How to Memorize a Portion of Scripture

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Memorizing is not a lost art if you try it. You will find that if you apply yourself, it is moderately easy. And despite what modern educators say, it is of far greater value than most of the recently invented educational disciplines.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

The Bible
Tape recorder
Pen and paper

Memorize a Portion of Scripture

Step1

First, you must decide what you want to memorize. Choose something that interests you. If you like poetry, perhaps Psalm23 or Isaiah 40 would be a good choice. Or if you prefer narrative, you might choose the account of one of Jesus’ miracles. Of course, if you are a pastor, you undoubtedly want to memorize whatever your sermon text happens to be.

Step2

Second, make sure you understand what you are about to memorize. Use your analytic powers, and any scholarly works you happen to have at your disposal, such as, Bible dictionaries and commentaries. An unabridged English dictionary will be helpful on occasion. If necessary, go to the library. If you fail to achieve a proper understanding, it will be hard to memorize and quickly forgotten.

Step3

Third, read the chosen section several times to familiarize yourself with the unit as a whole. As you do so, fix n your mind the sequence of the thoughts expressed.

Step4

Fourth, make a concentrated effort to commit to memory the individual parts, starting with the very first sentence and proceeding with subsequent sentences, till you have completed the first paragraph. Follow the same procedure with subsequent paragraphs until you have completed the chosen portion of Scripture. In carrying out this step, make use of all your faculties. Study the words with your eyes; say them with your mouth; write them with your hand; use a tape recorder if you have one so that you can hear them with your ears. You will quickly learn which of these methods are most helpful to you.

Step5

Fifth, look at the work once more as a whole. Either write out the entire portion of Scripture from memory or say it out loud. This will show whether there are any parts that need more study.

Step6

To ensure permanent memory, review the chosen portion of Scripture on several subsequent days.

Tips & Warnings

Alternate between looking at the section as a whole and working on individual parts. Both methods complement one another.
Do not memorize without thinking about the meaning.