“Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wonderous things out of Thy Law.”
Psalm 119:18
Memorize Scripture to Avoid Sin
“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
Psalm 119:11
How can memorizing Scripture help you avoid sin? Well, one reason is because, if you are hiding God’s Word in your heart, with pure motives, then you are striving to seek Him. God’s laws will become a part of you, to the point that, God will work in you to love the things that He loves and to hate things that He hates. Does that mean that we will be without sin? Unfortunately, no. We are still sinful. Don’t be discouraged, because God’s Word is full of wisdom! Proverbs, for example, has many illustrations of wisdom and foolishness. God’s Words of wisdom are there for you to use to avoid sin. Take heed!
“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”
Psalm 119:9
To Apply to Daily Life
The Bible is very relevant to everyday situations. From relationships to finances and many other subjects God’s ways can be explored throughout Scripture. How amazing would it be to have a wealth of knowledge, from the Bible, at your fingertips? When you are in a current situation God can bring certain passages to your mind to give you guidance in that moment.
God may also use your Scripture knowledge to encourage a fellow believer. This verse is describing a beautiful picture and compares it to a word spoken at just the right time and in the right way.
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”
Proverbs 25:11
To Always have access to God’s Word
Now a days, with technology, we often don’t think a thing about having knowledge at our fingertips. You don’t know the answer to a question? Look it up on your phone! However, if you don’t have access to technology… what do you have left?
Whether you need to give a verse of encouragement to a person in passing, or you’re trying to share the Gospel with an unbeliever while you’re stranded on an Island by yourself…you need to “…be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you…” (1 Peter 3:15).
In addition, there is also a serious reality that Christians around the world are persecuted for their faith. Many believers don’t have access to a Bible. How precious are the very Words of God to those that don’t have a Bible! None of us are guaranteed to have freedom all of our lives. So, why not make a point to Hide Scripture in our hearts for this reason?
God’s Word is Powerful
How can we, as finite humans, access the power of God? The Bible is direct communication from Him to us. In His Word He displays His love, His plan, and His corrections for us. When we align our thinking with His, God instills in us His desires, and He promises to give us the desires of our hearts. (Psalm 37:4)
When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11 & Luke 4:1-14), it was Scripture that He used to defeat Satan. The very words that He spoke was Scripture (John 1:1,14), yet He still said, “It is written…” three times. Jesus quoted Scripture as an example for us to follow.
Conclusion
Alright, so there were four good reasons to memorize passages of Scripture. There are benefits beyond our understanding! However, for some of us, or most of us, it is difficult to memorize scripture. Here is an article that has some tips for memorizing passages.
In conclusion, here is one more thing that needs to be addressed. God thinks no less of you if you do not memorize Scripture. Is there benefits to memorizing Scripture? Certainly! Should we make excuses or justify ourselves in not memorizing? Absolutely not! But a Christian who has the whole Bible memorized is not more righteous than one that only has John 11:35 memorized. In fact there is a danger to those who have a great knowledge of even the Bible…Pride. Pride is a formidable foe who disguises itself in the most subtitle way. Be on guard and meditate on Scripture. It is more important to learn the truths conveyed in Scripture than to simply regurgitate the words in the right order.
Well, I will leave you with this verse…
“Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.
Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.“
Psalm 119:37-38
