Day Two: Committed to Memory

Before You Begin:  Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Love the Lord Your God

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and your gates.

Stop and Consider: “Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and gates.”

Questions Asked of Me: In what ways do you (or could you) keep the truth of the Scripture more readily available and accessible to you throughout the day?

I used to be soooo much more into scripture than I have been lately. Let me define “lately.” I sewed A LOT. I was sewing scripture to everything I made; bible covers, composition books, tote bags, and most especially SCRIPTURE sleeves (coffee cozies that surround a Starbucks cup and are THE best conversation starters), but I digress. I USED to sew a lot, until lately. Lately = the first inkling of Jesus “suggesting” a move to Nineveh may be on the horizon; about three months ago. I would have coffee with Him every morning as we prayed and had our devotion time before sewing and being in His word the rest of the day. I loved coming across a scripture that I just couldn’t wait to write down and make something out of.  All of the scriptures that I found for the enjoyment of others became my enjoyment with Jesus and it was more than accessible throughout the day…. Until lately.

What have been some of the greatest benefits of memorizing Scripture? How has God used His internalized Word in both dramatic and everyday fashion?

THE greatest benefit was getting to know Jesus better. Memorizing scripture was like reciting stories that I was a part of in the bible. I got so into New Testament scripture that Paul has been my bible crush for over a year. I didn’t see a need to memorize scripture before realizing that as I did; I was remembering stories or scenarios that Jesus was trying to impress upon my heart. The more I did, the more I felt a part of the story or scenario. The dramatic ways that He has internalized the word for me are in echoes; reiterations from friends and family, or just postings that people put into their Facebook statuses. (Yes, nearly all of my Facebook friends quote scripture in their statuses…often, if not daily). It could easily be touted as “everyday” but the echoes for me become dramatic when they happen because it is like a bonk on the head from Jesus and nothing is more dramatic than that for me. He reaches me everyday by allowing me to have this “Jesus is my BFF” mentality. I talk with Him and He talks back. I speak as if he is my invisible friend, but made more visible when I am in “like” company. Those are some pretty great benefits.

Detour: The scripture today…. Really?? THAT is Lynnette’s scripture. My best friend from the state Jesus just dragged me from. Yes…. literally dragged me, nearly kicking and screaming from; but I’m getting better.

She is this amazing woman with a more amazing heart for those around her. She makes me a better person just knowing her and THIS is her scripture. She is writing a devotional book and it is entirely centered around this scripture. It is based upon the Ten Commandments and how to not just teach them to our children but to live them. This scripture just came to her one day and it was the answer to a prayer that she prayed diligently for. Did I mention she is also a Prayer Warrior and the best pray-er I know? Yeah… THAT is the kind of best friend I have. “Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.” She does that for me. She is my reminder of sorts. When I am wrestling with what I know is right in the bible but not wanting to hear it because I want something different…it is Lynnette that pretty much binds them to my forehead and doesn’t wait for me to figure it out. And she does it in the most sneaky of ways. She doesn’t tell me what the Word says but figures I probably know it already and just don’t want to hear it. (Insert fingers in ears and chant… “I can’t hear you” la la la). Instead she asks me questions. Questions she knows I don’t want to answer but need to hear in order to impress them on ME…not just children but those that are straying or taking a “time out” from Jesus. “Talk about them when you sit at home and you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Not a conversation goes by between us without talking about Jesus or His words.

THAT is the greatest benefit I have with this friend that Jesus hand-picked for me.

Beth talks about Saul when he was thirteen “He assumed all the religious responsibilities of the adult Jew. He started wearing phylacteries, called tefillin, during weekday morning prayers. Phylacteries were made up of two black leather cubes with long leather straps. Each cube held certain passages from the Torah written on strips of parchment. Saul wore one of the cubes on his left arm facing his heart. The other cube was placed in the center of his forehead. The leather straps on the left arm were wound precisely seven times around his arm. The Code of Jewish Law prescribed that a Jewish man thirteen years or older was to put on the tefillin at the first moment in the morning when enough daylight was present to recognize a neighbor in the distance of four cubits. These practices seem very strange to us perhaps, but we should appreciate their attempt to interpret Scripture as literally as they knew how. The law of the Lord was his life.”

Praying God’s Word Today: Your Word, Lord, is more desirable to me than gold – than an abundance of pure gold; and sweeter than honey – than honey dripping from the comb (Ps. 19:10). May I always stay hungry for it, while being faithful also to share its riches with others, with my children. For You have said, “Teach a youth about the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). Keep my family and me continually in Your Word, and keep Your Word continually in us.

Psalm 19:10

They are more precious than gold,

than much pure gold;

They are sweeter than honey,

than honey from the honeycomb.

Proverbs 22:6

Train a child in the way he should go,

and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Dear Jesus:

You and I both know that I haven’t been in the Word much “lately” but I promise you here and now, that is gonna change…. I may even sew a little bit today. I was so excited when people found out I was a Christian for a year and would hear them say “Wow, so glad to see that you are still hungry for His word.” The last five months have been less hungry and more hiding and I’m sorry for that. Your Word IS desirable to me. I believe in it so much that I know exactly what you are going to say before you say it and that is why I ran from you by not opening my bible; making one excuse after another to avoid hearing what I knew was right in my heart. I am grateful for the letters written by Paul and I am excited to be a part of the stories outlined before and after them.

I am sorry for departing from that which my parents tried to teach me, growing up. And even though I didn’t teach my girls the way of your Word when they were growing up, I do what I can to “name drop” people from the bible whenever possible now and know that they hear you loud and clear as they read my blog entries.

(Woohoo for modern technology. Hi Alyssa, Anja, and Baby. Mommy loves you.)

Jesus, thank you for giving me the opportunity to always come back to your Word and making me feel like I never left. I look forward to our afternoon of sewing and laying by the pool, reading more of you, today.

Love,

Me