Tips On Improving Your Devotional Life: Bible Memorization

Some of us are naturally good at Bible memorization, some of us are naturally bad at Bible memorization; and some of us just need to learn how to do it properly (or at lease ease the process). You can mix-and-match these tips, use all of them, or none at all; but hopefully they will at least inspire you to come up with a better method of memorizing scripture.

Tips for short passages:

1. Read short passage, say it as far as you can (out loud) without looking, repeat until you get it.

2. Read first line/sentence/part (whatever you want really) and do the process above. After you get the first part down, try to do the first and second part. Continue until you have all the parts down.

3. Print out the verse; and put it up in different places around the house.

4. Read the verse a couple times, every time you read the Bible. Constant exposure works wonders!

5. Memorize verses that are meaningful to you.  Let face it, they are easier to remember.

Tips for long passages (works particularly well with long chapters):


Step 1. Read as much as you have memorized of the long passage, as well as the next ten verses.

Step 2. Memorize whatever verse you are on, using whatever method you like.

Step 3. Without looking, try to recite as much of the passage as you can, including the verses you haven't memorized yet.

Step 4. Read as much as you have memorized of the long passage, as well as the next ten verses; again.

Steps 3 & 4 are the surprising key to this process.  It might not help a ton in the beginning; but once you get to those verses that you have been repeating for the past ten days, you will probably already have them memorized (and maybe be a couple verses "ahead").

Using the long passage process has been extremely helpful to me. A lot of times I can "recite" about five verses ahead of what I have officially "memorized".  I hope the process can help you too! Not only does this process take less time, and help you in long-term retention; it also helps you remember what verse comes next while reciting the passage. -I can't count how many times I have truly "known" every verse in a chapter; but was not able to simply figure out which verse comes next.  Reading large chunks often; helps remedy this problem.

If you often memorize chapters, and know what chapter you are going to do next, I suggest you start working on the next chapter when you get towards the end (last ten verses) of your current chapter.


Do you have any tips you would like to share?  Only a few of the tips have been covered, and Scripture memorization is pretty important, so there may be a part 2 of this article.  Happy memorizing!  And thank you to everyone who helped me compile these tips! :)

"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."
~Psalm 119:11

4 Things God Gives Us

It is for life, hope, happiness and home that we work for.  We can use work as an excuse to distract from God; but in truth He gives us all these things. Life.  Hope. Happiness. Home. 

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence. ~ 2 Peter 1:3(NKJV)

Life.  God is the one who gave us life; He breathed it into us.  He not only gave us an earthly life but an eternal one in His presence. 

“The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” ~ Job 33:4(ESV)

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” ~ Genesis 2:7(NKJV)

Hope. God gives us so much to hope for; particularly the future blessings He will bestow on us and the inheritance of living eternally in heaven with Him.  Not only that, but the Bible says that it is in Him that we have our hope. (Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 15:13).

 ^“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.  And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.  But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” ~Hebrews 11: 13-16(NKJV)

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” ~Revelation 21:4(NKJV)

“ “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” ~ Revelation 22:20(NKJV)

Happiness.  Nothing can make us quite as happy as communion with our maker and fellowship with our Christian brothers and sisters. And yet, our connection to Christ offers us both things.

“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” ~Philippians 4:4  (NKJV)

“Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” ~Isaiah 12:3(NKJV)

“But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” ~ 1 Peter 4:13(NKJV)

Home.  God is our refuge, our home. Deuteronomy 33:27 says that "The eternal God is your refuge." Pay attention to three things in that sentence; eternal, God, and refuge. Not only is our God our refuge, but He is an eternal God offering eternal life.

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” ~ Philippians 3:20(ESV)

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—  to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” ~ Ephesians 3:17-19(NKJV)

“But Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.” ~Hebrews 3:6(NKJV)

“Home, too, is the place of our truest and purest happiness: and it is in God that our hearts find their deepest delight.  We have joy in Him which far surpasses all other joy. It is also for home that we work and labour.” – Charles Spurgeon

“In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.” - In Christ Alone, Keith and Kristyn Getty

Hebrews 2:3

We as Christians completely forget how AMAZING it is to be one of Christ's followers.  Like this verse says: 

"How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?....." ~Hebrews 2:3

Listen To The Fish You Sluggard

Yes, I know I got the usual term a bit wrong, but it is meant that way.  Stay awhile and you might find out why.

How often do we forget to read our Bibles? -Or maybe some other excuse: busyness, sickness, tiredness, perhaps even disinterest.  But there are other times to read the Bible besides the scheduled morning & evening . The words of God are our comforter, our encourager.  Yet it is often the times when we need it most that we don't read our Bibles.

