Don’t let Valentine’s Day get you down. If you are a Christian, you have the most incredible love letter in your copy of God’s Word. Any moments you choose today to spend with the Lord in His Word will pay off. I can’t tell you how He will bless you specifically, but I know He will.
Our emotions can get the better of us on days like today. God’s Word brings calm and peace, and the correct perspective. Valentine’s Day is of this world’s system. While it can be a delightful day to express our thoughts toward others, ultimately, as Christians, we live for a world yet to come, and we serve the One who loves us most. So let’s get started on reframing this day if you are struggling. Have you sometimes memorized Scripture or you’ve thought of memorizing but have yet to?
The Bible tells us that Scripture is a lamp to our feet and a light for our path(Psalm 119:105). Joshua 1:8 says to meditate on Scripture day and night. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. Its theme is the Word of God. The Bible advocates for a Christian to interact with Scripture as a regular part of life intentionally. So to encourage you to engage God’s Holy Word and find joy in making that choice, here are a few ideas. If you have other ideas, please leave them in the comments.
Have a morning quiet time every day – Whatever plan you choose, show up faithfully to meet God in His Word each morning.
Write Scripture – Peace will come to you while you are doing this. It doesn’t matter if you have pretty handwriting. The motion and very act of taking time to write Scripture sends a message to your brain to slow down and pay attention. And the reward is being aware of the Holy Spirit in your life, the meaning of the scripture, and a calming, pervasive peace.
Listen to a Bible app while you do anything – Driving, doing chores, on your lunch break, going to sleep. You will hear things you’ve never heard before, which might lead to further scripture engagement.
Memorize one verse – If you have a morning quiet time, then you are coming across some amazing passages. Choose one and write it in a notebook. Say it, write it, as often as you can.
Meditate on Scripture – What does this look like? Scripture writing is a meditation activity, but you can sit and read a passage. Read it aloud, read it silently, write a poem about what you’ve read, talk to God about what you read, make up a song from a passage, or just spend time in the Word.
Type out some scriptures – After this, press the read-aloud function in the review tab of your document menu- close your eyes and listen to everything you typed.
Read a Proverb every day of the month – Then write the proverb. Then choose some to memorize.
Do word studies – Find all the words in the Bible about a topic using a study Bible. This could lead to other activities interacting with Scripture.
Record your voice reading Scripture – Send it to your children, grandchildren, or a friend.
Pray Scripture – If you need some extra help in your prayer life, add scripture. This can be praise passages, repentance passages, asking God for transformation in some area of your life, reading passages that describe God, and thanking and praising Him.
Psalm 119:11 says, “I will hide God’s Word in my heart that I might not sin against thee.”
Memorization is an excellent discipline I do, have done, and would encourage for you. And memorization is what I believe the Psalmist is referencing. But there’s not a verse I know of that says one will have instant recall years later of any memorization. Hiding God’s Word means, by some supernatural means, the Holy Spirit is working the Word deep inside you. The Word is transforming you. David believes it will help him to sin less. His desire to please God is paramount.
I look at Scripture as medicine. It is healing, transforming, peace inducing, soaking me in truth, making my mind healthier, flushing old patterns of sin, digging up embedded lies, and softening my heart.
It is mental health, heart health, emotional health, and yes, I believe the one who is interacting with Scripture regularly has a fountain of youth that has nothing to do with wrinkles but with winsomeness, a sparkle in the eyes, and a general peaceful countenance.
Scripture is powerful, and this is backed up in Scripture in Hebrews 4:12, as Paul describes Scripture’s supernatural ability. But most of all, scripture is a treasure. It is God’s Word to us. He loves us, and we get to know the One who loves us through His Word.
