Quiet Time: What Verses to Memorize

What Verses to Memorize; 
Part I 

One of our small group bible study members asked me what bible verses she should memorize first. I thought that was a great question and went to work the next day on developing a list of important memory verses. During this process I thought it would be a good idea to include lists of verses that other, more experienced Christ followers, found to be helpful.

Here's a list of verses from the Navigators ministry: If you want to memorize Scripture, but aren't sure what to memorize or how, this system is exactly what you need to begin hiding God's word in your heart.

LIVE THE NEW LIFE

• Christ the Center 2 Corinthians 5:17 Galatians 2:20 
• Obedience to Christ Romans 12:1 John 14:21 
• The Word 2 Timothy 3:16 Joshua 1:8 
• Prayer John 15:7 Philippians 4:6,7 
• Fellowship Matthew 18:20 Hebrews 10:24,25 
• Witnessing Matthew 4:19 Romans 1:16 

PROCLAIM CHRIST

• All Have Sinned Romans 3:23 Isaiah 53:6 
•  Sin's Penalty Romans 6:23 Hebrews 9:27 
• Christ Paid the Penalty Romans 5:8 1 Peter 3:18 
• Salvation is not by Works Ephesians 2:8,9 Titus 3:5 
• Must Receive Christ John 1:12 Revelation 3:20 
• Assurance of Salvation 1 John 5:13 John 5:24 

RELY ON GOD'S RESOURCES

• His Spirit 1 Corinthians 3:16 1 Corinthians 2:12 
• His Strength Isaiah 41:10 Philippians 4:13 
• His Faithfulness Lamentations 3:22,23 Numbers 23:19 
• His Peace Isaiah 26:3 1 Peter 5:7 
• His Provision Romans 8:32 Philippians 4:19 
• His Help in Temptation Hebrews 2:18 Psalms 119:9,11 

BE CHRIST'S DISCIPLE

• Put Christ First Matthew 6:33 Luke 9:23 
• Separate From the World 1 John 2:15,16 Romans 12:2 
• Be Steadfast 1 Corinthians 15:58 Hebrews 12:3 
• Serve Others Mark 10:45 2 Corinthians 4:5 
• Give Generously Proverbs 3:9,10 2 Corinthians 9:6,7 
• Develop World Vision Acts 1:8 Matthew 28:19,20 

GROW IN CHRIST-LIKENESS

•  Love John 13:34,35 1 John 3:18 
• Humility Philippians 2:3,4 1 Peter 5:5,6 
• Purity Ephesians 5:3 1 Peter 2:11 
• Honesty Leviticus 19:11 Acts 24:16 
• Faith Hebrews 11:6 Romans 4:20,21 
• Good Works Galatians 6:9,10 Matthew 5:16 

Well this should be enough to keep us all busy for quite a while, don't you think?

Quiet Time: The Word

The Word

Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. – Psalm 119:89

God's word is settled in God's kingdom and nothing on earth will ever affect it.

Back when Matthew, my son, was in grade school, his teacher stopped to talk to my wife in the car line and told her about a funny conversation she'd had with him that day. She asked him when he liked to read. Matthew said he read every morning with his mom before coming to school. The teacher asked, "And what is it that you like to read so early in the morning?' to which Matt replied, "The Word." "The 'word' she asked; what word?" to which Matthew replied again, "The Word." Finally, it dawned on his teacher what he meant and she asked, "Do you mean the Bible?" Matthew nodded and gave her look that said, "Doesn't everybody?"

Good and bad habits are developed the same way; through repetition. Spending time in the bible each day is a good habit and one that brings eternal blessing into our lives.

Check out these scriptures. We may even see a couple here to memorize:


Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
God's word is eternal and what He promises He will do.

Psalm 119:160 All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.
God's word is all together good and will never change.

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever."
God's word is as unchanging as the One who spoke it and nothing in this world compares.

The bible will never change, but it will always change us when we bend our will to the word.


By the way, my son is in college now, and his morning habits are different, but I was encouraged to find sitting on the night stand next to his bed two books stacked within reach. A copy of Matthew Henry's Commentary and "The Word", the Holy Bible.

Quiet Time: Imitator

Imitator

Don't be a poser

You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 

- 1 Thessalonians 1:6

John Patitucci is a world renowned bass guitarist. His left hand flies across the fret board while his right is a blur, fluttering like a moth to the light. Many aspiring bassist spend hours attempting to replicate his riffs and arpeggios to no avail. Additionally, a little known fact about John is his Presbyterian elder-ship.  That’s right, this virtuoso, admired and respected by artist the world over, is a strong and vibrant believer who shares his faith without fear in places that you and I could never go

Imitator /mimētḗs (emulator) is always used positively in the NT (seven times) – of followers of Christ emulating a God-approved example. 

Imitation is the highest form of flattery, or so the saying goes, that said, I have a few questions that I intend to ponder:

1.       Who is your hero?

2.       Are you willing to be an example? (1 Cor. 11:1)

3.       Are you joy-filled? (Phil. 4:4)

4.       Are you conforming or transforming? (Romans 12:1-2)

I

Quiet Time: One Thing

One Thing

One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple – Psalm 27:4

My grandmother lived in what the old timers of Ybor City call a “Cigar Row” or “Shotgun” house. It was over a century old, and I know now that, even by early 1900 standards, the house was considered small and unexceptional. But, that house was treasured by everyone in our family; not for the grand design but for the grandmother living inside. 

May-be that’s what the psalmist meant when he said that he wanted to stay in God’s house as long as he lived. I’m sure his desire wasn’t based on the architecture of the house, because as a pastor friend pointed out, the “house” that King David built for the Ark of the Covenant was actually a tent (1 Chronicles 16:1). So, it must have been the Designer, God, and not the design that caused him to treasure the place so much.

However, what I really like about this passage of scripture is how David boils everything down to “one thing”.  Even with all the trouble that surrounded him (Psalm 27:3) David had an undivided desire to seek God’s face through focused meditation on the character and person of God.

Perhaps that’s the trouble with many of us. We’re so distracted by everything around us that we come to a building on Sunday morning, instead of the Builder. We tragically focus on everything but the “one thing” and we miss the beauty of our God.

• Take a minute to read the story of Jesus at the home of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-41).

• Circle the words “distracted, worried, bothered, things” and “one thing”.

• What got in the way of a word from Jesus?