Memorizing Scripture can be really overwhelming. There are tons of excuses out there like, “I don’t know where to begin,” or “My brain just doesn’t work that way.” But think about it this way – how many songs from your teenage years do you still know all the words to? Can you quote random lines from movies you haven’t seen in years? A fresh perspective reminds us that memorizing Scripture is more doable than we think. When we say no to practicing the discipline of memorizing Scripture, we are missing out on an opportunity to know God more.
KNOWLEDGE: Gaining understanding of the Truth
MEMORY VERSE: “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment." Proverbs 9:10 (NLT)
This Week’s Finish Line: Know God by Memorizing Scripture
When Joshua was getting ready to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land after 40 years of wandering, God told him that success would come from his understanding of and obedience to the Book of Instruction the Lord had given them. He commanded Joshua to study God’s Word and to meditate on it day and night. Years and years later, in the book of Luke, we read about when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. Three times, the devil tempted Jesus to disobey God’s Word and His perfect plan, even twisting verses from the Old Testament to try to trick Jesus into doing something He shouldn’t do. But like God had reminded Joshua, Jesus knew that true prosperity and success comes not from following what the world says is popular or right, but in understanding and following God’s Word. All three times that He was tempted, Jesus had Scripture ready to quote back to the devil about how God’s way was better, always.
Family Questions:
READ LUKE 4:1-13
- What did Jesus do when the devil tried to tempt Him to sin? (He quoted Scripture! He used verses from the Old Testament when He was tempted to do something wrong.)
- Did He have a Bible with Him? So, how did He know the verses to use? (KEY: He had them memorized.)
- What did the devil do in verses 10-11? (He also quoted verses from the Bible. However, he used the words in a way God never meant and tried to trick Jesus into sinning.) This is why it’s so important to not just know what the Bible says, but study it so you can tell if someone is not using it correctly.
- What does this verse tell us to do? (Study and meditate – or think about – the Bible all the time) Why should we do this? (So we can know and obey God’s Word, make wise choices, and get to know Him better)
- Where are some places that it would be helpful if you had God’s Word memorized? How could that help you?
READ JOSHUA 1:8
- What does this verse tell us to do? (Study and meditate – or think about – the Bible all the time) Why should we do this? (So we can know and obey God’s Word, make wise choices, and get to know Him better)
- Where are some places that it would be helpful if you had God’s Word memorized? How could that help you?
* Check out our vision for parents and how to use these activities each week.
Bring it Home Conversations & Activities:
Teacher: Meal Time
Review the story in Luke 4:1-13. Has anyone ever tried to get you to do something you knew you shouldn’t do? What did you do? Do you think it would be easier to resist temptation if you knew what God’s Word said about it? Why? Would it be easier to not disobey if you knew exactly what the Bible said about it, and could pull that from memory when you’ve been tempted to be disobedient? Why?
Friend: Drive Time
Time spent in the car throughout the week is the perfect for memorizing and reviewing Scripture! Spend time this week either memorizing a verse as a family together or reviewing verses you’ve memorized before. You can use flash cards, make up a song to help you memorize, or come up with your own fun ways to memorize and review. Not sure where to start? Click here for a list of verses we’ll be memorizing in Watermark Kids this year!
Counselor: Bedtime
Thank God for giving us His Word to encourage us, challenge us, and to let us know Him better. Ask Him to help you use your time wisely to study, meditate on, and memorize His Word. Also, ask Him to help you know Him better by memorizing scripture.
Coach: Anytime
Talk with your kids about something they are struggling with or an area where they are feeling tempted or are needing encouragement. Remind them of our story this week and how Jesus set an example for us that we can follow – to use God’s Word to remind us of what is true about God, even when we’re going through something hard. Based on what they share, choose a verse that they can memorize to help or encourage them. Last week in Watermark Kids, we learned how to use the concordance in our Bibles to help us find verses that talk about a certain subject. Encourage your child to find a verse to memorize by helping them use their concordance and look up verses that they can memorize.
Prayer
Thank God for giving us His Word to encourage us, challenge us, and to let us know Him better. Ask Him to help you use your time wisely to study, meditate on, and memorize His Word.
Looking Ahead
Next week we will continue learning about KNOWLEDGE!
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