8 of The Best Times of Day to Memorise Scripture

We are often encouraged to memorise Scripture, but I get the feeling that many people wonder how on earth they are going to fit something else into their already busy schedule.

However you don't need to sit down with the Bible and spend half an hour just memorising! I am very busy with the children all day and therefore most of my scripture memory is done while multi-tasking. So I thought I would share some of my best times of the day to memorise.

'These commandments that I give you today are to be upon 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.' Deuteronomy 6:6-7

1. First thing in the morning – Dr. Donald Wetmore says that during the first 15 minutes of your day you are in what’s called an alpha state, which is when your brain waves and physical cycles are slowed and that ‘we can as much as double our learning rate’ in that time. I find that when I grab my scripture memory and take it with me while I get dressed and make breakfast I can go through a lot - much more quickly than I would at other times of the day.

2. On your way to work or school – I used to learn Spanish while cycling to work, and memorise scriptures while cycling to university, keeping an A5 spiral notebook in my pocket. I don’t recommend driving for learning verses as it is not very safe to be reading while you drive! But what I have done is recite a chapter that I already know, and any verses that I’m not sure of I wait till I’m at a traffic light to check. :)

3. During devotions – I memorise verses during my daily quiet time, where I go through my index card box of Bible verses. At the moment I also tend to review chapters during my devotional time, and just do a different one every day until I’ve gone through them all and then start again. Because I have a set time for my devotions that means I’m more likely to get it done than if it’s at a random time of the day.

4. While doing housework – folding laundry and washing dishes are great for memorising as you don’t have to think much and can stick your scripture in front of you and memorise while you work.

My scripture memory often hangs out on top of the coffee pot!

5. In the shower – this might sound strange, but chapters that I know really well I often recite in the shower and just check any that I was unsure about afterwards.

6. In some kinds of work or at college – my very first job was a paper round, and since I like multi-tasking I would take a little notebook with me of all my German words to learn for school and test myself while I was cycling around. I had a long route so it worked very well!

I also remember thinking how much scripture memory I could get done if I had one of those jobs where you’re in the middle of nowhere and just sit and wait for ages for someone to come along. But of course you’d have to make sure that it doesn’t in any way make your work less effective.

At university I used to take an index card with a scripture or passage on it and keep getting it out of my pocket during the day and trying to learn it.

7. While waiting – Memorising is great while waiting for a doctor’s appointment!

8. While exercising – exercise bike and walking are great for this. Swimming wouldn’t be, as your Bible would get wet (although I have seen waterproof Bibles)!! Running has worked for me if I think the verses instead of saying them out loud, since I don’t have enough breath for that.

Anyway if you are one of the people wondering when you would fit memorising into your day, I hope this has given you some ideas!

If you have times of day that you find good to memorise scripture which I haven't mentioned, please do share them in the comments!

Linking up with Spiritual Sundays and Faith-Filled Fridays

Thoughts on God's Ways from C.S. Lewis

I have read the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis many times, and I can now see much more symbolism and depth than I did before.

Two parts stuck out to me from ‘The Horse and His Boy’ when I read it recently, and made me think about the way God works sometimes.

When Shasta, the hero of the story, just managed to get to Archenland to tell them of the enemy that was about to attack, he was given another message that he had to run immediately to give.

‘Shasta’s heart fainted at these words for he felt he had no strength left. And he writhed inside at what seemed the cruelty and unfairness of the demand. He had not yet learned that if you do one good deed your reward usually is to be set to do another and harder and better one.’

In the parable of the talents, each of the stewards are given a certain number of talents and the ones who use them wisely are rewarded with more. In the same way if we do one job well that God has given us, we might well be rewarded with a harder job!

On the face of it, it seems a bit strange. But the ultimate reward of doing a harder job is greater and it gives us the opportunity to grow in our faith, so it does make sense.



The other comes shortly after in the story, where Aravis, Shasta's fellow traveller, has her wounds from the scratches of a lion dressed by the Hermit. He says,

‘”It must have been a very strange lion; for instead of catching you out of the saddle and getting his teeth into you, he has only drawn his claws across your back. Ten scratches: sore, but not deep or dangerous.”

“I say!” said Aravis. “I have had luck.”

“Daughter,” said the Hermit, “I have now lived a hundred and nine winters in this world and have never yet any such thing as luck. There is something about all this that I do not understand; but if ever we need to know it, you may be sure that we shall.”

And he was right, because later Aslan, the great Lion, talks to Aravis and tells her that he was the one who gave her those scratches, and they were wound for wound, the same as her servant had after she was whipped for being drugged by Aravis.

There is something deep in here which we often struggle to come to terms with – that God loves us, and in that love He also disciplines us. ‘My son do not despise the Lord’s discipline, nor be weary of His reproof. For whom the Lord loves He chastens, just as a father the son in whom he delights.’ Prov 3:12

But that doesn’t mean that bad things that happen to us are God’s discipline either, because there are all kinds of other reasons why God lets things happen - some of which we may never know while we live on the earth.

