turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. [psalm 119:37]

 

the group of men and women i get to do life with on a weekly, daily basis (we call them lot families here at matthias) – we are memorizing this passage. let me share a few thoughts from pressing this into my mind and heart this week.

  1. memorizing scripture is work. it is an act of warfare against your flesh, the world, and the enemy and i think this is what makes it work. our flesh does not want to make this easy. and, this is not about memorization because my flesh still remembers the words to “dance with me” (orleans) from 7th grade (1976).
  2. memorizing scripture is good. while it is work, i can tell you my spirit that is alive to God in Christ loves dwelling on his word and hearing his voice.
  3. memorizing scripture put truth up against lies this whole week. several times i heard the Lord say – “this is worthless.” and several times, i heard the Lord say, this is “life.” look at this!
  4. memorizing scripture led me to pray. i couldn’t stop asking the Lord to take my eyes to him as the passage was being thought about.

 

these are just a few thoughts and realities from my week as i memorized and put my mind and heart in front of the same passage over and over. imagine what could happen if you and i would put to memory the word of the Lord more regularly. imagine the battles God would win for our mind and heart. imagine the growing taste for the word we would know. imagine the lies we would see and the truth we would run to. imagine the prayers that would flow. Lord make it so. in Jesus name, turn my eyes to your word, to your voice, to your life, to the things of you!

today, let’s “store” his word in our heart, “that i (we) might not sin against” our Lord! [ps 119:11]

 

~ john ryan