Memorizing Philippians – so far…
I know there are a few of you out there who are joining me in the challenge to memorize Philippians during the last 5 months of 2014. So now that we’ve (hopefully) made some progress, how is it going?
On the practical side, I have bowed to those with more experience. As you may remember, I was using the pamphlet by Dr. Andrew Davis, An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture. The one bit of advice I hesitated to follow was that you memorize the chapter/verse numbers along with the text.
Well, I didn’t get too far before I was converted to his point of view. It just makes it so much easier to keep track of where you are and not skip verses, and I don’t think it significantly disturbs the flow of thought as you’re meditating on the text.
Overall I really like the way Dr. Davis memorizes. You don’t have to panic if a verse isn’t solidly in your mind after one day – you know that it will become more and more solidified in your memory as the days go by.
I’ll be memorizing verse 13 today, Lord willing. If you’re not on 12 or 13 today, you might want to push a little to catch up.
A few things have struck me in the first few verses of the book. Remembering where it says “Christ Jesus” or “Jesus Christ” or just “Christ” is quite tricky! Also, Paul’s constant use of the word all is quite something. He’s talking to all the saints (Philippians 1:1) which of course excludes all the false believers in the church right away. But it is such a testimony to the bond that all believers have, how they pray for each other, and how God will finish His good work in all of us.
Anyway, I’m not planning to post frequently about this, I just wanted to shout out some encouragement to all of you who have started memorizing the book. For those who haven’t started – and would like to – you still have time to join us and probably even catch up before too many weeks pass. Check here for a brief introduction to Philippians.
Don’t put it off – memorize a verse today! 🙂