Memorize your bible

Anyone who knows me well enough knows I love to take on new things.
Whether it's playing different instruments, reading challenges, cooking new meals, waking early to pray or finding new ways to keep house organized... I am always on the hunt for a 'new' thing for me to do.

I realize this is because I get bored rather quickly... And do not like to do the exact same thing all the time. I also enjoy challenges and competing.  I like striving for a goal and completing that goal! What a fulfilling feeling. There is a saying 'If you aim for nothing you will hit it every time'.

So new business...

Sometimes...ok I can be honest here
...most times when I read my bible I don't remember what I read!!! Old age maybe?
Also sometimes when I read my bible it gets a little...dull.  Not that the bible is dull... I am!
Sometimes when I want to find something in the bible I have to...google it because I don't remember exactly where is is?Can I get a witness?? I know I am not alone here in these confessions... But I have begun a practice that has brought excitement back to my reading of the word of God.

Last year a friend and I began memorizing what happens in each chapter of a book. We started with John.  You just pick one or two things that really stick out to you in the chapter.  I wrote them down and went over them daily. My friend and I test each other once we complete a book and to keep us accountable.

This has been a lot of fun for me and I have worked myself through a lot of the new testament this way. It is also exciting when a sermon is being preached and the pastor says 'You know when Jesus wept' and in your mind you know immediately John 11. Or if the Pastor says turn to James 3, you can think 'he is probably preaching on taming the tongue'. This has also been an effective way for me to connect parts of the bible together.  The bible is an amazing book and memorizing what happens in each chapter is almost like virtually having a bible in your brain. Google is no longer necessary and witnessing becomes more effective because you actually remember where everything is.  You daily go over the books you have memorized, so many books are fresh in your mind daily. Not just the book you are reading.  The more you memorize the easier it gets and the less you have to review the older stuff. Certain books now are so engrained in my mind I hardly have to over view them. I encourage you to give it a try!

My goal is to be done the new testament by May!  Then I plan to spend the summer digging into memorizing it even deeper. And try out my favorite old testament books come fall!  The bible says to hide the word of God in our hearts and meditate on it day and night.  Did you know pharisees memorize the first 5 books of the Torah?  There is a Pastor I know that has memorized the whole bible through this method. I hope to one day be able to know the whole bible chapter by chapter, but to get there I have ti start small.  I would never thought I could memorize has much as I have... You would be surprise the capacity of things your brain and be taught and retain!! They say we only use a very small percentage of our brains... Let's up that percentage with the word of God!!

Let me know if you decide to take on the challenge!!