Page 89 - Principles for Discipling Others-Student textbook

shall be in thine heart.” How else to get them into our hearts than to commit them to memory? It goes
on to tell us to teach them to our children so as to saturate their hearts and minds with the Word of
God.

One of the biggest fears of many is that they cannot memorize due to a “poor memory.” Yet they can
meet someone on the street whom they haven’t seen in years, talk for a half hour, then go home and
recount the entire conversation to their spouse or neighbor. That takes a good memory!

Studies have shown that all things being equal, the older we become the better our memory…not the
worse. Memory is helped by tying a new though to an old. So the more knowledge, background, and
experience we have, the more we have with which to tie in a new verse of Scripture. The problem then
is not so much our memories as it is our poor concentration. People who complain that they tried to
memorize and failed usually only concentrated long enough to repeat the verse a few times but
neglected the daily review for several weeks that locks in the memorized verse.

Nor should we say we don’t have time. Try doing it while washing dishes or shaving. Place a verse of
Scripture on a windowsill or in your shirt pocket while commuting to work, or reviewing it over lunch.

Two things are very helpful:
1. Have a plan…. “I am going to learn one verse a week (or maybe two.)
2. Then ….Be Consistent. Try starting with the first verse beside the categories shown below:

Life in Christ – Jn 6:56,57 the first week, then, Christ, the Center – Jn 15:1,2, etc.

[Lorne Sanny’s short, but powerful booklet, The Art of Personal Witnessing can be found on
Amazon.com for only about a dollar. It’s listed on the Bibliography at the end of this course.]

NOTABLE SAYINGS ABOUT THE BIBLE (From Halley’s Handbook)

Abraham Lincoln: “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the
Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book.”

W.E. Gladstone: “I have known ninety0five of the world’s great men in my time, and of these eighty-
seven were followers of the Bible. The Bible is stamped with a Specialty of Origin, and an immeasurable
distance separates it from all competitors.”

George Washington: “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”

Napoleon: “The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all that oppose
it.”

Queen Victoria: “That book accounts for the supremacy of England.”

Daniel Webster: “If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is due to my
parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the
Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its
instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all
our glory in profound obscurity.”

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