What words do you hear yourself say most often?

Jesus said we can be defiled by what comes out of our mouth (Matthew 15:11). David prayed that the words from his mouth would please the Lord (Psalm 19:14). Psychological studies show we grow to believe what we say.

What might happen if we said the following words aloud to ourselves this week?

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13:6-7

Would it remind us to . . .

• Be happier when we see truth win over evil
• Not give up on others
• Trust more often
• Look for the best
• Keep going to the end?

Let’s find out. Print these verses and place them somewhere you’ll notice. Pray through them daily. It’s not a magic formula but it is an opportunity to see how God will work!

This is Week 10 of Hiding Classics in My Heart. We’re memorizing 1 Corinthians 13:6-7. Will you join us?

Which aspect of love in these verses do you need to practice most this week?

Please leave a comment below with your thoughts.

Love is this.

• Patient
• Kind

Love is not this.

• Envious
• Boastful
• Proud
• Rude
• Self-seeking
• Easily-angered
• Keeper of wrongs

I’m not sure which list is harder.

But this I know: I can become neither list on my own. Without Jesus in me, it’s hopeless.

Once again, as with other verses we’re soaking in this summer (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 8:28, John 3:16, etc.), 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 reveal how desperately we depend on Christ’s empowering grace within us to live a transformed life.

We’re memorizing four verses from the famous “Love Chapter” (1 Corinthians 13) this week and next. As we walk these out, let’s encourage each other to look to Jesus–He is the perfect example of Love incarnate.

Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind. Jesus does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. . . .

Do you show love easier by doing good things or by not doing bad things?
Who in the flesh has most recently demonstrated Christ’s love to you?
Who most needs to see your love this week?

Please share your thoughts with us.

8  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9  not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

I’m sorry to say these verses didn’t mean much to me until years after I’d already been walking with Christ. Maybe that’s why they’re still hard for me to grasp. My salvation is nothing of my doing? Purely a gift? Really, God?

It’s almost too good to be true. But I know it IS true. I thank God for this lavish gift of salvation that we don’t deserve or have to earn.

What I couldn’t understand as a child, I’m appreciating immeasurably as an adult. That’s one reason I want these truths in my memory and not just on page 1,175 of my Bible.

This week we’re memorizing them together in our Hiding Classics in My Heart. We’d love for you to join us here and on Facebook.

Is there a scripture you had to grow into?
Is there one now that you can’t fully grasp but want to?
Do you already have Ephesians 2:8-9 memorized or would like to?

Please share your thoughts with us.

All things work together for good. Who wouldn’t want that promise? It’s reassuring when life is hard or times look confusing.

Paul put two qualifiers on who that promise is for:

1. those who love God
2. those called according to his purpose

So if you’re a believer, know this promise is for you!

Trust that good will happen because God is for you to conform you to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29, 31).

We invite you this week to memorize with us and use this verse to discover more reasons to praise God through your circumstances.

How have you experienced the truth of Romans 8:28?
What circumstance do you need to apply this to now?
Please leave a comment below and join the conversation on our memory group Facebook page.

This week we’re memorizing (or refreshing) the last verses of the Lord’s Prayer.

12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Matthew 6:12-13 (KJV)

Depending on which gospel account or which translation you’re reading, there are two different endings to the Lord’s Prayer.

Luke stops with, “And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil” (Luke 11:4 KJV). But Matthew’s account sometimes includes one more sentence: “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Matthew 6:13 KJV).

Because many scholars say the last sentence is not included in the oldest and best manuscripts of the book of Matthew, it’s often not considered authentic. My personal favorite translation—English Standard Version—doesn’t include it at all in Matthew 6:13.

So what do we do with it?

Some just omit the last sentence when they recite the Lord’s Prayer; others continue to say it.

I personally include it because it is valid truth I want to affirm—His IS the kingdom and the power and the glory forever!—and whether or not Jesus spoke those actual words to His disciples, I can mean them when I pray. But if others choose not to, I understand that as well.

What about you? How did you first learn the Lord’s Prayer?
Do you include the last sentence?
What words or phrases stand out to you as personally meaningful in this prayer?

Please share your thoughts below and with our Facebook group.

What if instead of this:

1  The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Psalm 23:1-3 (KJV)

David had said this instead:

1  No one can help me; I’ll never have enough, never be enough.

2  I work and grow tired and am oh, so weary, but still I can’t stop. I can’t slow down.

3  My soul is in chaos. I’m lost with no map, no clue where I am, no purpose to move forward.
Unpsalm 23:1-3 (LiesVersion)

When you are tired or confused or afraid, what words do you say to yourself?

We’re filling our minds this summer with godly words as we memorize these classics. Please share in the comments which words of Psalm 23:1-3 mean the most to you. Also join our daily conversation on Facebook.

Each Monday this summer we’ll be highlighting our weekly verse from Hiding Classics in My Heart. Please join the conversation in the comments about what these verses mean to YOU.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16  (KJV)
{June 3 – June 9}

Of all Bible verses, John 3:16 tops the list of most read. (See list of Top 100 here.) It also shows up on almost every list of important verses to memorize.

And for good reason. It sums up who we are (the beloved), who God is (the ultimate Giver and Lover), what He did (sacrificed His Son), and why He did it (out of love for our lives).

It’s no wonder this is one of our favorite scriptures. If you haven’t already memorized it, what better time than now?

And if you do already know it, use it this week to meditate on how greatly you’re loved by God!

Do you already know John 3:16? When did you first learn it? What does it mean to you now? Please leave a comment below. Also join our daily conversation on Facebook.

Do you have favorite go-to Bible verses that personally help you through tough times? Or ones that help word your praise in good times?

We have special verses as a community, too. At funerals, weddings, baptisms, etc., we often are called upon to quote in unison such passages as Psalm 23 or the Lord’s Prayer.

If you have never memorized these—or need to see them anew with fresh eyes!—please join our easy summer memory challenge, Hiding Classics in My Heart, beginning Monday, June 3, for 12 weeks.

Go here to register and to download the verses and the schedule. More FAQs are here. This challenge is great for the whole family!

Then return here each Monday throughout the summer to share how it’s going and what you’re learning.

If you write a post about scripture memorization on your own blog, please add it to our Spring Link-Up here. We’ll have a new link-up go live on Wednesday, June 5.

Questions? Comments?