Finding Value in ‘Refrigerator Verses’

Almost like it was yesterday, I remember memorizing my first Scripture verse. (Actually, it was more than 40 years ago.) I’d been familiar with several Bible passages for years, but the first one I learned word for word, including its ‘address’ – where it’s found in the Bible – was 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” Another translation says, “Pray continually.”

 

If you want to have early success in the skill of Scripture memorization, that’s a great verse to start with. The one that precedes it is even shorter – “Rejoice always.” There you go, two verses you can commit to memory, consisting of five words in all.

 

Depending on which Bible translation you use, the only that’s shorter is John 11:35, “Jesus wept.” But that’s not a verse people cite a lot. The ones about always rejoicing and praying continually are simple, yet practical and profound, the perfect starting point for novice verse memorizers.

 

A while back I heard a speaker refer to “refrigerator verses,” brief Bible passages sometimes printed on refrigerator magnets. These can also serve as handy reminders of truths that are foundational for our faith. 

 

Consider one we occasionally see displayed on a sign someone’s holding up in the end zone bleachers at a football game – John 3:16. It might be the most well-known verse of all: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” 

 

That one sentence encapsulates the limitless extent of God’s love; what Jesus Christ did on our behalf; and what we must do in response. It’s not as short – more than 20 words – but I’ve known quite a few kindergarten-age youngsters who can recite it by heart.

 

Many other Scripture passages could be good “refrigerator verse” candidates. Maybe a few come to your mind immediately. But someone might ask, “Why bother?”

 

Think of it this way: Whether we’re aware of it or not, we memorize lots of stuff – phone numbers, birthdates and anniversaries, addresses, the Pledge of Allegiance (at least we used to), song lyrics, times when our favorite shows are on TV.  If we can do all that, why’s it so hard to store some meaningful Bible verses into our memory banks? 

 

In striving to grow in our faith, whether we’re new believers or have been followers of Jesus for decades, wouldn’t it make sense to “hide God’s word in our hearts,” as King David declared in Psalm 119:11?

 

I remember a story about Dawson Trotman, founder of The Navigators and an enthusiastic advocate of Scripture memory. A frequent traveler, sometimes it wasn’t convenient for him to pull out his Bible, or it wasn’t readily available. Especially in parts of the world hostile to Christianity. However, having “hidden God’s word in his heart,” Trotman could readily recall the passages he’d committed to memory.

 

Many of the verses in my blog posts are ones I have memorized over the years, not only through rote repetition but also by often referring to them when circumstances dictated. For instance, when I find myself fretting over something that’s beyond my control, the admonition of 1 Peter 5:7 might come to mind: “Casting all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you.”

 

If I’m particularly concerned and need more to lower my anxiety level, I also consider Philippians 4:6-7, “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.” Admittedly, that might be a bit long for a refrigerator magnet, but it’s an amazing assurance.

 

I’ll never forget the time a friend of mine, Pete George, who’s now with the Lord, gave the evening message at a conference. During his talk he cited at least 50 Scripture verses, not to show off his keen memory but to undergird the principles he sought to convey. Not once did he glance at his Bible or notes. Those verses had become part of the spiritual fabric of his being. Quoting them was as natural as breathing.

 

Have you ever tried Scripture memory? There are numerous plans available. However, I’ve found the best approach is when you read a particular verse that resonates with you, especially one that seems to address a situation you’re facing, take a few moments to write it down on an index card. (They still have those, right?) Then review it every day, whether you’re in your car (stopped at a light, not while you’re driving); at your desk at work, or even taped to the mirror in your bathroom.

As the apostle Paul exhorted his protégé, Timothy, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). When we memorize Scripture, we can file those verses in our spiritual filing cabinet and God through His Spirit can enable us to access them when needed. Even without a refrigerator. 

Utilizing the ‘MMA’ for Spiritual Growth

Are you familiar with MMA? If not, it stands for Mixed Martial Arts, a sport that includes boxing and a mix of other combative techniques. The reason I ask is because every day we are all involved a battle – spiritual in nature – and one way of achieving victory is through another type of MMA: Memorization, Meditation and Application.

