Yesterday, we asked this question . . . How do we know what's true?
Well, if God is true (John 3:33) then He is our ultimate standard for truth. And the only way we can know what is true is to know Him first and then to make His Word a part of us. Because His Word is truth (John 17:17).
Are you following me? Because I'm about to get all up in our business. (Trust me, I'm stomping my own toes here).
Here goes.
If you don't know your Bible, you'll never know what is true.
When your life falls apart and Satan tells you God has forsaken you, will you be able to stand on God's promise to never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)?
When jealousy rears its ugly head and you start fretting over how other people have what you want, will you stay there and wallow in misery, or will you remember that the Lord will fulfill His purposes for you (Psalm 138:8)?
When you screw up - big - and feel like a failure, will you allow Satan to crush you with replays of your mistakes or will you run to the One who is your shield, your glory, and the lifter of your head (Psalm 3:3)?
I found an interesting scientific study while I was researching truth. Did you know that scientists have discovered that deciding whether a statement is true involves memory?
You can't think (dwell, ponder, meditate) about something that isn't stored away in your memory banks. Sure, you can grab your Bible and hunt for it - and that's a great idea - but it's not going to help you when you're sitting on the bleachers at the soccer game and you overhear someone make a snide remark about your car.
You can shoot daggers at that snooty woman who seriously needs to have her roots touched up . . . (see how my mind needs to be renewed)!
OR, you can choose to see the truth. Your car gets you where you need to go. It's paid for. And if she needs a new car to have value, then she needs Jesus. And maybe you overheard that, not so you can spend the entire game wondering if she knows there's a price tag sticking out of her sweater, but so you can pour some grace into her world.
A key part of renewing . . . memorizing truth.
We need to choose to make God's Word a part of us so that we can access what is true no matter where we are.
So let's get practical...is memorizing Scripture something you do on a regular basis? How do you incorporate it (or would like to incorporate it) into your life? Please tell us in the comments.
5 comments:
Fantastic post, Lynn. You hit it dead on. If the truth is not in us, how can we filter through the stuff of this world and avoid conforming to it? God has grown His word in me tremendously over the last 4 -5 years as I've made it a priority to learn (memorize), meditate and study. I'm sharing yoru post with my Wed. morning study group right now!
Thanks Jeanette!
I've been trying to memorize a verse a week through my Beth Moore bible study and my brain just doesn't work like it used to!!!! I keep telling my kids that it's so important to get these truths into their hearts while they're young. I sure wish I had done more memorization back then. Great post AND series Lynn!
Susan
Susan - You are so right. My guess is that 95% of the Scripture I know I learned by the age of 12. I'm a big fan of AWANA for that very reason. Learning it young is sooo important. Of course, then I have to remind myself that being "old" doesn't let me off the hook. But I agree - my mind just doesn't work they way it used to either!
Lynn, Thank you so much for walking in obedience and sharing with us. As He often does, God is using the truths shared here to reinforce what He's been teaching me.
Just a tip for those who struggle w/ scripture memory: Close your eyes & form a picture in your mind while someone reads the verse slowly, in "chunks." You could also record & play back your own voice. We have a family member who has benefited greatly from this approach.
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