"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."
Psalm 119:11
Two questions:
Do you believe that memorizing Scripture is important?
Do you regularly memorize Scripture?
For more years than I’d like to admit, my answers to those questions conflicted with one another. Yes! Scripture memorization is important! But, do I do it? Well . . . I know the theme verses we’ve studied at GEMS over the years, and Psalm 23, but faithfully memorizing large chunks of God’s Word? Not so much. Rick Warren said, “You only believe the part of the Bible that you actually do.”
A missionary visited our congregation and invited us to join brothers and sisters from North America to Central Asia to be part of The Psalms Project. It’s a seven-year commitment to memorize the Psalms. Year one includes putting 21 Psalms to memory. I signed up, knowing I needed accountability in a spiritual discipline I had sorely neglected. It’s been hard work with rich rewards. My lone regret is that I didn’t do this sooner.
Why should we memorize Scripture? There are many reasons. Here are three:
To know God. In the field of education, professionals tell us that we retain 10% of what we hear, 25% of what we read, 50% of what we study, and 80% of what we memorize. Let’s translate that to knowledge of God. Ten percent of what we know about God will come through what we hear (sermons, seminars, and schooling), 25% through what we read in the Word, 50% through studying the Word, and 80% by memorizing the Word! Do you want to know God more? Then memorize His Word!
To triumph over sin. How can a young man [this applies to young women at heart, too!] keep his [her] way pure? By living according to your word. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you (Psalm 119:9, 11). When we memorize Scripture the Holy Spirit has quick and immediate access to the Word that gives clear direction to His commands and equips us to stand firm in Christ.
To imitate Christ. As Christ’s disciples our deepest desire must be to follow Him and to incorporate His actions and words into our lives. To imitate Him, we must abide and remain in Him and His words must abide and remain in us (John 15:7).
PASSION Step: Choose a passage of Scripture that you will memorize before January 1, 2011. Begin memorizing today.
Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what it needs. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. That’s where you need it! How does it get in your mouth? Memorization.
Dallas Willard
Grace and peace,
Lenae
A connecting place for British Columbia GEMS counselors and club coordinators. . .
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
GO TO THE WORD
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."
Psalm 119:105
Within his book, Spiritual Rhythm – Being with Jesus Every Season of Your Soul, author and pastor Mark Buchanan writes, “I have reached a point of holy impatience about this: when someone comes to me and tells me their marriage is crumbling, or their anxiety is skyrocketing, or their addiction is spiraling, or (fill in the blank), I first say, ‘Tell me what God is saying to you in His Word.” His direct question either elicits blank stares or a bunch of excuses for not reading their Bibles.
Amos writes, “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD,“ when I will send a famine through the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. Men [women] will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it” (Amos 8:11-12). My Bible study notes read, “Because of their apathy, God said He would take away even the opportunity to hear His word.” Because of our apathy, we neglect our opportunity to even read the Word!
Are you discouraged? Go to the Word. For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Romans 15:4).
Do you feel isolated or weak? Go to the Word. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him . . . But David found strength in the LORD his God (1 Samuel 30:6).
Sometimes our questions are found in the Word, and His answers are clear. Should I steal? No (Deuteronomy 5:19)! Should I seek revenge? No (Leviticus 19:18)!
Sometimes our questions aren’t found in the Word, but make no mistake His answers are there! A dear friend of mine was praying through a significant decision: Should she purchase a home? She needed to let the realtor know by Monday. On Saturday as she was doing her normal daily Bible reading (she’s going through the Bible chronologically) she said to the Lord, “God, if there is anything you can encourage me with right now, I’m all ears.” She then proceeded to read Ezra chapter three as allotted on her schedule. The passage is about rebuilding the temple and the phrase “the house of the LORD” was repeated often. It talked about resistance (which she was feeling) and then came around to God making everything work out according to His plan. On Sunday, she read Haggai and put a little note in the margin by chapter 2, verse 7, “’I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty.” She bought the house and His glory is on display!
