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Bible
Memorization Tips
By Dean May
When memorizing a passage of
Scripture, I believe you should strive to memorize a verse
every day or maybe one every two days. It is a very doable
goal. Otherwise, if too much time is spent on one verse the
reward of having a passage down is delayed for too long and I,
personally, would get too discouraged.
I don't usually include the verse numbers as I try to memorize
a chapter at a time.
If I should need to find a
verse, I know what chapter it is in and can find the verse
quickly. Personally, I feel the effort made to memorize
specific verse numbers is wasted and distracts from the flow
of the text. When reciting long passages, I love to do it
dramatically and convey a sense of what I believe is the
author's heart. I frequently have the opportunity to do it
before a church and I would encourage the you to do it as
well. It gives you a goal and forces you work hard on the
project.
Tips for Memorizing a Verse
a Day:
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Get
the passage you are memorizing on a 3 X 5 card so that you
can carry it with you. I use my computer, import the text
from my Bible program into Word, set the document size to
3" wide by 5" tall, .1" margins (or the
minimum your printer will allow), Arial or Arial Narrow
font at 6 or 8 points, whatever you can comfortably read.
-
Start
in the morning first thing. You put deodorant on every
morning, don't you? Make it as important as deodorant to
work on your verse.
-
Start
at the end of the passage and work backwards to the
beginning. The reason for this will become clear. This
way, when reciting the passage from memory, what is most
recently being worked on is at the top of the passage and
gets the most amount of repetitions- frequently you won't
have time to recite through to the end of the passage,
especially as the number of verses memorized begins to
grow.
-
Read,
out loud, the paragraph before the verse you are working
on every morning (and later in the day if possible). This
way when you start memorizing a verse you're already
fairly familiar with it, having read through it several
times over the course of a few days.
-
After
reading the paragraph before, work on your new verse.
Repeat it out loud several times until you can quote it
from short term memory. Then continue on reciting the
verses from the rest of the passage that have already been
memorized.
-
Apply
the Deut. 6 principle: "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 on your gates.” Try to
recite your new verse whenever you have a few seconds: in
the shower, at a stop light, at your coffee break, lunch
hour, waiting in the checkout line, waiting for someone to
answer a phone. And if time permits, continue reciting the
rest of the verses in the passage that you have previously
memorized.
-
The
last thing on your mind as you are going to sleep is
reciting your new verse and the rest of the passage (if
you don't fall asleep first!). It has happened numerous
times that I struggle all day with a difficult verse. But
if I make it the last thing on my mind at night, somehow,
the next morning, it would be there. Occasionally it
wouldn't be and then I just spend two days on that verse
until I get it. Don't be afraid to spend as many days as
necessary; just work on it diligently and consistently,
remembering to occasionally read out loud the previous
verses and to recite the following verses from memory.
-
Slow
and steady wins the race. Consistency, repetition and
review. There are no substitutes.
-
Don’t
Give Up
It takes time and dedication and there are no shortcuts
that I know of. But there is nothing that is more
worthwhile that I can spend my time on. The irony is that
the time spent on it is time that would be normally
wasted. It really doesn't take "extra" time.
Make it a long term goal. Memorize a book this year; two
books next year; the New Testament in 20 years; the Psalms
by age 60; the Bible by age 80. What else are you going to
do that’s more important?
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Here
are some links that will help you in that endeavor.
Memlok
Bible Memory System
The Bible
InVerse Memorization Program
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