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Word of Life Korea SYME Discipleship Topics
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Week 7: SCRIPTURE MEMORY
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The Benefits
of Memorizing Scripture
At the age of fifteen, Bill Gothard (now a very well-known American youth
leader, seminar teacher and author) saw some of his high school classmates
making unwise decisions. He realized that they would have to live with the
consequences and dedicated his life to helping young people make wise
choices. Shortly after this, an older friend challenged Bill to begin
memorizing large sections of Scripture. Up until his high school years, he
was a very poor student. He actually flunked first grade and passed the
next eight grades on probation. As he memorized and meditated on
Scripture, his grades significantly improved, so much so that he graduated
from high school a member of the National Honor Society. This direct
connection between his grades and his faithful Scripture memorization and
meditation continued through college and graduate school.
Proverbs 7:1-3 |
"Keep my
commands and live; and my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them
upon your fingers, write them upon the table of your heart."
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In
the next few minutes we will look at seven specific benefits there are to
memorizing Scripture. The first one is ...
1. IT HELPS ME RESIST TEMPTATION AND HAVE VICTORY OVER SIN
Psalm 119:11 says,
Psalm 119:11 |
"Your word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against
You." |
One of the most important reasons to memorize Bible verses is to
keep us from sinning. If you have memorize God's word, when you are
tempted to sin, those words will speak loudly in your ear and in your
conscience and in your mind and will tell you to do what is right.
2. IT HELPS ME CHANGE MY CHARACTER
In other words, you become what you think about. When I was young I was
very impatient. My grandfather would sometimes come to our house for a
meal and would talk and talk and talk. As children we were required to sit
at the table until everyone was finished. I did not like to wait. But one
day I realized how impatient I really was and I didn't like being an
impatient person. It was at this time I learned this verse, "As a man
thinks in his heart, so is he." If I think about, or meditate about
being a patient person, if I ask God to help me be a patient person, if I
memorize and meditate on Scripture about being a patient person I can
actually become a patient person. Meditating on Scripture changes my
character.
3. IT HELPS ME MAKE WISE DECISIONS
Psalm 119:105 |
"Your
word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." |
Have you ever faced a decision where you didn't know what to do? Where you
felt in the dark and didn't have any idea what step to take next? The
Bible is God's wisdom. It gives under-standing and it's principles help us
see clearly which way to go and how to make wise decisions. Pastor John
MacArthur says that you should be so familiar with the Bible, you should
know the Scriptures so well that if someone were to cut the veins on your
wrists you would bleed Bible verses.
4. IT STRENGTHENS ME WHEN I'M UNDER STRESS
Psalm 119:49 |
"Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope." |
Scripture is the best counseling tool there is. When people are under
stress, feel hopeless and in despair God's Word, the Bible gives cause to hope.
5. IT COMFORTS ME WHEN I'M SAD
Jeremiah 15:16 |
"Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my hear." |
One day when I was in college, living in the dormitory I began to feel
sorry for myself. I felt very discouraged, sad and depressed. During this
time I was thinking a lot about myself. And the more I focused on myself
and meditated on myself and thought about myself the more depressed and
discouraged I became. And I realized the reason for my sadness was that I
was being selfish and self-centered. So I asked some friends to help me.
Together we went to a store and bought the ingredients to make cookies. We
went to a friend's house and made cookies. After we made the cookies we
went and visited an old people's home. We sat and visited with these old
people. We gave them cookies and talked with them. Many of these people
had not had anyone come to visit them for several months. They were very
sad and lonely. But they were very happy to see us. It was a wonderful
experience. And when I left that day I was not sad or depressed any more.
Joy is spelled J.O.Y. Jesus first, others second and yourself last. And
when you put God and His word first it will bring joy to your heart. The
word of God brings joy that works like medicine.
6. IT HELPS MY PRAYERS TO BE ANSWERED
"If you abide in me, and my words abide
in you, you will ask what you desire, and it will be done for you." John 15:7. This
verse says that if God's word is a part of you, if it stays inside of you.
If you hold on to it, trust it and believe what it says then your thoughts
will be God's thoughts. Do you understand that? Your thoughts won't be
selfish thoughts. Your thoughts will be God's thoughts. And if your
thoughts are the same as God's thoughts then when you pray you will be
praying what Jesus would pray, you will be asking for what Jesus wants.
And your prayers will be answered.
7. IT HELPS ME TO WITNESS TO UNBELIEVERS
"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always
be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope
that is in you, with meekness and fear;" 1 Peter 3:15. If
we have God's word in our hearts then when others want to know what makes
the difference in our life we will always be ready to tell them.
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by Steve Nicholes
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LINKS TO . . .
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