The Value of Memorizing BOOKS

I know it sounds crazy. In fact, I would have called the idea crazy if you had suggested it to me a year ago. But there is a lot of value in memorizing whole books of the Bible. That's right. I'm not talking about memorizing a single verse or passage (series of verses)...I'm talking about entire books of the Bible, especially New Testament books.

I was listening to a sermon the other day on "How to Study the Bible" and one of the points that was made is that we ought to read the Bible without the manmade insertions. Chapter breaks and versification (sp?), for example, are manmade...as in, the original books weren't divided up into chapters and verses. But this is a hard thing to do because all of our Bibles have chapter and verse divisions. Some are even divided up into paragraphs with headings. There's nothing sinful about chapter breaks, don't get me wrong, but sometimes the way we view a book of the Bible is determined or affected based on the chapter and verse divisions. We view the chapter break as a break in the inspired writer's thought...a transition from one subject to another, and while this is sometimes true, it often isn't.

When we memorize a book of the Bible, we develop a wonderfully PURE view of the book as a whole. As we memorize verse after verse and chapter after chapter, the verse and chapter breaks vanish and we are more able to see the natural flow of the biblical text.

I recently finished memorizing the book of Colossians. It was a challenging and yet amazing experience. As I worked through each chapter I came to see the whole book in a whole new light. The verses made more sense and for the first time I could really see the progression of the book. I think I have learned more about Colossians by memorizing it than I ever could have studying it verse by verse, or by reading commentaries.

Now I'm working on Hebrews. A more challenging book to memorize, obviously, but one of my favorite books of the Bible. I'm excited about it.

Work on a few verses a day, or maybe just one verse (if it's a longer verse). Every morning (or evening, depending on when you have the time), review ALL that you have memorized. And never give up. It's hard. It takes time. But it's definitely possible, and so rewarding.

Like me, start out with a shorter book such as Philippians or Titus. Maybe James. This will help to boost your confidence. Before long, you'll be rattling off whole sections of scripture.

This isn't about bragging rights or showing off. It's about spiritual growth.

And this will lead to spiritual growth. I promise.