My church is doing a memory project in which we, as a congregation, have been given 25 Bible verses to memorize through the Spring and Summer. We’ll then receive another 25 verses to memorize in the Fall and Winter. I am so excited to participate in this and intentionally learn and memorize scripture. The goal isn’t just so I can stand in front of someone and tell them a Bible verse. The goal is to connect the mind and the heart with the Word of God. In so doing, may God be glorified, and may I run to the light of His Word every single day!
As I memorize scripture, I don’t want this to just be words to say. I desire to truly dig in and learn more about each verse’s message. Sometimes it will be simple and straightforward. Other times there will be layers of amazing truth and wisdom. Since digging into the Word of God, I have noticed how it has changed me. Scripture humbles and expresses truth. It dispels any doubt I may have had and provides wisdom and guidance for daily life. The Word of God continually points to Jesus – the source of our Salvation. One of my favorite things to do is flip the pages between New Testament and Old Testament to see prophecy fulfilled and how connected scripture is. Context is so important! So I’ve decided to share what I learn with you! Let’s dig in together!
No Spiritual Discipline is more important than the intake of God’s Word. Nothing can substitute for it. There simply is no healthy Christian life apart from a diet of the milk and meat of Scripture.
Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian LIfe
The first verse to commit to memory is John 14:6. I’m choosing the ESV as my translation of choice to memorize these precious words.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
(I typed that from memory, in case you were wondering. Ha!)
Jesus is the way. In Exodus 26, God gives instructions for how to build His Tabernacle. In verses 33-36, the instructions are given for blocking off the Most Holy Place, which would contain the ark of the testimony. Only the Levitical High Priest (Leviticus 16) could enter this part of the Tabernacle once a year, on the Day of Atonement. No one else was allowed to enter God’s Holiness. In Leviticus 10:2, we read that Aaron’s two sons entered and offered “unauthorized fire” or strange fire, which the Lord had not commanded them to do. Each of them was consumed by a fire that came from the Lord and died. Right there. On the spot! And now we have Jesus, who has come to fulfill the OT prophecy. And there is salvation in one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). The moment Jesus said, “It is finished,” and bowed His head to give up His spirit (John 19:30), the curtain that separated us from the Most Holy Place was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). Thus, there was no longer any separation between God and the people.
I encourage you to open your Bible and read Hebrews 9:11-10:18 for a more in-depth explanation of the significance of Jesus’ death on the cross. He IS the way!
Jesus is the truth. John 1:17 says For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 1 John 5:20 says, And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
Jesus is the life. Believing in Jesus doesn’t just bring life to those who believe in Him and know His voice. It brings us eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16) and My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand John 10:26-27).
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25-26
I’m going to be honest with you. After taking the time to ponder what Jesus’ statement in John 14:6 means to the believer, I became overwhelmed and at a loss for words. What an incredible gift from a loving Savior Who has given up His life for me – a wretch that deserves so much worse.
We are so much more deserving of God’s wrath and eternal punishment, but Oh! what a gift it is for those who believe to know that because of Jesus, we have received grace, mercy, and forgiveness and life everlasting with the King of Kings. Oh, glorious day!
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