How can a young man keep his way pure?  By guarding it according to Your word.

I have stored up Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You. 

Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your statutes!

I will meditate on Your precepts and fix my eyes on Your ways. 

I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.

Ps 119:9, 11-12, 15-16 ESV

A special “thank you” goes to Tim Weadon for writing some articles about Scripture memorization in conjunction with the Not Ashamed sermon series.  We encourage you to continue working on Scripture memory.  We will suggest potential memory verses each week.

Since memorization has fallen out of favor these days, you might be asking “why should I memorize the Bible?”  Excellent question.  I’m glad you asked. 

The verses above give several ideas.  They say that by memorizing God’s Word, we can stay pure and not sin.  This is about more than just learning a bunch of rules to obey.  It really has to do with getting to know God and His ways – what He loves, what He values, and how He acts.  In getting to know Him, we discover how to have a close, personal relationship with Him.  We grow to love Him.  We learn what pleases Him and what displeases Him, and because we love Him, we choose to do the things that please Him. 

As we get to know God through His Word, we also discover new freedom and joy.  We learn to delight in what pleases God.  Far from being constricting chains, the statutes of God produce security, peace, harmony, love, and freedom.  These things work together to make life both enjoyable and worthwhile. 

The Psalms above also say that when we memorize God’s Word, we will not forget it.  For those who feel you have terrible memories, let me assure you that if you work on memorizing God’s Word, it will get into your soul even if your mind can’t always repeat it word for word. 

When the Word gets into your soul, it gives the Holy Spirit material to work with in shaping you and maturing you spiritually.  It gives Him words to bring back to your mind at just the right time, in just the right way, to guide you, comfort you, and reassure you.