Memorizing is an intentional way to get the scripture in your heart. But instant recall is not the goal. If you memorize a verse or passage and over time you can’t repeat it. Don’t be discouraged. Rejoice because the Bible tells us it is in you. It is hidden in your heart.
image by Unsplash
I’ve heard people say over the years that whatever you memorize will be there when you need it. That can be true; it has been for me in some cases. But often, I wonder why more scripture doesn’t pop into my mind in challenging moments or times. But whether it springs up or not, this I do know, it is in me. It is transforming me to be more like Christ and is doing all the functions I listed above and more. That I do believe.
Memorization seems like a spiritually profitable practice to me and one I believe will bring eternal change in your heart. Why not use this Valentine’s Day to spend some time with the Author of the Ultimate Love Letter. Let me hear from you in the comments. And Happy Valentines Day!
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Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
While this is a familiar passage, when I read it for understanding I ask some questions. Maybe my questions will give you a fresh perspective on a familiar passage to most Christians. My thoughts go like this:
What’s the command? Do not be anxious.
What’s the alternative to anxiety? I can present my requests to God.
How do I present my requests to God? By prayer – petitioning God, but also thanking God for all He’s done and will do.
What is the assurance or promise stated to happen when I do this? The peace of God will come into my heart and my mind.
How big is this peace? It transcends all my understanding and has the ability to guard my heart and my mind.
What does this peace which transcends all understanding do? It guards my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus. We are “in Christ” when we know God through Jesus. We are hidden. We are safe. We are in His protection.
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I remember pedaling down our street and my daddy holding onto my bike seat. The training wheels had come off, and here we were, working together to take it to the next level. Now, I can’t tell you if I was hollering, “Daddy, let go!” or, “Daddy, don’t let go!” I just know my daddy was right there running and exerting all the encouragement he had to release me into the world of childhood biking. I worked with him while wondering if the bike would continue on wheels or if I and the bike would end up sprawled on the asphalt.
Later I would make more memories of me careening down hills without holding the handlebars embracing my play life on wheels. My daddy knew those days would come, but I didn’t. Perhaps he thought, ” I don’t want to let go of my sweet girl.” Who knows? But to this day, it is a vivid memory of growth and faith, and dependence on my dad.
Now while that’s a sweet memory of my dad holding on to me, his power was limited. He couldn’t hold me forever. He had to release me, and I had to have faith that I was going to stay up on those wheels. My faith was in my dad and my ability, both limited.
But when you become a child of God, that means you placed your faith in God. God. Omnipotent. Omnipresent. Omniscient. God.
He is not going to let you go, not one time. As a fact, He can’t. It is not in His nature to be faithless. (2 Timothy 2:13) . When you ask Jesus to save you, He saves you and keeps you. It is His responsibility to hold you forever. He will not let you go. You can rest in His powerful work in your life at the point of salvation. The triune God, the Maker of heaven and earth, is faithful and will never let you out of His hand(John 10:27-29). You can know He lives inside you forever if you’ve asked Him to.
It is not necessary that you continue to ask Him to. He is God, and He is able to keep you(Jude 24). Anything you think you might contribute to your salvation, you don’t. You received Him by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), and there’s no work you can do to keep Him. He is keeping you. He did the work on the cross, and if you are His child because you have decided to be, then He is keeping you now.
If in a season of doubt, take some time and write the verses listed below and repeat them, memorize them, and pray them back to God with confidence and thanksgiving. Peace and confidence will be restored in the person of Christ, the One who saved you.
One side issue: If you are in a season of disobedience, this can cause you to doubt your salvation. As you grow in your faith, your behavior won’t trigger you to question your salvation. You will learn to trust Him. You will remember your salvation does not depend on you. You will discover your faith is in the person of Christ, not your changing feelings. But you should confess your sin to Him if you feel distant. It is always we who move away from God, not Him from us. He wants to have full, restored fellowship with you, and sin gets in the way. Confess your sin immediately, and walk in obedience again(I John 1:9).
Be sure you have time with God daily, preferably in the morning. This gives you the time to confess your sin, reflect on who He is, get solutions to your problems, build the faith you need to let God do His work in your life, and give you the strength to obey Him.
