:13-14

Don't forget to join us at LauraLee's for links to more At The Well thoughts.

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