PASSION Step: Need to make a decision today? Go to the Word. Ask God, “What do You have to say about this issue?”
The study of God’s Word, for the purpose of discovering God’s will, is the secret discipline that has formed the greatest characters.
James Waddel Alexander
Grace and peace,
Lenae
Psalm 119:105
Within his book, Spiritual Rhythm – Being with Jesus Every Season of Your Soul, author and pastor Mark Buchanan writes, “I have reached a point of holy impatience about this: when someone comes to me and tells me their marriage is crumbling, or their anxiety is skyrocketing, or their addiction is spiraling, or (fill in the blank), I first say, ‘Tell me what God is saying to you in His Word.” His direct question either elicits blank stares or a bunch of excuses for not reading their Bibles.
Amos writes, “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD,“ when I will send a famine through the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. Men [women] will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it” (Amos 8:11-12). My Bible study notes read, “Because of their apathy, God said He would take away even the opportunity to hear His word.” Because of our apathy, we neglect our opportunity to even read the Word!
Are you discouraged? Go to the Word. For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Romans 15:4).
Do you feel isolated or weak? Go to the Word. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him . . . But David found strength in the LORD his God (1 Samuel 30:6).
Sometimes our questions are found in the Word, and His answers are clear. Should I steal? No (Deuteronomy 5:19)! Should I seek revenge? No (Leviticus 19:18)!
Sometimes our questions aren’t found in the Word, but make no mistake His answers are there! A dear friend of mine was praying through a significant decision: Should she purchase a home? She needed to let the realtor know by Monday. On Saturday as she was doing her normal daily Bible reading (she’s going through the Bible chronologically) she said to the Lord, “God, if there is anything you can encourage me with right now, I’m all ears.” She then proceeded to read Ezra chapter three as allotted on her schedule. The passage is about rebuilding the temple and the phrase “the house of the LORD” was repeated often. It talked about resistance (which she was feeling) and then came around to God making everything work out according to His plan. On Sunday, she read Haggai and put a little note in the margin by chapter 2, verse 7, “’I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty.” She bought the house and His glory is on display!
PASSION Step: Need to make a decision today? Go to the Word. Ask God, “What do You have to say about this issue?”
The study of God’s Word, for the purpose of discovering God’s will, is the secret discipline that has formed the greatest characters.
James Waddel Alexander
Grace and peace,
Lenae
Monday, November 15, 2010
STUDY AND OBEY
"For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel."
Ezra 7:10
After 70 years in exile, the captives from Judah returned to their homeland where they rebuilt the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia (Extra 6:14). It was a time of building and prosperity under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah (Ezra 6:14). The people of Israel – the priests, the Levities and rest of the exiles – celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy (Ezra 6:16).
Fifty-seven years later when Ezra returned to the land with a second group of exiles (Ezra 7:8), he discovered a solid temple, but a shambled people. They knew God’s Word, but failed to obey it. They compromised and conformed to the world by intermarrying neighboring peoples with their detestable practices (Ezra 9:1). The leaders and officials who should’ve been teaching them the Word of God led the way in this unfaithfulness (Ezra 9:2).
Ezra was a priest, a scribe, and a great leader who knew the Word and obeyed it. Through his humble and obedient leadership, he helped lead the people back to God. He has much to teach as we seek to be humble leaders that feed the fire among a people that have conformed to the pattern of this world (Romans 12:2).
Know the Word. Ezra was well versed in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given (Ezra 7:6). He devoted himself to the study . . . of the Law of the LORD (Ezra 7:10). He not only had the law of God in his hand (Ezra 7:14) it was in his heart. When he heard of their intermarriage, his knowledge of Scripture made him immediately conscious of sin (Romans 3:20, Ezra 9:6). Are we well versed in the Word? When we waste time at work, gossip, judge the person sitting at the end of the pew, and miss opportunities to do good to all people, are we immediately conscious of our sin?
