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Psalm 119:9-16 say:

How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

Memorizing Scripture is, perhaps, a neglected aspect of discipleship. Psalm 119:11 reminds us, however, that growth in our relationship with Jesus is helped when we “hide your word in my heart.”

When we memorize Scripture, we equip ourselves for spiritual warfare, just as Jesus was able to resist Satan’s temptations in the wilderness by quoting verses from Deuteronomy. When we memorize Scripture, we think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lively, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy, as Philippians 4:8 tells us. When we memorize Scripture, we allow the Holy Spirit to teach us his truth about Jesus, as Jesus says in John 16:13-14.

In fact, we have the Gospel stories of Jesus because the first disciples remembered what he said and did. And if you look at the footnotes in your Bible, you’ll see how often New Testament writers quote the Old Testament – most likely from memory.

Today, we have easy access to Bibles: on the internet, on our cellphones, on our shelves, beside our beds, in church pews. But it is still important to memorize Scripture.

Here are some practical ways to help us. First, pick a translation that you use often. Most likely, you already have some familiarity with the Scripture you will memorize. Second, read the passage slowly several times. Notice each word, each phrase, when words are repeated, how the passage flows. Just doing just these things will help you become a better reader of the Bible.

Third, memorize a phrase at a time. Make sure you know it perfectly before moving to the next phrase. Then, make sure you know the next phrase perfectly. After that, go back to the first phrase and combine it with the second phrase. Make sure these are correct before you move to the third phrase. And so on…

Fourth, try to speak the phrases out loud, or if not out loud, move your mouth to say each word silently. Connecting the physical movement of your lips and, if possible, the audible sound of the words, helps with memorization.

Fifth, if it’s difficult to speak the phrases out loud, write them on paper. Writing helps memorization. If that’s difficult, try typing them on a computer or cellphone.

Sixth, if you can, join with two or three other people. It’s amazing how memorization with friends motivates us.

Finally, repeat, repeat, repeat. No matter where you are, repeat the verses as often as you can. Repetition embeds Scripture in our hearts and minds. As Psalm 119:13 says, “With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.”

One final point: many of us memorize single verses. There’s great value in doing this, but I promise you will have a richer understanding of the Bible if you memorize passages, not just single verses. You will understand the context of each verse and therefore better apply the verse in your life.

Above all, rejoice in the gift that is the Bible. This is God’s Word. Let us treasure it as “one rejoices in great riches.”

 

诗篇119:9-16 说：

少年人用什么洁净他的行为呢？是要遵行你的话。 我一心寻求了你，求你不要叫我偏离你的命令。我将你的话藏在心里，免得我得罪你。耶和华啊，你是应当称颂的，求你将你的律例教训我。我用嘴唇传扬你口中的一切典章。我喜悦你的法度， 如同喜悦一切的财物。我要默想你的训词，看重你的道路。我要在你的律例中自乐， 我不忘记你的话。

背诵经文也许是门徒训练中一个被忽视的方面。然而，诗篇 119 的经文提醒我们，正如第 11 节所说当我们“将你的话藏在我心里”时，我们与耶稣的关系发展肯定会有所帮助。

当我们背诵圣经时，我们就是在为属灵争战装备自己，就像耶稣在旷野中引用申命记的经文来抵挡撒但的试探一样。当我们背诵经文时，我们的心思意念充满了真理：我们思考任何真实、高贵、正确、纯洁、活泼、令人钦佩、优秀和值得称赞的事物，正如腓立比书 4:8 告诉我们的那样。当我们背诵经文时，我们让圣灵教导我们关于耶稣的真理，正如耶稣在约翰福音 16:13-14 中告诉我们的那样。

事实上，我们有耶稣的福音故事是因为第一批门徒记得他所说和所做的事情，而且如果您查看圣经中的脚注，您很快就会发现新约作者经常引用旧约圣经中的名言——很可能就是记忆中的一段话。

第一批基督徒擅长记忆——他们必须如此，因为并不是每个人都有圣经。今天，虽然我们可以很容易地访问圣经：在互联网上，在我们的手机上，在我们的书架上，在我们的床边，在教堂的长椅上，但背诵经文仍然很重要。

这里有一些实用方法可以帮助我们。首先，选择一个你经常使用的译本，很可能你已经对要背诵的经文有所了解。其次，慢慢地读几遍文章，注意每个单词、每个短语，注意单词何时重复，注意段落是如何承上启下的。当今的圣经翻译者技术娴熟，因此经文可能带有一种节奏感。即使只做这些事情，我们也会帮助你成为更好的圣经读者。

第三，一次记住一个短语。在进入下一个短语之前，请确保您完全了解了这短语，然后再确保您完全了解下一个短语。之后，回到第一个短语并将其与第二个短语组合，在你进入到第三个短语之前，确保这些都是正确的，以此类推…

第四，尝试大声说出这些短语，如果没有大声说出来，则动动你的嘴巴默默地说出每个单词。如果可能的话将嘴唇的物理运动与单词的声音联系起来将有助于记忆。

第五，如果这些短语很难大声说出来，就把它们写在纸上。写作有助于记忆。如果这也有困难，请尝试在电脑或手机上输入它们。

第六，如果可以的话，和另外两三个人一起。与朋友一起记忆会激励我们，真是太神奇了！

最后，重复，重复，重复。当你煮咖啡时，当你在杂货店排队时，当你等红灯时，当你外出散步时，当你晚上休息时——尽可能多地重复。重复将圣经嵌入我们的心灵和思想中。正如诗篇 119:13 所说：“我用嘴唇传扬你口中的一切典章。”

哦，最后一点，我们中的许多人背诵单节经文，这样做很有价值。我保证，如果你能记住段落而不仅仅是单节经文，你会对圣经有更丰富的理解，您会更好地理解每节经文的上下文，从而在生活中正确应用这些经文。

最重要的是，要为圣经这份礼物而欢喜。这是神的话，让我们把它当作“喜乐于大财”一样地去珍惜。

Grace and peace

Pastor Callum