Today, I want to share the plan I would like to use for memorizing the book of Ephesians. Our daughter is getting ready to audition for a children’s play. She is feeling a bit intimidated because she will have to memorize lines — why is it that actors can memorize thousands of lines but when it comes to Scripture, people aren’t ready to commit? I mentioned this to a trusted friend the other day and she said I may be on to something. She’s found that some actors take on the persona of their character and thus have an easier time understanding the role and the lines they might speak.
Isn’t that what we are called to do? I don’t mean “act” like a Christian – I mean actually BE a Christian and put on Christ. This is our calling and Paul, in Ephesians 4:1-2 tells us exactly that “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love…” So, MEMORIZING is not just to babble out lines. It is to actually live the life you are being called to live. The book of Ephesians is a love letter to the church, to remind and encourage them that they belong to Christ and should look like it.
John Piper, on his website Desiring God has several articles on why you should memorize Scripture. There is a guest author who gives Ten Reasons to Memorize Scripture – he is spot on! The Jesus Himself tells us in John 15:7 ” If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” and again in John 8:31-32 “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
HOW TO
There are several ways to approach this. The plan I will use is from Dr. Andrew Davis, called Scripture Memory Booklet. It’s a free PDF that’s 28 pages and is also available from Kindle. I recommend reading the whole booklet before you begin. It will help you tremendously and comes highly recommended. He has a plan at the end of the booklet that is 26 weeks (on p.23). Print out the plan and paste it in a notebook. On the page next to each week’s scripture, WRITE OUT the passage for the week.
Then, I will be using 3×5 note cards – not sure if I will use one card per verse, but you can. Punch a hole on the top left corner and grab a binder ring or a ribbon or twine to hold cards together. Now, take the cards wherever you go!
I read on another website that it takes 16 minutes to read Ephesians from start to finish. I didn’t believe it, so I timed myself on New Year’s Day. It took me 18 minutes at a natural pace. So, daily I will be reading ALOUD the entire book of Ephesians while I have my morning breakfast (in between sips of tea) and then I will be grabbing my note cards to read the verse over and over again.
Let’s say we start on Monday, the first thing I will do is to write out Eph 1:1 through 1:6 in my notebook. Then, I will write out the 6 verses on note cards and read the entire passage aloud. On Tuesday, read aloud and repeat verses 1:1 AND 1:2 together all day long. Wednesday – aloud + verses 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3… and so on. This way, you will not forget what you are committing to memory but are adding on.
Even if you don’t remember a single word, just reading the ENTIRE book of Ephesians over 155+ days will be quite incredible. What a wonderful way to spend time in the Bible. The book of Ephesians is about UNITY in Christ, in recognizing our WORTH in Christ, about our ROLE in life and about putting on the full armor of God! Cannot wait to have this be imprinted upon my heart!