If your law had not been my delight, I would have
perished in my affliction.
Psalm 119:92
My
fourth advice to a younger me would be: When trouble comes, cling to God’s
Word. Now in order to cling to God’s Word, you must first know it. And in order
to know God’s word, you must study it, meditate upon it and memorize it.
The
first two have been your delight and will continue to be. Even when you are old
and gray (though you will do a good job of concealing the later) you will love
to study God’s word and meditate upon it. Your Bible will be marked and worn.
Your first one will fall apart. Discussing the Word of God with others or
teaching it will bring you great joy. This is of no credit to you. God, of
course, is the One who has made His Word your delight.
However,
let’s talk about memorizing scripture. You will begin well. You will take several
courses that require memorization, and you will learn many important scriptures
that will solidify the foundational truths of our Christian faith and benefit
you in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. These scriptures that you learn when
you are young will stay with you. So my advice to you is, please don’t stop!
Don’t waste your brain while you are young! Sure, you can memorize scripture
when you are older, but it is much more difficult. So make it a priority while
you’re young.
Memorizing
scripture will benefit you. It will equip you to resist temptation and defeat
the enemy (Matthew 4:1-11, Ephesians 6:17). When trouble comes, memorized
scriptures will be your comfort, hope, strength and encouragement. Memorized promises of God will strengthen you
to walk in godliness (2 Peter 1:4). Fill
the storeroom of your mind with the powerful Word of God, so that when hard
times come, you have the provision you need. A well-worn Bible in your hand is
wonderful, but scripture stored in your mind and ready to be used is even
better.
Oh God, teach me your word
and help me store it in my mind so that I can walk in this world in
Christlikeness.
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