One of our aims at The Summit Church is for our people to love and know God’s Word. Pastor J.D. has expressed his desire to see the people of The Summit Church—kids, families, college students, retirees, stay-at-home moms, businessmen—so saturated with Scripture that they can’t help but talk about it, share it, and apply it. When Satan attacked Jesus, Jesus quoted Scripture. Said another way: When life cut Jesus, he bled God’s Word. We want our people to bleed God’s Word, too.
But reading the Bible doesn’t come naturally to us, does it? Our schedules get in the way. Netflix is more appealing at the end of the day. We find rest and strength elsewhere. Can we be honest for a minute? Most times, we don’t read our Bible because we don’t want to read our Bible. John Piper explains this tension well here in this short video.
Just as Piper explains, we need to change our view of Scripture from the dusty old portrait to the window to another world—the real world. We must believe that God’s Word is the primary place we meet with him. His Word is what sustains us when life comes at us from all sides.
For these reasons, our Summit Institute team has provided a list of recommended resources to help with Bible intake and Scripture memory. Getting to the place in our journeys with Christ where God’s Word flows from our lips won’t happen by accident. We must work to get God’s Word deep in our souls so that it saturates our minds.
Resources On Method
Don Whitney says that memorizing is hard, but the secret is repetition over time. He cites Andy Davis’ method in this helpful video.
Here, Andy Davis actually speaks about his method with Nancy Guthrie at The Gospel Coalition.
John Piper agrees with Davis and Whitney. He explains that repetition and review are the key to taking in God’s Word.
Is it Necessary?
Piper says that the Word is responsible for our salvation and our sanctification. The Word is needed for our transformation and we must take it in our heart and soul.
In another resource, Piper says the Word is necessary to strengthen ourselves in Christ. “Love for the Word of God has always been a mark of the mature.”
Piper goes into more detail in this resource where he gives 6 reasons why we should be memorizing God’s Word.
Scripture memory is more than just memorizing 1 verse here and 1 verse there. It’s for the good of our souls that we memorize large parts of God’s Word. Jon Bloom gives 10 Reasons Why and some helpful tips in this Desiring God resource.
Scripture memory, as we mentioned above, is how Jesus battled against temptation brought on by Satan. Piper explains why Scripture is our main weapon against the devil.
Resources on Helpful Tips
Andy Naselli gives some reasons why we don’t memorize Scripture and then some helpful tips on how to get started.
Here is another interview that Piper cites some helpful tips for memorization. He brings up repetition again and gives a recommendation for a resource written by Dr. Andy Davis.
Longer Resources
For a helpful and encouraging read on the discipline of reading Scripture, order a copy of Donald Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Whitney covers several disciplines of the faith, not just Bible reading.
PDF of “Whatever It Takes to Get You & Your Children to Memorize Scripture”