Keeping a Scripture Card File: Part 4 of Spend More Time with God

 God's Words:

I meditate on your precepts
   and consider your ways.
I delight in your decrees;
   I will not neglect your word.

~Psalm 119:15-16

The law from your mouth is more precious to me
   than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

~Psalm 119:72

The ordinances of the LORD are sure
   and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold,
   than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
   than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned;
   in keeping them there is great reward.

~Psalm 19:9b-11

In my last post I promised to go into greater detail about how I use my index card-sized poly expanding file to help memorize Bible verses.  I wrote that I use the file to organize the verses I've already memorized so that they are readily available for anytime I want/need to "brush up" on them, as well as any verses I've already written down that I'd like to someday memorize, but haven't gotten to yet. 

Here once again is my Scripture Card File:

And here is a close-up, in case you want to look for that brand or a similar brand:

 
I specifically chose this file because it has 12 divided sections with adhesive tab labels.  This feature will enable you to better organize your chosen Bible verses according to their topic.  My file has 12 sections, so I came up with 12 general Scripture topics (it was so hard to think of just 12!), which I wrote on the tab labels with a fine point Sharpie:

 1.  God's Character

 2.  God's Promises

 3.  God's Word

 4.  Love, Obey & Worship God

 5.  Love Others

 6.  Prayer

 7.  Salvation

 8.  Christian Living

 9.  Faith

10. Wisdom

11. Sin & Temptation

12. Spiritual Warfare

Also, the front pocket holds my extra blank index cards, so they're right at hand - pretty neat!  I love this file!

Now, as I come upon a verse I would like to memorize, I write it down on an index card and file it away according to topic for later use.

Also, when I'm done memorizing a certain verse, I file it according to topic as well.  But before I file it, I first write a small "M" for "memorized" in the upper right hand corner.

That way, just in case I don't remember right away as I'm looking through my file, I can quickly and easily see whether I've previously worked on a certain verse or not.  This also makes reviewing verses I've already learned much easier!  One of the most important steps of memorization is to review what you've memorized on a regular basis.  For some people, that might mean once a week; others once a month or every few months.  It really all depends on how many verses you've already memorized and what works best for you.  Come up with a simple review system of some kind that will work well for you and your schedule and will be easy to keep up with.

One idea is to review all the verses you've learned from one section per week.  Then the next week, review all the verses from another section.  Once you're finished reviewing the last section, start again with the first section the following week.  So for example, this week I might review all the memorized verses in my "God's Character" section and next week I'd review the verses in the "God's Promises" section.  This is my preferred method for review.  I guess I just get overwhelmed at the thought of reviewing all the memorized verses in my file at one time!

Another idea is to have your Scripture memory review be your devotion time with the Lord once a week or month.  As you review the Bible passages you've memorized, meditate on them and make them prayers to God.  Not only are you reviewing your memory verses, but praying God's Word back to Him is a very powerful and meaningful way to communicate with Him.  I could write a whole devotional series on praying God's Word!  I will leave that for another time!!

Well, now that I've shared what I do to memorize Scripture, I'd love to hear what you do for Bible memory, or any ideas or suggestions you may have that I could add to my own memorization efforts.  Please share your ideas, suggestions, and/or thoughts in the Comments section below.  I'd love to hear from you!

May God bless you richly as you dig deep into His Word to find the countless precious treasures there to store in your heart and mind forever!

In Christ,

Suzy