|
"Blessed rather are those who hear the word
of God and obey it" (Lk. 11:28).
Memorizing Scripture
Why memorize? It helps us:
- Be victorious over Satan’s attacks. When
tempted, Jesus immediately applied God’s Word
as the primary weapon against the Devil (Mt. 4:7,
10; see also, Eph. 6:17).
- Authoritatively rebuke those who falsely use God’s
Word (e.g., cults). Note that Satan misapplied Scripture
to try and deceive Jesus (Mt. 4:5).
- Recognize the difference between right and wrong
and avoid sin (Ps. 119:9-11; 105; Rom. 7:7; 2 Tim.
3:16).
- "Set [our] minds on things above, not on
earthly things" (Col. 3:2).
- Be effective witnesses to unbelievers (Eph. 1:13;
Col. 1:5; 2 Cor. 10:5; Jm. 1:18)
To Consider: God’s Word is not merely human, but
divine and therefore has the power to change our life
(1 Thess. 2:13; Mt. 4:4; Rev. 1:3)!
The goal of memorization:
-- Passing a Bible exam? Not!!
-- Having answers in Sunday School? Not!!
-- Meditation!
Meditating on Scripture
Meditation — the prayerful, persistent focus
upon a Bible passage so as to discover its meaning
and implications for life.
Consider the following:
| MEDITATION
IS NOT . . . |
MEDITATION
IS . . . |
| Emptying
your mind of all thought |
Filling
your mind with God’s thoughts |
| Visualizing
your own reality |
Focusing
upon God’s reality found in Scripture |
| Fantasizing
about your hopes & dreams |
Resting
in the God’s faithful promises from His Word |
| Involving
only one person: You |
Involving
two persons: You and God |
| Passively
waiting on any thought or feeling to be revealed
to you |
Actively
pursuing God’s thoughts and feelings already
revealed to you in Scripture |
Why meditate? It helps us:
-- Gain insight and wisdom (Ps. 119:99)
-- Have an objective standard for truth (Jn. 17:17;
2 Tim. 2:15)
-- Recall God’s mighty work in our lives (Ps.
143:5)
-- Use our minds for pleasing God (Phil. 4:8)
The goal of meditation: Renewing our minds with thoughts
that please God
To Consider: We cannot live out what we do not know
or understand. Therefore, it is essential that God’s
Word be known and understood, so we may successfully
live lives that please Him (Jos. 1:8; Ps. 86:11).
Meditating upon and taking delight in God’s
Word ("law") helps us hang out with the
right crowd (see Ps. 1). Plus, meditation helps us endure the shame of slander
(Ps. 119:23, 78).
Modeling the Life of Jesus
Read Jn. 15:13; Rom. 15:5; 1 Cor. 11:1; Eph. 5:1.
Our command to obey: "Follow me." Jesus
urged His first disciples with these words: "Follow
me" (Mt. 4:19; 9:9). Following Jesus involves:
-- Loving Him more than anyone or anything (Lk.
14:26, 33; Mt. 19:21)
-- Putting to death daily a self-focused way of
life (Mt. 16:24; Lk. 9:23; 22:42)
-- Never being ashamed to live for Jesus, no matter
what (Lk. 9:26)
-- Our life to live: Prayer, Obedience, and Grace
Jesus’ prayer life
-- He prayed regularly (Mk. 1:35; Lk. 5:16)
-- He prayed extensively when making important decisions
(Lk. 6:12-13)
-- He prayed earnestly (Mk. 14:35-36; Heb. 5:7)
-- He prayed alone and with others (Mk. 1:35; Lk.
9:18, 28)
Jesus’ obedient life
-- He learned obedience through suffering (Heb. 5:8)
-- He practiced obedience to His parents (Lk. 2:51)
-- He practiced obedience to God, no matter how difficult
(Lk. 22:42; Jn. 12:27-28; 15:10; Phil. 2:8)
Jesus’ gracious life
-- Jesus graciously gave His life as a model for serving
others (Mk. 10:43-45; Lk. 22:24-27)
-- Jesus graciously accepted each of us (Rom. 15:7)
-- Jesus graciously loved us (Eph. 5:2)
-- Jesus graciously nourishes us to grow (Eph. 5:29)
Now that you know these things . . .
How well does your life conform to Jesus’ life?
What do you plan to do to change?
|