And this is where the "fish" come in.  You see, this morning I was over by my fish tank, just appreciating my decorative pet fish.  The fish quickly swims over to the feeding area and I can tell that he is hungry.  So I pick up the fish food; and right as I am doing that, he turns around and swims to the other side of the tank.  I sprinkle a little food in the tank but he does not realize that the food he so badly wanted is right there.  I tap the glass a bit, hoping to get his attention, but it wasn't working.  I thought "You stupid fish! Don't you realize that there's food right here?"

And then it donned on me; the thing I was accusing my fish of, we do ALL the time with God.  We are feeling just horrible, maybe we simply had a bad day, perhaps its something worse.  God sees that, and offers comfort all around the clock through His Holy inspired word.  It is our most reliable source of comfort and is often the very last think we turn to, or maybe we, like the fish, don't even realize its there.  We are hungry, God offers food, but we don't take it!

Now the purpose of this post is not to show you the similarities between mere fish food and God's word, but rather to prompt you to read the Bible when you need it most.

Psalm 12:1 says "Help Lord."  Charles Spurgeon writes on this verse that "The occasions for the use of this prayer are frequent...Spiritual warriors in inward conflicts may send to the throne for reinforcements.... Workers in heavenly labor may thus obtain grace in time of need.  Seeking sinners, in doubts and alarms, may offer up the same weighty supplication; in fact, in all these cases, times, and places, this will serve the turn of needy souls. "Help Lord", will suit the living and dying, suffering or laboring, rejoicing or sorrowing.  In Him our help is found, let us not be slack to cry on Him."



When did the Lord comfort you when you needed encouraged?  When are some of the times that the Lord has helped you?


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Tips On Improving Your Devotional Life: Life Application

Hey y'all!

So I was recently realizing that I need to improve my devotional life and work on applying the Bible to my actual life. Reading the Bible is great and all, but not as much if it does not show in your life.  So here are some of the things I did to improve my devotional life and apply the Bible to my life:

1. Keep A Bible Journal- Jot down what comes to your mind as you read, whatever the Bible inspires you to write.  It really helps your get more out of what you are reading and this is the first step of improving your devotional life and learning to apply what your learn to your life. At the top of the page write whatever chapters you are reading, this will help you reference whatever you write on the passage.

2. After you are done with Bible reading for that sitting skim over what you wrote, what can be learned from it?  

3.  For each thing that can be learned sum it up in 1-3 words and write it down.

4. Think of a practical way that you can apply it to your life, not something vague like "make an effort" but something more specific.  For example lets say your want to improve your prayer life.  Don't put down something vague like "Pray more often" or "Have longer prayers".  Instead put something a bit more specific such as "Keep a prayer journal", or "Ask at least one person per day if they have any prayer requests".  It is important to be specific otherwise it is very easy to forget.

                                     

5.  At the end of the day write down how you did for each "project". Rate how well you think you did on a scale from 1-10, write down what you learned.  Oh, but be careful not to do to many "projects" at once; otherwise you will have way to many projects on your plate at once!

I hope that helps!  Lets me know if there is anything else you would like me to write about! :D 

The Value Of Friendship And Companionship

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.  For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.  Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm, but how can one be warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.  And a three fold cord is not quickly broken." ~Eccl. 4:9-12

When our acquaintances become friends, and then our friends turn into close friends, we start caring about one another in a different way. We share our happiness; even if we are sad, the other person being happy is enough to make us happy.  The happiness gets shared! :D

This is not just talking about our non-blood related friends; but our blood related friends as well. Whether it be your child, spouse, parent or sibling share some of your joy with them!

John MacArthur notes on this passage that "Life is better with companionship".  I believe that this kind of companionship is especially true of the marriage relationship: the person you choose to love for the rest of your life.  If God has already put that person in your life, thank Him. If not, pray for that person, whomever they may be.  Just because you don't know who they are yet does not mean you can not pray for them! :-)

"There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." ~Proverbs 18:24

Exchanging Thoughts With Charles Spurgeon: The Preeminence Of Christ

Charles Spurgeon once said "Oh, how precious is Christ! How can it be that I have thought so little of Him? How is it I can go abroad for joy or comfort when He is so full, so rich, so satisfying?"

 Let us not forget Ecclesiastes 1:7 which says "All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again."  This verse should remind us of the preeminence of our Lord and that He is the center of all things. Everything we hold dear should somehow be connected to our love for our Lord. We cannot be full without Christ. Like the old words say "When my precious Lord I find all my ardent passions glow."

