In 1988, Robert Fulghum wrote a book entitled, Everything I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Those of us who have been in Sunday school most of our lives, might express the same sentiment about Christian education. Everything I really need to know I learned in Sunday school, and one of the most effective learning tools in my past was Bible memorization. Portions of God’s Word sown in the fertile soil of my childhood continue to reap a rich harvest in my life.

By the time I “graduated” from the primary class, I could recite basic passages such as Psalm 23, John 3:16, and Romans 3:23 and 6:23. When I reached my early teens, I had committed to memory larger portions of Scripture. For a Christmas presentation, I learned most of Luke 2. I can still recite it, along with Psalm 1, which an ambitious teacher challenged me to learn when I was a junior (preteen).

A few years ago, I challenged my class of young adults to memorize a substantial chunk of Ephesians 4. The response was overwhelming. The students supported each other with applause as their classmates recited the text. I rewarded their efforts with a small token of appreciation.

Someone has said that each Scripture we memorize increases the Holy Spirit’s vocabulary in our lives. That’s true, for the Word of God is dynamic, and it’s generally from those passages stored in the memory that the Holy Spirit speaks to us to inspire, encourage, and direct.

Memorize it, and it’s yours.

—Shirley G. Spencer