Ddavid from NC Posted March 4, 2009 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 2 Topic Count: 196 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 1,343 Content Per Day: 0.23 Reputation: 12 Days Won: 1 Joined: 01/15/2008 Status: Offline Birthday: 12/03/1964 Share Posted March 4, 2009 We have an AWANA program in our church. The kids in our program memorize Scripture very proficiently. However, most adults claim they are unable to do it. I myself speak constantly and as I study I unintentionally memorize focal verses in my text. I can usually tell you who wrote just about anything you throw at me and what book it can be found in the New Testament, but hardly know the chapter and verse on anything. I have become very happily dependent on a search engine to locate what I am looking for application. Which leads me to my question. How important in your estimation is intentional memorization of Scripturee as a discipline? Is it better to invest your time in exegetical skills of interpretation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneLight Posted March 4, 2009 Group: Royal Member Followers: 22 Topic Count: 1,294 Topics Per Day: 0.21 Content Count: 31,762 Content Per Day: 5.23 Reputation: 9,762 Days Won: 115 Joined: 09/14/2007 Status: Offline Share Posted March 4, 2009 I, for one, have no memory for words. I never had. Yet, when it is important, the Holy Spirit brings scripture to me. Sometime, when He does this, I also get the book and chapter, but I never remember getting the verse, unless it is one that I use ofter. Again, as for my exegetical skills of interpretation, I depend on Him to show me what scripture means and when to use it. More often then not, I use this skill when talking to people about personal issues, but include where to look for it in scripture, always encouraging them to search the scripture to find if what I am telling them is right or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cecee Posted March 4, 2009 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 2 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 97 Content Per Day: 0.02 Reputation: 1 Days Won: 0 Joined: 12/30/2007 Status: Offline Birthday: 06/15/1959 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Memorizing scripture I feel is good for the soul,when the enemy comes up against you,you have that armour to put him back in the pit and when someone is going through something you can give scripture to them that helps them in their crisis.I learned alot of scriptures when I was going through my mom's cancer and when she was at the end of her life and I know for me I gained strength from verses and knew that God was with me at all times. Love Cecee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishcowboy Posted March 4, 2009 Group: Royal Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 127 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 3,248 Content Per Day: 0.88 Reputation: 13 Days Won: 0 Joined: 03/23/2014 Status: Offline Share Posted March 4, 2009 Did Christ site "Book, Chap, Verse"? what is more important? knowing the Word or knowing the words? There are people that are dyslexic and have a very difficult time memorizing anything word for word, letter for letter.... as a child, I loved math, even had Algebra down in the 7th grade (doing it in my head) but failed it in the 9th grade in school after getting every answer on every test and all my work correct every time... why? cause I could not get the routine down that the teacher wanted us to put down on paper..... all through school, I never (save once with help from a friend that was administering the test) got anything higher then a "C" on a spelling test..... up until about the 5th grade, i almost hated sunday school, i was singled out every week.... why? ..... cause I (at the time) could not remember the memory verse we were to have memorized that week. I could spend all week working on it, even on the way to church in the car, and when it was time to say it, well, i would mess it up so bad, that I never saw one of those little prizes for my memory verse. During this process, I have been able to get some of them down, but ask me where? oh boy, let me go ot the Concordance and see if I can find it. I started doing a lot of reading and studying, and reading and studying and reading and studying and continue to do so, some times not as much as I would like, but I keep at it. I have found that by doing that, the Lord will reveal more to me when it is needed then if I had tryed to keep memorizing verse after verse after verse. I have found I have learned the meaning of what was written, more then the actual words. an old story comes to mind. a Carpet bagger comes to town to sell his wares, and at the end of his presentation, he stands tall, head up so high that if it rained he might start gagging...... and he begins reciting the 23rd psalms..... when he is done reciting it so eliquently, really beautifully done, every one clapps and cheers...... after the clapping ends, an old man very febble walks up to the platform and says that he can do that as well..... the old man stumbles over many of the words as he recites it, pausing at different points then the carpet bagger, and when he gets done, every eye in the crowd is wet, and not a sound can be heard. after a few moments the carpet bagger asks what was so different about him, he could not even hardly get the words out, and being elequent, he was far from it..... one of the men in the crowd spoke up and said.... Sir, you may know the words, but He knows the one that wrote them. Memorizing the Word IS Important, dont get me wrong, this helps hide the words in thy heart, but do not just go for thy memorizing them, LEARN THEM, LEARN ABOUT THE ONE THE WORDS TEACH ABOUT. learn to be like the one that the words are about, and when the time comes that the words are needed, THE WORD will be there to give you the speach you require at that time. Yes it is important to be able to find things. lern how to find them faster, try different things to learn how to find them. and then some times, even after trying to find it, you might find out you are in a different section then you originally thought it was in....... most every one starts looking for the LAWS in the book of Lev. but there are some that are in Exodous and even Gen. some can be found in other places as well, and are reinforced in the New Test. so, reading the entire Bible