Becoming Like Jesus: Scripture MemorizationSample

God’s Grace

Grace is scandalous. It’s a gift from God that we cannot earn and don’t deserve. No matter how hard we try or how much we do, we aren’t going to get any closer to being good enough to deserve God’s love.

And while that may sound like bad news, it’s actually really good news.

Because it takes all the pressure off. Jesus did the work for you. Because of what He accomplished, you don’t have to achieve anything. To receive His grace, all you have to do is believe in Him.

Here’s the challenge though. It’s one thing to read about the grace of Jesus and another thing entirely to believe it so fully that we can relax into His love. That’s why we practice memorizing Scripture. We train ourselves to trust God’s words more than we trust our own doubts and insecurities.

Let’s jump in.

Pray ...

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son as a free gift to us. Lord, help us have hearts to receive from You and lives that are different because of You. Help me to trust that Your love is for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Read ...

Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:18-21 NLT

Consider ...

There is nothing we can do to ever deserve what Christ has done for us. Yes, nothing.

It doesn’t matter how much we serve, how many Bible verses we memorize, or even how perfect our church attendance is. All of those things combined will never add up to the amount of grace God has given us.

At the same time, it doesn’t matter how much we’ve sinned, how many people we’ve hurt, or even how horrible our past is. All of those things combined will never outweigh the abundance of God’s grace that has been made available through Jesus.

Sin wants to lock us in a prison of shame. But Jesus came to drown us in an ocean of grace. Sin made a mess of the world. But Jesus came to put it back together. Sin always ends in death. But Jesus brings us back to life.

Grace makes us new. Grace makes us whole. And grace transforms us into people who live and love like Jesus.

It’s all a gift from God, given as an act of love. So, now that you’ve been given this gift, what will you do with it?

What is your response to receiving an unexpected, undeserved, unimaginably wonderful gift from a family member or friend? Is that how you respond to God’s gracious love for you? How might your response to God’s scandalous grace change if you really trusted it was for you?

Practice ...

As we look at our memory verse, we are reminded that there’s nothing we can do to earn our salvation. This is so freeing—knowing that we are chosen by God to live in the finished work of His Son. Practice internalizing these words by writing them down again. As you do, imagine the words being written on your heart.

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 just wrote down. Say them out loud. Focus on each line and let the truth you are learning redirect your thoughts.