Obey the Word. Ezra devoted himself to the observance of the Law of the LORD (Ezra 7:10). He didn’t just know it; he obeyed it and through his example led others to do the same. When he heard of their intermarriage and compromise with the culture around them, he prayed, fasted, confessed, and wept. He threw himself down before the house of God and a large crowd of Israelites followed suit. They wept bitterly, confessed their unfaithfulness to God, and renewed a covenant with Him. All of it was done according to the Law (Ezra 10:1-4). Do we obey the Word in such a way that others desire to repent and return to God? As His disciple makers do we practice what we preach, and teach others to obey Jesus’ commands (Matthew 28:20)?
PASSION Step: Study and obey. Like Ezra, your leadership and example is needed in today’s compromised world.
Revival comes when God’s people heed God’s Word and do what God tells them to do.
Warren W. Wiersbe
Grace and peace,
Lenae
Ezra 7:10
After 70 years in exile, the captives from Judah returned to their homeland where they rebuilt the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia (Extra 6:14). It was a time of building and prosperity under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah (Ezra 6:14). The people of Israel – the priests, the Levities and rest of the exiles – celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy (Ezra 6:16).
Fifty-seven years later when Ezra returned to the land with a second group of exiles (Ezra 7:8), he discovered a solid temple, but a shambled people. They knew God’s Word, but failed to obey it. They compromised and conformed to the world by intermarrying neighboring peoples with their detestable practices (Ezra 9:1). The leaders and officials who should’ve been teaching them the Word of God led the way in this unfaithfulness (Ezra 9:2).
Ezra was a priest, a scribe, and a great leader who knew the Word and obeyed it. Through his humble and obedient leadership, he helped lead the people back to God. He has much to teach as we seek to be humble leaders that feed the fire among a people that have conformed to the pattern of this world (Romans 12:2).
Know the Word. Ezra was well versed in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given (Ezra 7:6). He devoted himself to the study . . . of the Law of the LORD (Ezra 7:10). He not only had the law of God in his hand (Ezra 7:14) it was in his heart. When he heard of their intermarriage, his knowledge of Scripture made him immediately conscious of sin (Romans 3:20, Ezra 9:6). Are we well versed in the Word? When we waste time at work, gossip, judge the person sitting at the end of the pew, and miss opportunities to do good to all people, are we immediately conscious of our sin?
Obey the Word. Ezra devoted himself to the observance of the Law of the LORD (Ezra 7:10). He didn’t just know it; he obeyed it and through his example led others to do the same. When he heard of their intermarriage and compromise with the culture around them, he prayed, fasted, confessed, and wept. He threw himself down before the house of God and a large crowd of Israelites followed suit. They wept bitterly, confessed their unfaithfulness to God, and renewed a covenant with Him. All of it was done according to the Law (Ezra 10:1-4). Do we obey the Word in such a way that others desire to repent and return to God? As His disciple makers do we practice what we preach, and teach others to obey Jesus’ commands (Matthew 28:20)?
PASSION Step: Study and obey. Like Ezra, your leadership and example is needed in today’s compromised world.
Revival comes when God’s people heed God’s Word and do what God tells them to do.
Warren W. Wiersbe
Grace and peace,
Lenae
Monday, November 8, 2010
STUDY GOD’S WORD
"But his (her) delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he (she) meditates day and night."
Psalm 1:2
When it comes to food, I have an acquired taste for lettuce. For the first half of my life I made sandwiches without it, and always ordered soup instead of salad. As an adult, I started adding one small leaf of lettuce to my BLTs to keep it true to its name and over time I began eating lettuce salads, first because I had to (it was good for me!) and now because I want to (I’ve acquired the taste!)
In his book, Spiritual Rhythm – Being with Jesus Every Season of Your Soul, Mark Buchanan writes that studying and feasting on God’s Word is mostly an acquired taste. He says, “Few people leap from the womb with an instinctual hunger for the Word – or they do, but the hunger gets damped by long years of gorging ourselves on everything and anything but the Word: trashy books and inane television shows and gory movies and rounds of gossip and the endless swapping of opinions.”