is very important..... How many of each animal did Moses take on the ark? none, good question to see if you are paying attention.... most people say two of each kind went on the ark with Noah..... not totally true..... some will say two of all the unclean animals and sevin of the clean animals.... not totally true some will say two of all the unclean animals and sevin pair (14) of the clean animals...... and food for them all..... speaking of Moses, how old was he when he started his ministry for God? and how old was he when he finally passed away? when did Methusilia die? lots of little things that are in there.... Every time a person reads it, they will come up with new things that they have not seen before.... I see this even on this board. will see some one come on and you can tell they have been reading, for they will come up with something that might even seem a bit trivial to some of us, but to them it is a revelation from God......AND IT IS..... they are growing and that is what is important..... when I was 16, I was going to cell group meetings (back in 1975) and was learning things studying.... and then one day, while studying on my own, I was reading the Creation AGAIN..... we have all read it a good number of times...... when I came across "Let Us Make Man in Our Image......" Who was God talking to? angels? no, angels did not make man.....and I was stumped for a while.... until about a week later I showed my mom, and she told meto read John 1...... so I did.... IN THE BEGINNING, WAS THE WORD, AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD (we all know that Jesus is the WORD, even I knew that back then, so I did the "DUH" thing God was there, Jesus was there, and then in the first chapter of Gen, The Spirit of God was hovering ..... hmmmmm that means the Holy Spirit as well...... so The Trinity shows it's self from the very beginning of time..... every day the Word of God comes to life in my life.... maybe that is why it is called the LIVING WORD! MEMORIZE ALL YOU CAN.... one young lady, every year through her teen years, memorized an entire book of the Bible for Bible Quiz...... awesome young lady.....GO SHASHA GO.... she loves the Lord. dont give up, dont feel discouraged, if you are at this moment unable to memorize, (some could be due to wrong priorities) keep on reading and studying anyways, God will use it as He wants. mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Believer1997 Posted March 4, 2009 Group: Royal Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 66 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 6,363 Content Per Day: 1.13 Reputation: 119 Days Won: 9 Joined: 11/07/2008 Status: Offline Share Posted March 4, 2009 Because I struggle with comprehension sometimes... I find that the verses I've memorized have brought me great comfort during times I didn't have my Bible at hand. Sometimes when I am stressed or worried, verses will pop into my head and will bring me instant comfort. When we were little our grandmother made it a game to memorize Bible verses - it's been a way to calm my soul - many times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glorywatch Posted March 4, 2009 Group: Royal Member Followers: 2 Topic Count: 88 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 692 Content Per Day: 0.12 Reputation: 2 Days Won: 0 Joined: 06/02/2008 Status: Offline Birthday: 03/02/1946 Share Posted March 4, 2009 I have trouble memorizing Scripture too. But in Psalm 119:11 it says, "Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee." And in the same Psalm vs 105, it says that "Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." I think those two verses alone tell us how important it is to know Scripture, if for no other reason that it keeps us on the right path and that we won't sin against God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayin jade Posted March 4, 2009 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 44 Topic Count: 6,178 Topics Per Day: 0.88 Content Count: 43,795 Content Per Day: 6.21 Reputation: 11,243 Days Won: 58 Joined: 01/03/2005 Status: Offline Share Posted March 4, 2009 This isnt a one size fits all kind of question/ answer. I think memorizing scripture can be good for kids or those new in faith. I think many older believers benefit too. For me it doesnt seem to work too well. I think the same could be said for others. When I try to memorize scripture, I stumble with the recollection. It ends up distracting me from learning scripture. When I just read and study the bible on my own, without the intent to memorize, I find myself knowing it so that I can at least paraphrase and get its meaning across, and even know where it is (book and chapter) so I can find it readily. I find too that when I need it, He calls it to my mind readily. I gain more and it gets into my heart more when I dont try and memorize it. My husband benefits from memorization though. I think memorizing or not memorizing should be an individual thing, and not something everyone feels they have to do. Reading and studying the bible is crucial to all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricH Posted March 4, 2009 Group: Royal Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 366 Topics Per Day: 0.05 Content Count: 10,933 Content Per Day: 1.57 Reputation: 212 Days Won: 1 Joined: 04/21/2005 Status: Offline Share Posted March 4, 2009 It has been huge in my life. It is a fundamental aspect of my mind being renewed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerioke Posted March 4, 2009 Group: Royal Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 97 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 5,850 Content Per Day: 0.84 Reputation: 128 Days Won: 0 Joined: 03/19/2005 Status: Offline Birthday: 08/11/1911 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Ask Jack Van Impe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ddavid from NC Posted March 4, 2009 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 2 Topic Count: 196 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 1,343 Content Per Day: 0.23 Reputation: 12 Days Won: 1 Joined: 01/15/2008 Status: Offline Birthday: 12/03/1964 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 Ask Jack Van Impe Does he claim to have memorized the whole Bible or just the New Testament or is that just a rumor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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