Scripture Memory as Worship

Today we will finish the week with the most important truth about why Scripture memory is good in the life of a believer: it is an act of worship.

Scripture Memory as Worship

This week's devotions are written by my friend Jessica Hermann, former director of our college ministry at Great Hills Baptist Church.

- Pastor Danny

This week we have been discussing the benefits of Scripture memory and recitation in the lives of believers. We have already talked about these truths:

Speaking God's Word that you have memorized aloud helps you to better understand the text.
Memorizing Scripture is a powerful tool in the fight against sin and for righteousness.
Scripture that you have memorized can encourage you in the moments when you need it most.
Memorizing Scripture enables you to effectively share God's Word with other people.

Today we will round out the week with the simplest and most important truth about why Scripture memory and recitation is good in the life of a believer: it is an act of worship.

The people of God have been speaking the Word of God out loud to each other for centuries. This was a big part of Jewish tradition where reciting words like "The Shema" from Deuteronomy 6 was a daily occurrence. Memorizing and reciting God's Word out loud wasn't a special occurrence or something done by particular people who had a "gift" for it. It was done by everyone in the family of God.

Let's look at that passage, Deuteronomy 6:4-7:

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

Verses 4 and 5 hold a powerful declaration of who God is. Repeating these truths and declaring them out loud to your own heart and to others in an act of worship. It goes on to instruct the people to speak these words regularly, in all circumstances of the day. This is intended to be a regular practice, not a special event!

So how can Scripture memory and recitation be worship? When we memorize and recite God's Word:

we meditate upon its truth,
we declare the value of the Word of God,
we honor the Word of God by lifting it up and showing its unsurpassable worth in our lives,
and we are acknowledging our need for it.

All of these are ways in which we worship the Lord by treasuring His Word so much that we commit it to memory. May the Lord be blessed as we know His Word better and better each day.

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Podcast of the Week

Life Principles: #30: Anticipating the Lord's Return

Pastor Danny continues his series exploring Dr. Charles Stanley's Life Principles. Today he dives into the final principle: #30: Anticipating the Lord's Return.

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