To acquire the taste for God’s Word requires delight and meditation. Psalm 1:1-2 says, Blessed is the man (woman) who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the set of mockers. But his (her) delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he (she) meditates day and night.
Like so many things that are good and necessary, it begins with a choice.
Choose to value God’s Word. If the amount of time you read your Bible were clocked, would it be measured as your most treasured possession? In Psalm 119 the writer unabashedly declares his love for God’s Word! Oh, how I love your law! (v 97a). It is sweeter than honey (v 103) and I love it more than gold, more than pure gold (v 127).
Choose to delight in God’s Word. What’s your attitude toward studying God’s Word? Is it dread or delight? Duty or desire? Sitting down to read God’s Word everyday may begin as a duty, but He will move it to delight if you pray for it. It’s your responsibility to get to the table to eat. Ask Him to acquire your taste.
Choose to meditate on God’s Word. What’s your course of action to reading God’s Word? Do you meditate on it – thoughtfully deliberating the implication it has for your life and obeying what He reveals to you? Or do you thoughtlessly snack on meager helpings? The more you read God’s Word, the more you won’t want to miss a meal! I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word (Psalm 119:6).
PASSION Step: What do you want your legacy to be when it comes to reading, studying, and memorizing God’s Word? Write it down in one sentence. Begin today.
He who loves the Word and purity of its precepts cannot turn traitor.
William Gurnall
Grace and peace,
Lenae
Psalm 1:2
When it comes to food, I have an acquired taste for lettuce. For the first half of my life I made sandwiches without it, and always ordered soup instead of salad. As an adult, I started adding one small leaf of lettuce to my BLTs to keep it true to its name and over time I began eating lettuce salads, first because I had to (it was good for me!) and now because I want to (I’ve acquired the taste!)
In his book, Spiritual Rhythm – Being with Jesus Every Season of Your Soul, Mark Buchanan writes that studying and feasting on God’s Word is mostly an acquired taste. He says, “Few people leap from the womb with an instinctual hunger for the Word – or they do, but the hunger gets damped by long years of gorging ourselves on everything and anything but the Word: trashy books and inane television shows and gory movies and rounds of gossip and the endless swapping of opinions.”
To acquire the taste for God’s Word requires delight and meditation. Psalm 1:1-2 says, Blessed is the man (woman) who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the set of mockers. But his (her) delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he (she) meditates day and night.
Like so many things that are good and necessary, it begins with a choice.
Choose to value God’s Word. If the amount of time you read your Bible were clocked, would it be measured as your most treasured possession? In Psalm 119 the writer unabashedly declares his love for God’s Word! Oh, how I love your law! (v 97a). It is sweeter than honey (v 103) and I love it more than gold, more than pure gold (v 127).
Choose to delight in God’s Word. What’s your attitude toward studying God’s Word? Is it dread or delight? Duty or desire? Sitting down to read God’s Word everyday may begin as a duty, but He will move it to delight if you pray for it. It’s your responsibility to get to the table to eat. Ask Him to acquire your taste.
Choose to meditate on God’s Word. What’s your course of action to reading God’s Word? Do you meditate on it – thoughtfully deliberating the implication it has for your life and obeying what He reveals to you? Or do you thoughtlessly snack on meager helpings? The more you read God’s Word, the more you won’t want to miss a meal! I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word (Psalm 119:6).
PASSION Step: What do you want your legacy to be when it comes to reading, studying, and memorizing God’s Word? Write it down in one sentence. Begin today.
He who loves the Word and purity of its precepts cannot turn traitor.
William Gurnall
Grace and peace,
Lenae
Monday, November 1, 2010
GET IN THE WORD
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly."
Colossians 3:16a
As a mom of adult children, I’m still learning when it’s time to listen and when it’s time to give a sermon. When I get that wrong, my daughters let me know. “I don’t need a sermon right now, Mom.” That’s when I lean in, listen, and sometimes give a loving sermonette anyway.