Spiritual growth, I’ve discovered, isn’t a continual upward trajectory. Initially it might seem that way, but sooner or later everyone hits a plateau, maybe even slips back a bit. We and Jesus don’t just ride off into the sunset without ever looking back.

This can be disconcerting because we live in an instant, right-now society. We’d like to become spiritual giants immediately; we don’t want to go through the daily grind that maturing in our walk with Christ requires. But we don’t have any choice in the matter.

Many books have been written about the process of growing in our faith, so I won’t try to present a simple how-to here. But if we can get a handle on the importance of “spiritual MMA,” that would be a good start.

Years ago, The Navigators developed what they called the “Word Hand Illustration,” representing five methods for effectively taking in the Word of God. The five fingers represent hearing, reading, studying, memorizing and meditating. This have proved helpful for my own spiritual growth, and I’m going to focus briefly on the importance of Memorization and Meditation. But I think the “hand” might need a sixth finger - Application. Thus, the “MMA.”

Most of us have heard the Word preached and taught through sermons, or at conferences and retreats. Reading the Bible is an excellent habit some of us maintain on a daily basis. And the most industrious of us study the Scriptures, perhaps by reading slowly and thoughtfully or using supplemental tools like commentaries and concordances.

But when it comes to memorizing Scripture, or meditating on it, I suspect fewer of us are actively involved in these practices. And it’s to our detriment.

“I can’t memorize things!” people say. Really? We all know phone numbers, home addresses, names of family members and friends (sometimes even their birthdates), our Social Security number, and the days, times and channels our favorite TV shows come on. There are lots of other things we memorize. So the excuse, “I can’t memorize,” isn’t valid unless we have a true memory disability. It all comes down to this: If it’s important enough to remember, we can memorize it if necessary.

I used to fall into the “I can’t memorize Bible verses” camp myself, until I realized that through repetition I had learned passages like Psalm 1, Psalm 100 and Psalm 23 (“the shepherd’s psalm") even as a boy. That was when the Bible could still be read in public schools; too bad that’s no longer the case.

But as an adult, I still didn’t think Scripture memory was for me. Then my wife and I attended a marriage conference where the speakers said memorizing meaningful Bible verses would be helpful. They got us started by teaching 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “pray without ceasing.” That was it – three words. In short order I had succeeded in memorizing my first verse. 

Then I found an even easier verse that immediately preceded the one I had just learned: “Rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16). Wow! Two verses and five words launching my Scripture memory journey.

Soon afterward I got into a small group discipleship program that included learning a total of 65 verses over a period of two years. They weren’t all as simple as the first two I memorized, but this practice proved foundational for my spiritual growth early on. As King David wrote, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word…. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:9,11).

That “hiding God’s Word in my heart” became real not only through rote memorization but also through meditation. No, I didn’t sit with legs crossed yoga-style, mumbling some mantra. But I did spend a lot of time pondering not just the words but also what they meant. This brought to mind a verse from one of those psalms I had memorized in my boyhood: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2).

Preacher Charles H. Spurgeon used to explain that in reviewing Bible passages for his sermons, he would ask, “What does it say? What does it mean? What difference does it make?” This led me to the third part of MMA – application. In fact, I realized that sometimes the best way to memorize a verse or Bible passage, particularly one that was long and complicated, was to put it into practice. 

One of the verses I found especially helpful in this regard was 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” Pondering this verse I concluded that the Word of God is not only inspired by Him through His Spirit, but it’s also intended for practical use in our everyday life.

There’s much more I could say about this, but I’d like to close by asking: Are you taking advantage of “MMA” for the spiritual battles we face each day? 

In the sixth chapter of Ephesians, we read about the “armor of God,” and the one offensive weapon of this armor is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). Without striving for mastery of God’s Word, it’s like going to war with guns but no bullets. Is it time you got your ammunition?