Becoming Like Jesus: Scripture MemorizationSample

A Divine Invitation

Before you breathed your first breath, took your first step, or prayed your first prayer, God chose you to be a part of His kingdom. In today’s reading, we are going to examine how all three persons of the Trinity play a role in the divine invitation we’ve been given to join God’s family.

Pray ...

Father, thank You for choosing me in spite of all my shortcomings. I never want to take Your grace for granted. Jesus, thank You for rescuing me from my sin and repairing my relationship with You. Holy Spirit, make me holy. I want to obey You and follow You wherever You lead. Fill me with Your peace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Read ...

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. 1 Peter 1:1-2 NIV

Consider ...

This is how Peter opens the letter that our memory verses for this week are found in. He is writing to God’s elect (another word for “chosen people”) to encourage, challenge, and remind them of the truth of the Gospel. In this opening paragraph, Peter mentions all three persons of the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit), and the different roles they play in our discipleship process.

He starts with God the Father, who chose us according to His foreknowledge. God is the creator of everything, including space, time, and matter. He existed before those things and He exists beyond those things. Before the universe was formed and the world began, God knew what was going to happen. Sort of like how an author knows how the events in their story will play out before anyone else gets a chance to read it. The point Peter is making? From the very beginning, God the Father chose you to be a part of His family.

Then, Peter talks about the sanctifying work of God the Spirit. What does that mean? Sanctify means “to make holy.” So, the Holy Spirit is working inside of us to make us holy. Or, in other words, to make us more like Jesus. How? By removing sin and selfishness and replacing them with a new desire for goodness, truth, and beauty. The lesson? Living a godly life isn’t the result of trying harder and doing more. It comes from trusting the Spirit to do what we can’t, and training ourselves to do what we can.

Finally, Peter writes, “... to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.” This is why the Father chose us and the Spirit sanctifies us—so we can be saved from our sins through the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross, and so we can live in obedience to the commands He has given us. He is our King and we are His people.

Do you trust that God is a good king? Do you trust that He knows what’s best for you? Or do you often find yourself going against what Scripture teaches? If so, would you consider asking God to show you how faithful and trustworthy He is? And would you consider choosing to trust and obey Him even when it’s hard?

Practice ...

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.1 Peter 2:9-10 NIV

Write these verses down on a piece of paper, note card, or in a journal. As you do, say the words out loud. Then, after writing it all down, see how much of it you can remember without looking. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to remember much at this point, and that’s totally okay. This exercise will help signal your brain that these verses are worth remembering and will set you up for success for the rest of the week!

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 ...

As we close out our time today, we are going to create space to experience the presence of God in a different way through a practice known as Silence and Solitude.

Start by setting a timer for 5–10 minutes.

Then, create space in your mind and heart to hear from God. Lead into your listening by using those verses from 1 Peter as a prayer:

God, thank You for choosing me to be Yours. Because of Your relentless grace, You have made me a member of Your priesthood, a citizen of Your holy nation, and Your own special possession. Once I was trapped in darkness, but You have called me into Your wonderful light. So I’m going to declare Your praises to anyone and everyone who will listen. Once, I was lost and alone. But now, I am a part of Your family. Once, I was a mess of my own making, but now I am made new by Your mercy. Today, I commit to serving You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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

When you get distracted, come back to Jesus by reading the verses or repeating the prayer above. Say them out loud. Focus on each line and let the truth you are learning redirect your thoughts.