So whether you are a new Christian or one in a season of doubt, or you’ve been a Christian for decades, here is a list of verses you can put your hope in, memorize, write down, pass on, or hand them out to your Sunday school class, small group, or someone you are working with.
I John 5:11-13 – And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
John 1:12 – Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God –
John 10:27-29 – Jesus answered, ” My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
Jude 24 – To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without finding fault and with great joy.”
Romans 8:38&39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
*If your thoughts are not doubts but conviction and an invitation by the Holy Spirit to accept Jesus by faith, then read the link below for more information.*
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Psalm 25 is hidden in my heart, but recently when I revisited it, the first nine words grabbed my attention like a diamond in a well-lit jewelry case. My eyes and heart were fastened to it, and I could not move further into the verse or chapter. Here are the first nine words to this beloved Psalm:
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul…
This is what saturated my mind as the Spirit of God had me slowed to a stop on these words. God is the only One trustworthy to care for my soul.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul…
The Spirit undoubtedly directed David’s heart, and David knew that God was his absolute help for the eternal core of his being, whether in peace or crisis.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul…
Why wouldn’t I, too, lift up my soul to the only Soul Lifter?
Is there anyone more trustworthy than the Lord?
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul…
To experience what David knew in the very first line of this Psalm, then certainly we have to go to the Lord to lift our soul to Him. We can not remain unaffected by this great God we know.
We can not hide in our super busy life avoiding Him.
We can not be puffed with pride in our significant space.
We can not run by Him in ministry mode.
We can not excuse our presence with Him because of a caretaking call.
We can not rest in complacency in our relaxation room.
No, we must choose to go to God.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Are you overwhelmed that you can even approach God?
God is available to every follower of Jesus. He is our Father, and He is there for us anytime, any day, any season of our life. But we must choose to stop our life, and go get His life each and every day.
Why not every morning say to Him…
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
The soul actually demands as much attention as the body…the soul was made for God, and without God, it is restless and in secret torment.
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My husband and I are in full-time ministry, and just like you, we are busy. Like you, we struggle with time management, priorities, and just getting the daily list done sometimes. Some days the pressure comes, and it honestly seems no way to get it all done. As the holidays approach, you may find you have to drop some things and add other things. None of us can do it all. Wherever you may be on this struggle to juggle, maybe some of these ideas will help you as they’ve helped me.
1. Make a list– You don’t need a fancy planner to make lists. Use the notes on your phone or other apps. Sticky notes still work great for me. Whatever you use, you will find a sense of accomplishment for every task marked off or deleted.
2.Set the timer – When pressure comes, setting a timer moves my focus from all the tasks. The focus shifts to the task at that moment, and it never ceases to amaze me the satisfaction that comes after a 20-minute time frame. Repeat as needed.
3. Turn on background music – Calm music gives me a sense of being in charge and the manager of my world. It also makes the job more pleasant.
4. Pray – Talk to Jesus everywhere you go. Even when you work from home, talk to Him. When I lose something, I ask Him to help me find it. When I can’t find it, my frustration level doesn’t get out of control, but often I find it. Have you ever paused to ask the Lord to redeem the time? Ask God to be in charge of all you do; how you sound on the phone and talk with others is a good start.
5. Listen to inspire- If you are running errands, choose what you let in your brain. Car time can get the best of you. You can end up with road rage or poor thoughts. Focus your mind on beautiful music. Use your phone to listen to the Bible. Wholesome audiobooks take me to a pleasant place.
Not all days are going to be productive in terms of a list. I’ve sat at my desk at the end of a day with nothing marked off my list. That’s when I think the Lord had another plan for that day.
As the holiday season looms on the horizon, it’s essential to keep some of your usual routines. It’s also good to be open to eliminating some other things which send you to your crazy place. Remember to focus on your relationship with God and place this as a priority if it isn’t. God is the one who gives you your life, and honoring Him is a daily joy.
But do everything properly and in order. I Corinthians 14:40
Valerie Rumfelt 