When I last spoke with Art Rorheim—at the age of 99—he was still memorizing the Bible. Wow!

You might be too old to play baseball for the Dodgers. You might be too old to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. You might be too old for lots of things. But I’ve got good news. You’re not too old to memorize Scripture.

You say, “Jon, I’m pretty sure I can’t.”

I’m pretty sure you can. I’m no whiz, but may I share what has worked for me over a long time?

First, choose a verse or passage that really connects with you. Something that smacks you in the face every time you come across it. Something you really WANT to commit to memory.

Second, write it down. Personally, I like to create a card (about 3 x 6 inches—fits in my shirt pocket). I print the verse out on a colorful background—and laminate it. It might take months for me to memorize a Psalm or passage, so it needs to be printed on something sturdy to endure rain, mud, wind and snow. Carry those Scripture cards with you wherever you go.

Now, maybe you’ll prefer using an app on your phone. I use “Remember Me,” but there are many out there. Choose one and stick with it.

One other thought as you begin: don’t beat yourself up for taking a long time to memorize.  There’s no prize for first place! Just get going—and do it every day. Learn to use tiny moments to get out that card or Bible app and memorize!

You say, that all sounds good, but how DO you actually commit the Word of God to memory?

Begin with just a phrase. Read that phrase ten times out loud. Now, close your eyes and say that phrase 10 times. Then read it again 10 times—out loud. Go back until you have confidence in the first phrase. Then move on. Don’t demand that you finish memorizing by a certain date. Just stay at it! This is a marathon, not a sprint. You’ll quickly develop a sense of when you’re ready to move on.

I suggest you recite at least one verse or passage every night before you go off to sleep. This is great for reviewing—and great for sleeping!

One last word. Do not underestimate how much reviewing you will need to do. Stay at it! Memorize your next verse or passage...but keep reviewing the old ones.

FREE OFFER: I’ll happily send you a one-page PDF Scripture Memory Tip sheet, along with a copy of the current Psalm I’m working on.  Let’s do this!  Just send an email to Jon@jongauger.com and ask for the Bible Memory tools.

It is, perhaps, our greatest wickedness: we accuse God.

We, the bent—

We, the broken—

We, the ungodly—

We accuse God. 

When the job is lost—

When the money is gone—

When the hurt is deep—

When the spouse leaves—

When the dream crumbles—

When circumstances don’t play out—

Most of us can be counted on to accuse God.

We dare approach the One who made us, lived among us, bled for us, died for us, forgave us, and accuse Him.

We accuse Him of not hearing.

We accuse Him of not seeing.

We accuse Him of not caring.

We accuse Him of not answering.

We accuse Him of not doing what (“we know”) He ought to do.

We accuse and accuse and accuse.

Consider that in striking this wicked pose, we are most like the arch-enemy of the Almighty! Is Lucifer not called the Accuser? And are we not most like him when we accuse the Almighty?

Imagine—we, the forgiven—accusing God!

We, the redeemed.

We, the blood-bought.

We, the folks freed from death row.

We, who held the hammer that drove the nails that took the life of His Son—we accuse HIM.

O, God!

Forgives us for accusing rather than adoring.

Forgive us for accosting rather than affirming you.

We are terribly sorry for our terrible sins.

Help us repent of this wickedness now—and forever.

We humbly ask it in the name of the Worthy One,

Amen!

It's a question you probably haven't been asked before—ever: How's your hate life?

Your answer is critical because Psalm 97:10 says, "Let those who love the Lord hate evil." Proverbs 8:13 reinforces that message: "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil." Meaning we are to hate sin.

Like many believers, you might respond, "Of course I dislike sin." But that isn't enough. God calls us to hate sin. All sin. Do we?

You say, "Isn't this all just a game of semantics? Dislike versus hate—not a big deal."

It's a huge deal. Here's why. What we do not hate—we tolerate. Including (and maybe especially) sin.

Think about it. I dislike that I weigh as much as I do. But I don't hate it. If I did, I wouldn't eat so many cookies. And I wouldn't demand my daily Coke at lunchtime.

Scripture says if we love the Lord, we must hate evil. Hence the question, how's your hate life?

When we don't hate what God hates, we inevitably end up trying to manage sin. It's the alcoholic who says, "I must work on my drinking problem. I'll cut back to one beer a day." That's managing sin. Dumping every drop of alcohol in your house down the drain—that's hating sin.

If we are going to hate sin, we must kill it. John Owen once famously warned, "Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you." You don't "manage" cockroaches. You kill them! You don't "manage" mice. You kill them! Same with sin.

If we do not hate what God hates, we invite sin and temptation to ruin us.

Let's not be deceived. Sin is not merely a problem, or a nemesis or a "bad angel" on your shoulder whispering temptations into your ear.

Sin is a killer.

It wants to kill your reputation.

It wants to kill your ministry.

It wants to kill your family.

It wants to kill your future.

It wants to kill your peace.

It wants to kill your hope.

It wants to kill your joy.

How's your hate life? 

You couldn’t help laughing out loud at the text our daughter sent. She has four kids, ages five to thirteen. And like all children, they can get on each other’s nerves. But—the text says it best:

Just got complimented by a guy at Costco for my well-behaved children. (They were awful all morning). The guy turns and leaves, and our oldest—Joslynn—says, "we present a united front, but we have a ton of infighting."

Who said kids don’t have a good grasp on things?

Sadly, Joslynn's admission is an accurate assessment not just of the world but the Church today.

We put enormous emphasis on having a church with an engaging Bible teacher. We spend big dollars on sound, light, and projection systems. We invest massive effort in our worship teams and kids’ programs.

Despite all that, our struggle with division and disunity is not unlike Joslynn's summary: we present a united front, but we have a ton of infighting.

But what if church life was different? What if we had not just a united front—but true unity? What if we modeled for the world what it means to face disagreements—yet still love each other?

In a culture of angst and anger, of snarky social posts and virtue signaling, I suspect people would come crawling out of the woodwork full of curiosity. Seeing the real Jesus—even in sinners like us—has a way of drawing people to Christ.

Lord, deliver us—from us.

Deliver us from our worship of self rather than the Savior.

Bring us genuine unity—the kind that comes only from fixing our eyes on Jesus.

“Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.”  -Philippians 2:2

The other night, I felt the futility of an anxious spirit. In the gray gloom of not-yet-sleep, I pondered my past expenditures on worry.

Weariness shrouded me, a sadness for all that wasted emotion and abused adrenalin. And then four words settled upon me: “It is not necessary.”

I will not pretend to tell you this was the voice of God, though the thought was certainly of God: “It is not necessary.”

• This constant churning of ours. It is not necessary.
• This rehearsing and rehashing of past failures. It is not necessary.
• This endless doomsday forecasting we gravitate toward. It is not necessary.

In the bright light of an answered prayer, this all became so clear. It wasn’t so much shame that I felt (God never intends that). It was more like a sigh—the kind that comes when you realize you just bought an expensive item you now know you don't need—and there's no return policy. That's worry for you. It takes—but never gives back.

Is your soul churning over a fractured relationship? It is not necessary. Are you crushed by a dream gone bad? It is not necessary. Do you fear that this or that unmet need will surely spell your doom? It is not necessary.

What is necessary? God, Himself tells us: "Cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Note the word all in this verse. Your Heavenly Father wants every shred of dread you've ever pondered—wants you to cast it on Him. And why? Because He cares for you. He said so! And that's enough.

You and I have only so much thought currency. Why spend a dime on worry?

Photo by Kat Smith from Pexels