We memorize fighter verses at church. They’re just sets of verses that take us through the year. For more info on them check out my “I recommend” page. Also this week’s fighter verse (and every week’s) can be found and meditated on at fighterverses.com. Here’s this week’s:
I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! Psalm 34:1-3
I encourage everyone to memorize the fighter verses. Or memorize Scripture according to whatever plan you have set up for yourself. It’s beneficial.
That said, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? So, even something like memorizing the Bible can be done with the wrong motives. Here’s some examples of good and not-so-good reasons to memorize fighter verses:
no-so-good: I learned the fighter verse because I wanted to be called on Sunday morning to recite it and show everyone how holy I am.
good: I learned the fighter verse because I wanted to be called on Sunday morning to recite it and encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ with the Word of God on my lips.
not-so-good: I learned the fighter verse so I could recite it Sunday morning in the hopes that one of the pastoral staff would recognize me and congratulate me for my job well done.
good: I learned the fighter verse so I could recite it Sunday morning and one of the pastoral staff could point to me and say, “If Abigail (low brain function) can do it, then you can too!” and encourage others in their goals.
not-so-good: I learned the fighter verse and taught it to my children so they could recite it Sunday morning (and on cue everywhere else) to show everyone what a good parent I am.
good: I learned the fighter verse and taught it to my children so that God’s Word would be in their mind and hopefully make its way to their heart.
not-so-good: I learned the fighter verse so that next time I see “so and so” I can slap them up side the head with it. They are always boasting and this week’s verse is about that. They definitely need to work on that area of their life. Plus, they’ll see how holy I am.
good: I learned the fighter verse so that with humility, I can begin to look at the wickedness of my own heart through the lens of Scripture.
Of course, in order to come up with these reasons, you can safely assume that I’ve had inklings towards all of them. Even if subconscious at times. I’m not sure the human race is capable of a motive that is 100% pure.
But even if your motives are wrong or partly wrong and you’re working on making them pure, keep memorizing. When I was a child in AWANA, I guarantee you my motives had nothing to do with putting God’s Word in my heart.
They had to do with winning. I was ultra competitive. I wanted to say more verses than anyone else and I wanted my team to win. Memorizing verses was a means to winning. Yet, God in His grace has not let His Word return void in my life.
The foundation of verses stored up in my mind as a child have made their way to my heart. And I am exceedingly grateful that they are there. And I long to add to them. Maybe you’ll consider what God might do through Scripture memory in your life?