In Hebrews 13:22 the unidentified author of the book says, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written you only a short letter. Granted it’s fairly short and in letterform, but let’s call it what it is: It’s a sermon. It’s a sermon that exhorts and encourages its readers to leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity (Hebrews 6:1). It’s a book that prompts us to quit playing with matches and go feed the fire!
One of the ways we grow up in Christ and become mature in our understanding of Him is to get in the Word. Maybe you’re thinking, “I don’t need a sermon about studying the Bible more. It’s all I can do to read the few verses I’m reading.” The writer of Hebrews leans in and gives us the sermon anyway.
Pay careful attention to the Word. We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away (Hebrews 2:1). Get in the Word. Listen intently when it’s being read, read it slowly when you’re studying it for yourself, and apply its truth to your life. If we neglect the Word we’ll drift, and there’s nothing passionate, zealous, or mature about drifters (Revelation 3:15-16, Romans 12:11).
Eat the Word. Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 5:13-14). “Milk” is the basics of God’s Word, the elementary teachings of Christ that must be learned when we come to Him. Although we always treasure the milk of God’s Word, we must add “solid foods” to our diet. Get in the Word. Dig deeper than you have in the past. Let it be training grounds to differentiate between right and wrong. Training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17) comes by constant use (Hebrews 5:14). If we’re not constantly in the Word, we’ll be as immature as infants, instead of doing what ought to be done – teaching others the elementary truths of God’s Word (Hebrews 5:12).
Let the Word penetrate your life. For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). Get in the Word. Prayerfully read it and allow God to reveal your true spiritual condition. Listen, obey, and let it shape your life.
PASSION Step: Get in the Word.
Do not be surprised when the world around you rips away the Word of God. Sometimes we don’t even listen.
Jon Bushnell
Grace and peace,
Lenae
Colossians 3:16a
As a mom of adult children, I’m still learning when it’s time to listen and when it’s time to give a sermon. When I get that wrong, my daughters let me know. “I don’t need a sermon right now, Mom.” That’s when I lean in, listen, and sometimes give a loving sermonette anyway.
In Hebrews 13:22 the unidentified author of the book says, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written you only a short letter. Granted it’s fairly short and in letterform, but let’s call it what it is: It’s a sermon. It’s a sermon that exhorts and encourages its readers to leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity (Hebrews 6:1). It’s a book that prompts us to quit playing with matches and go feed the fire!
One of the ways we grow up in Christ and become mature in our understanding of Him is to get in the Word. Maybe you’re thinking, “I don’t need a sermon about studying the Bible more. It’s all I can do to read the few verses I’m reading.” The writer of Hebrews leans in and gives us the sermon anyway.
Pay careful attention to the Word. We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away (Hebrews 2:1). Get in the Word. Listen intently when it’s being read, read it slowly when you’re studying it for yourself, and apply its truth to your life. If we neglect the Word we’ll drift, and there’s nothing passionate, zealous, or mature about drifters (Revelation 3:15-16, Romans 12:11).
Eat the Word. Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 5:13-14). “Milk” is the basics of God’s Word, the elementary teachings of Christ that must be learned when we come to Him. Although we always treasure the milk of God’s Word, we must add “solid foods” to our diet. Get in the Word. Dig deeper than you have in the past. Let it be training grounds to differentiate between right and wrong. Training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17) comes by constant use (Hebrews 5:14). If we’re not constantly in the Word, we’ll be as immature as infants, instead of doing what ought to be done – teaching others the elementary truths of God’s Word (Hebrews 5:12).
Let the Word penetrate your life. For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). Get in the Word. Prayerfully read it and allow God to reveal your true spiritual condition. Listen, obey, and let it shape your life.
PASSION Step: Get in the Word.
Do not be surprised when the world around you rips away the Word of God. Sometimes we don’t even listen.
Jon Bushnell
Grace and peace,
Lenae
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