But this is not all we can learn from this; Charles Spurgeon notes on this passage that "He who is so good a steward as to be willing to use his substance for the Lord, shall be entrusted with more. Friend of Jesus, art thou rendering to him according to the benefit received? Much has been given to thee, what is thy fruit?  Hast thou done all? Canst thou not do more? To be selfish is to be wicked."

This should put to heart those well-known words, which although explain the purpose of our existence, we still forget them. For "What is the chief end of man?" but "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."

Charles Spurgeon later states "God forbid that any of us should follow the ungenerous and destructive policy of living unto ourselves."  Perhaps the worst way to dishonor the name of our Lord is to put ourselves above Him. Let us try very hard to avoid this destructive path!

Charles Spurgeon also finds a lesson in the life of Moses: "Moses, being overtaken by a fit of unbelief, looks to the outward means, and is at a loss to know how the promise can be fulfilled. He looked to the creature instead of the Creator.... We can at once see the mistake which Moses made.  And yet how commonly we do the same!"

Let us turn away from our flesh!  For "we are here as the 'salt of the earth,' to be a blessing to the world. We are to glorify Christ in our daily life. We are here as workers for Him, and as workers together with Him.  Let us see that our life answereth its end. Let us live earnest, useful, holy lives, to the praise of the glory of His grace."  We are here to live for Christ, regardless of how we feel. As Charles Spurgeon says "We should follow Christ in simplicity and faith, because the paths in which He leads us all end in glory and immortality."  We have a short life here on earth, and then we ascend into heaven for all eternity; let us therefore live this time for Christ!

"O let us prove our gratitude by our devotion, and live as those who, having claimed a privilege, are willing to take the responsibility connected with it."  ~ Charles Spurgeon

A Joy And Passion For God And His Word

"When he studied, it was to behold the majesty of God. Thus, his sermon preparation was not primarily for others: it was first and foremost for his own heart. With the aid of the Spirit and a firm bent toward biblical authority, Calvin followed hard after his Creator.  And as he did so, the Lord crushed his spirit and fixed within him a fearful admiration of Christ's excellencies.............. Given Calvin's commitment to God's glory, how did he nourish his mind in the Scriptures?  How did he cultivate  his heart before God?"
~Steven J. Lawson in his book "The Expository Genius of John Calvin.

Wow! This paints a picture of the absolute perfect passion us as Christians have the ability to have towards God and towards His holy Scriptures.  I especially love this quote because it mentions both the fear and majesty of God-further meaning God's awe.  And I believe these things to be very important to the Christian life. -the fear of the Lord, and beholding the majesty of His total awesomeness.  If we as Christians had this same passion that we see in Calvin. -this passion that kept Paul going, this passion that brought thousands to martyrdom, and specifically this passion that is instilled in all of Gods people. It seems to me, however, that this passion is less aflame then in was in many earlier Christians. -If we could only light up this passion; if we could just show the world where this passion comes from.  If we could show them what it means to have our joy in the Lord; if they can know us as Joyous people-I can assure you we would be seen in a much different light.

And while we are on this subject of passion for God; I would like to point out, that as John 1:1 states "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." -So this does not just mean a passion for God; but a passion for His word; the Bible.

This reminds me SO much of a verse I recently read in Jeremiah.  This verse is the verse that stood out to me the most in that day of reading; and I find that those verses, the ones that fill you with the fear of God and the awe of His majesty are very important.

"Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD of hosts" ~Jeremiah 15:16

It saddens me to see so many Christians not filled with this joy; but it is a blessing, I assure you, perhaps one of the biggest joys of being a Christian.  So I would like to encourage those who are called by the name of the LORD of hosts to be filled with a joy and rejoicing for God; and, His word.


And also,  please comment; its what keeps me going! Why write to produce good, if no one will read it and therefore it will not produce good?

Jeremiah 3:14-15

So I started Jeremiah the day before yesterday; and am so far REALLY liking it! I am trying to get back into the Old Testament; as I have mostly been reading the NT the past year; I find it difficult to learn from stories( Exodus and 1 Samuel for instance). Does anyone else have that problem? So I have decided to take a break from the book I was reading and read a different book in the OT-Jeremiah. Anyway, I just have to say, I REALLY like it.

“Return, O backsliding children,” says the Lord; “for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. ~ Jeremiah 3:14-15

Please comment on my posts! Its what keeps me going; why write something if no one will read it?