What happens to us, whether good or bad, is not luck or coincidence, but God’s providence. And we can’t be harmed without Him allowing it. We may not understand it at the time, but we can be sure that if we love the Lord He will work it all out for our good.

I like what the Hermit said, that there is no such thing as luck. And I think it is good to be open to the possibility that God might be testing us, or giving us harder jobs to do, or disciplining us. Then we might be more inclined to respond well rather than sinking into despondency and self pity.

Linking up to Spiritual Sundays, Faith Filled Fridays and Scripture Sunday Link Up

The Problem with Self-Seeking

In the 'Love Chapter' - 1 Corinthians 13, it says that 'love does not seek its own'. I realised the other day that many of our problems come from doing this very thing - seeking our own, desiring things for ourselves, being self-centred.

• We can so easily become discontent with our situation, wishing things were different. This can then make our whole world tinged with negativity, and it comes from wanting things for ourselves. 
• We can be anxious and worried about what people think about us, and again it is seeking our own - seeking a good reputation, or wanting people to think well of us.
• We can get into arguments with people, which is often because we want our own way, or we are trying to defend ourselves - notice the 'self' in defending yourself!

I am guilty of all of these, weekly if not daily! So I know they are common problems, or else I am unusually sinful and pre-occupied with myself! But I have not understood till now how many of these things come from self-seeking.

If we could only step outside of our focus on ourselves and turn our thinking around to focus on loving God and others instead then it would change and become so much more simple.

• Instead of being discontent we could be thankful for what God has given us, and seek to bless others with what we do have. 
• Instead of being worried about what people think, we could be more concerned about pleasing God and loving others. 
• And instead of wanting our own way we could put others first, and let God be our defender.

I know this is hard to do, as it is so easy to get distracted and wrapped up in ourselves again. But if we were less pre-occupied with ourselves and more with loving God and others, we would actually have fewer problems and be more joyful and at peace!


Linking up with Spiritual Sundays

Trees Without Fruit

A few weeks ago we planted some young apple trees which had no leaves on. Now they have leaves and flowers, so they are growing, and I am sure that one day they will bear fruit. However as yet they have no fruit because they have only just been planted.

I've been struck a couple of times recently by references to trees without fruit. The first time was when I was reading ‘Milly Molly Mandy’ to the children. She went to help her friend with his gardening, and asked him why he does it if he doesn’t like it.

‘He said, “Father says I ought to be making myself useful”. “That’s our sort of fruit,” said Milly-Molly-Mandy. “My Muvver says we’d be like apple-trees which didn’t grow apples if we didn’t be useful.”’

Then in Jude, where it talks about false teachers who creep in the church unnoticed I read ‘These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots;’ Jude 1:12

It made me check myself, and think, ‘Am I bearing fruit?’ If you have ever planted an apple or other fruit tree you will know that the whole point of it is that it will one day bear fruit, it’s not just there to look nice.

As Christians our purpose is to bring glory to God, and if we’re not bearing fruit then we are not glorifying God. Here are some thoughts than ran through my head as I was thinking about this:

What does fruit look like?

• The fruit of the spirit - peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We should be growing in these characteristics though of course we won't be perfect until we reach heaven.
• Good works - 'Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.' Matt 5:16
• Words, actions and behaviour: 'A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.' Matt 7:18-20 Matthew Henry says about this: ‘By the fruits of their persons, their words and actions, and the course of their conversation. If you would know whether they be right or not, observe how they live; their works will testify for them or against them.’
• Winning souls
• Holiness - 'You have your fruit to holiness' Rom 6:22

How can we become unfruitful?

In the parable of the sower, we are told that the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the desire for other things can choke the Word and make us unfruitful. (Mark 4:19) I think we constantly have to be on our guard against these things. We often crowd out time with God and prayer because we are busy, or think other things are more important, or enjoy pleasure more.

How do we become fruitful?

• Abide in Christ - we need to stay close to Him, by going to God often in prayer, depending on Christ for strength, and staying in His Word 'As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.' John 15:4
• Be diligent to add to our faith: We are given a whole list in 2 Peter of what we should be diligent to add to our faith so that we will not become unfruitful: 'But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ'. 2 Peter 1:5-8
• Delight in and meditate on God’s Word: There is a promise that the man who meditates and delights in the Word of God will be fruitful. 'Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.' Psalm 1:1-3
• Do good works, and pay attention to our words, actions and behaviour. Not as a way of earning God’s favour because He already loves us and accepts us, but to be fruitful and to glorify God. 'By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.' John 15:8
• Win souls - 'Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."' John 4:35-38

And lastly, it is good to examine ourselves and make sure we are really saved. Because if we are truly saved we should be bearing fruit. But even if we know we are saved, we should still want to bear more fruit. Everything on this earth will perish, but spiritual fruit is lasting and glorifies the God who loves us.