Some people are good at memorising Scripture, while others have a tough time recalling Bible verses. Whatever the case might be, Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church believes it is important for every Christian to make an effort in keeping God's Word in mind.
"If you're serious about being spiritually strong and mature, the greatest habit you can develop is memorising Scripture," he wrote on his website. "In fact, the Bible says in James 1:25 that it's one of four habits that lead to a blessed life."
Warren said people should stop being a "spiritual baby" and embrace the blessed life God has intended for them to live. The best way to do so, he said, is keeping God's Word in one's heart.
"You may not think you have a good memory, but you remember what's important to you," said Warren. "You remember the phone numbers and dates that you care about. I've heard people say they can't memorise anything, but they can quote songs from the 1960s and rattle off the statistics of their favourite baseball players."
He added that memory is a skill people can learn.
Warren provided two important reasons why memorising Scripture is important.
First, he said when people memorise verses from the Bible, they will always have God's Word with them. "When you're witnessing to someone who doesn't know Jesus, is under stress, needs comfort, or is in a crisis, there's usually not a Bible around. You need God's Word in your mind so you can remember it and review it right when you need it," he explained.
Moreover, memorising the Bible allows Christians to mediate on Scripture wherever they go. Warren said people cannot review God's Word unless they remember it. With Bible verses stored in one's memory, Warren said people can mull on it even as they take a shower, get into bed, or drive to an appointment.
"You can think about the Bible because you've memorised it. That's called meditation. The only promise of prosperity and success that God gives us in the Bible says that meditating on his Word is the key," he said.
Meanwhile, Warren also said that people must prepare themselves for God's Word. No matter how good a preacher might be, His message would fail to get across if people's hearts aren't ready for it.
