It’s that time of year.
School has begun again. Service groups are holding their first meetings of the 2022-2023 year. My Bible Study Fellowship group will gather tomorrow for the first time since May. And my Sweet Adelines chorus is gearing up for the annual competition season.
Yes, even though technically it’s not the New Year for most of the world, sometimes September feels that way.
I’m glad. I’m ready to put the pedal to the metal and get going.
So why not make a resolution now? Why wait until Jan. 1?
I’m sure best-selling writer Daniel H. Pink, the author of “When,” thinks September would be a great time for resolution-making. He has even listed 86 days of the year when it would be better to start resolutions than Jan. 1: Mondays, the first day of the month, the first day of each season, your birthday, anniversaries, the first day of school, the first day of a new job, the day you finish a big project, and days that mark national celebrations and religious holidays.
So, here we are, the day after Labor Day, teetering on the brink of summer’s sliding into fall and contemplating all the other special characteristics that this time of year offers. (Did I mention that this month includes my wedding anniversary?)
So I’ve decided that now’s the time to begin something I haven’t done in years. I’m going to start memorizing – or re-memorizing Bible verses. Or if not completely memorizing, at least getting them down well enough so that I can effectively paraphrase their contents and put the right book, chapter and verse with them.
Wanna join me? I’m making up my own list with verses selected from several sources, including week-by-week charts from various Christian academies (I’m sure they won’t mind sharing) and a monthly listing from a mom with four children who are under 6 years of age (surely if they can memorize Bible verses, I – we – can, too!).
Starting today, I will provide a verse at the end of my first column of each month. And because I’m just getting back into the swing of things, I’m going to choose verses that are rather short – so that I/we can have a sense of accomplishment while still growing in God’s word.
But why memorize scripture anyway? Almost all of us have the Bible at our fingertips in both printed and digital form.
Well, wouldn’t it be nice – since Christians are supposed to be Christlike – if we could do as Jesus did in the wilderness with the devil? He answered each of Satan’s temptations by quoting scripture. Not once. Not twice. But all three times. Without having to look it up.
If we’re to be changed into Christlikeness, we need to see Him. And the best way to do this is through scripture. As it says in Psalm 119:9, “I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
Knowing scripture to quote casually (for lack of a better word) in conversations can also help us comfort and counsel people whom we are fond of and additionally, of course, can help in communicating the gospel to unbelievers.
If we store up scriptures in our minds – and our hearts – surely we’ll be better able to meditate on and try to emulate God’s attributes. We’ll be able to commune more effectively with Him and express more deeply to Him our thanks, admiration and love.
So to get us on the right track, in the right frame of mind, the first verse I’ve selected is this:
“Now these people were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” – Acts 17:11.
————————————————————————————
Sallie Rose Hollis lives in Ruston and retired from Louisiana Tech as an associate professor of journalism and the assistant director of the News Bureau. She can be contacted at sallierose@mail.com.
