Summer Vibes | Draw Close to GodSample

How many of us have walked into a “pop-quiz”? No time to study!  Didn’t see it coming!! Probably didn’t do the reading!! 

Most of us have lived that story and because we weren’t prepared, we totally bombed the quiz! Hats off to the over-achievers who have no idea what we’re talking about right now. 

When Jesus was fasting for 40 days in the desert he encountered a “real-life” pop quiz and he aced it!

He was fasting, tired and hungry. Satan saw an opportunity and tempted him. And in that moment, Jesus was able to crush that pop-quiz! He had so much scripture committed to memory that, with every temptation, he responded to Satan with Bible verses!

It can be tempting to just write this off and say, “Well obviously, He’s Jesus! I could never do that…”

But Scripture tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way. He was fully human, just like us! When he was responding to Satan’s temptation he was responding as the same ‘human’ that we are!

His knowledge of Scripture came from choosing to “hide God’s word in his heart" like the Psalm writer tells us to do in Psalm 119:9, 11. The likelihood is he did that when he was a kid and a teenager!

“How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word…. I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

Maybe memorizing verses feels a little bit like school. But if there was ever a moment to use ‘something in real life’, it might be when we’re being tempted by the devil! So the investment is worth it. It totally helped Jesus remain pure and sinless!

It can help us do the same, so whether it’s writing verses on a note card and keeping them visible or utilizing a scripture memory app, it’s a key component in drawing near to God.

Be like Jesus. Spend some time investing in Bible memorization!