I grew up in the church with one verse memorized: John 3:16. Occasionally I’d memorize other passages, but only if I got points and prizes for it. Once I got the goods, the verse was thrown in the mental dumpster.

Now I also have Psalm 119:11 memorized. It basically says, “I memorize Scripture so I won’t sin against You.” This implies that the opposite, forsaking the internalization of God’s Word, results in sin. But a lot of Christians don’t bother with Scripture memory.

Why not?

1. We Have Google & Stuff

Lightning-fast access to the Bible has made us lazy. With just a few clicks, we can google the entirety of Scripture! Or how about that Bible app? It’s so convenient, and look… it has so many versions to choose from!

Okay fine. I was already lazy. Easy Bible access just gave me an excuse to be lazier.

2. It’s Too Much Work

There’s already so much going on in life. Family life, church life, schoolwork, work work, and now we gotta memorize Scripture? We often settle for ten minutes of quiet time before we get on with life. But meaningful engagement with God often takes time and sacrifice. The convicting question is this: What is it we are not willing to sacrifice, and why is it even a sacrifice?

3. We Don’t See The Point

Are you face to face with temptation? Just tell it, “Hold up, Temptation. Let me pull out my uh… nifty phone and load the Bible app. I think there’s a verse in here that says you’re wrong and I should flee from you. Give me a sec. Gotta look this up while I stand in your gravity as you pull me in…”

Or you can just slap Temptation in the face with memorized Scripture the moment it enters your atmosphere.

There’s a certain urgency to be had when standing in the midst of temptation. God’s Word is our sword and it must never be sheathed. Be primed and ready for battle, because you never know when it’s time to strike. Colossians 3:16 tells us to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly.

4. We Don’t Actually Want to Be Like Jesus

Jesus, the man who basked in perfect communion with the Father, often quoted Scripture. About 180 times from 24 different Old Testament manuscripts do we see Him reciting Scripture. Jesus held God’s word close to His heart as an act of intimacy.

Too often, we proclaim that we want to be like Jesus without actually pursuing it. It’s like we want to want to be like Jesus. How about this: Do you want to be like Jesus in the way He memorized Scripture?

Ernest’s Adventure

When I finally began memorizing more Scripture, I looked for an app to help me. I couldn’t really find any that I liked, so I coded my own!

While designing the app, I wanted to add more and more features, things I thought would be useful to others. I eventually realized that the scope of the app I wanted to make would require more time and a small team.

So this is my latest adventure—an enjoyable and goal-oriented Scripture Memory game! This will help us memorize more of the Bible in a new and fun way. Ultimately, intimacy with God goes beyond pure memorization, but memorization helps us in our quest to glorify God.

Got 3 Minutes?

I need your help! To make this app awesome, I need to do some market research. If you’re a Christian with a few minutes to spare, can you do this quick survey for me?

Click to help! » (111 have taken the survey!)

Thanks in advance! If you have any other Christian friends, please share this with them, as I would also love their thoughts!