Passion for Memorizing God's Word
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. --Psalms 119:11
Noted Bible teacher E. Schuyler English told about a Bible distributor, Michael Billester, who visited a small town in Poland shortly before Word War II. Billester gave a Bible to a villager, who was converted after reading it. The new believer then passed the book on to others. This cycle of conversions and sharing of faith continued until 200 people had become believers through that one Bible!
When Billester returned to Poland in 1940, this group of Christians met together for a worship service where he was to preach the Word of God. It was usually his custom to ask for testimonies, but this time Billester suggested that several in the congregation stand and recite verses of Scripture.
One man stood and said, "Perhaps we have misunderstood your request. Do you mean verses or chapters?"
These Polish villagers had not memorized a few select verses of the Bible, but instead whole chapters and books. Thirteen people knew Matthew, Luke, and half of Genesis. And another person had committed the entire book of Psalms to memory. That single copy of the Bible given by Billester to the one new believer had certainly done its work.
In this story, transformed lives bore witness to the power of the Word of God. Are you passionate about learning and memorizing God's Word? Are you sharing what you know with those who do not know Jesus? 1 John 2:5 says, "But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him." Determine today to hide the Word of God in your heart and pass along its truth to those you come in contact with each day.
PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask the Lord to open your heart to His Word so that you can hold tightly to its truth. Pray that He would give you opportunities to share the Bible with others.
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