A Note from Pastor Andrew

Memory Verse Challenge Booklet

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. 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. -Deuteronomy 6:6-9

The Word of God is meant to be read, spoken, studied, considered, and kept close to us in our daily life. Which is why I wanted to encourage people of all ages to challenge themselves to memorize scripture as a way to keep it close.

You may have already seen these booklets lying around. Memory Verse Booklets are available at the Welcome Desk and the Upper Room. Let me share with you the words I wrote on the inside cover:

Over the years, I have leaned on God’s Word for comfort, strength, wisdom, and faith. In fact, the first verse I ever memorized was from I Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on Christ for he cares for you.” I still hold closely to that verse today. My hope is that you, too, can find verses that you hold onto throughout your life.

In this booklet, I’ve compiled a list of over sixty-six verses from the Bible: at least one for each book from Genesis to Revelation. Each verse, in my opinion, is a brief synopsis of each book while also revealing God’s commandments to follow and God’s grace to comfort. Below are just a couple of passages that speak of the efficacy of Scripture.

“All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the person of God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” -II Timothy 3:16-17

This won’t be an easy challenge, but it is well worth it. With each verse you memorize, use a gold sticker as a seal of your achievement (we have plenty). Share with us when you’ve learned another. If, or better yet, when you complete the booklet, we want to honor your work with a special presentation during a future worship service and a special gift. 

Now to be honest, memorizing scripture brings back some dreadful memories of reciting verses to my teacher at Hope Lutheran Elementary School. Even now I think, “What kind of torture am I asking you to inflict on yourselves?!” Memorizing doesn’t come easy to everyone and besides, there are so many things on our minds, I wonder if asking you all to do one more thing is really that helpful. However, I do, in fact, believe this challenge is worth it. By trying to memorize these verses, we’ll find ourselves meditating on them. They become part of our daily lives as God intended. And you may discover some unintended, but beneficial consequences along the way.

Pastor Andrew