We are commanded to hide God's Word in our hearts that we may not sin against Him, so we rightly conclude that Scripture memory is a vital discipline of the Christian life, yet many overlook or dismiss this as 'legalistic'. However, it should come as no surprise that a nation which lacks godliness does little Scripture memory.
How then does Scripture memory affect the heart and mind?
Memorizing the Scripture gives you the ability to chew on the Bible regularly because it is so close to the heart and mind. You then cannot help but meditate on it, and, when temptation comes, you are far more capable of fighting against the world, the flesh, and the Devil.
Regular Scripture memory also reduces misquoting and vague generalizations. Furthermore, I encourage Christians to memorize several passages in context so as to reduce taking verses out of context, which is a regular occurrence. The more text that is memorized in context, the greater the impact as well. Not only is more of it being learned, but the scope of the larger theme is being understood along with is application.
Finally, as we memorize God's Word, it becomes more and more of our general vocabulary and conversation. For example, the statement I made previously about the world, the flesh, and the Devil is from a collection of passages that speak of the spiritual warfare that we face from each of these foes. Though different passages speak of these enemies independently, we see a common vein throughout the Bible, which allows us to make a doctrinal affirmation about them as a whole.
Therefore, what are you memorizing, and what are you encouraging your family to memorize?
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