Becoming Like Jesus: Scripture MemorizationSample

God’s Kindness

Whether you have a photographic memory or sometimes struggle to remember your ABCs, you can have confidence that practicing Scripture Memorization is worth the effort. Because the same Spirit who was active in the writing of the Scriptures is active in us as we read and study them. We are not on our own. And that is really good news. The Spirit of Truth gives us the power to see truth, believe truth, and walk in truth.

So let’s jump in.

Pray ...

Heavenly Father, open my eyes to what You want me to see today. Jesus, teach me more about who I am because of what You’ve done. Holy Spirit, guide me into the truth. I trust You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Read ...

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. Ephesians 1:3-8 NLT

Consider ...

Paul opens his letter to the Ephesians by reminding us what God is like and how He feels about us. Paul knows all too well that what we believe influences how we behave. And we often have a hard time believing the truth about what God is like and what He thinks of us.

Instead of learning to see ourselves the way God does, we often assume God sees the way we do. This is a big problem, because we tend to think less of ourselves and others when we do bad things and more of ourselves and others when we do good things.

Our view of people is conditional.

God is holy. He is totally other, different, and unique. There is nothing and no one like Him in all of the universe. While it’s true we are created in His image, we are also tainted by sin and limited in our knowledge. God is totally pure and His wisdom is beyond our ability to comprehend.

His love for us is unconditional.

That means He loves you no matter what, with no strings attached. There’s nothing you can do to change the way He sees you or feels about you. No amount of bad things will make Him think less of you. No amount of good things will make Him think more of you.

It also means He sees you more truly than you will ever be able to see yourself, because His vision is not obscured by all the things that distort ours.

So, what is He really like? He is rich in kindness and grace.

What does He think of you? Before He even made the world, He loved you and chose you. He decided ahead of time to adopt you as His child. He did this because He wanted to. He wanted you.

Do you believe that?

Practice ...

Let’s continue internalizing the truth found in Ephesians 2:8-10. Pull out that notecard or flip back to that page in your journal. Copy the verse down in a different color and say it out loud as you write. Combining the acts of writing, reading, speaking, and hearing those verses does wonders for aiding us in memorizing them.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT

If you’re using an app or another memorization method, keep doing what works for you! The point isn’t to follow a particular style of memorizing Scripture, but to accomplish the goal of getting the truth of God’s word buried deep in our hearts.

Listen ...

Set a timer for 5–10 minutes.

Create space in your mind and heart to hear from God. Lead into your listening by using those verses from Ephesians as a prayer:

God, thank You for saving me. Your grace is a gift and I am so grateful for it. You didn’t save me because of the good things I’ve done, so I have no reason to boast. You saved me because You love me. You are a master artist, and You’ve made me into a masterpiece. Because of Jesus, I have been made new. Now, I can do the good things You planned for me to do before I was ever born.

Next, ask God to speak to you. And then, simply listen.

When you get distracted, come back to Jesus by reading the verses you’ve written down. Pick one line to repeat in your mind and hold onto throughout your day.