Memorize the Blessing

In Psalm one, the Bible promises great blessings for those who meditate on God's law day and night. To start, we focus on God's Word and on His law in the morning and in the evening. But, how can we meditate on it during our busy times throughout the day?

Meditating is speaking, thinking, and musing. When we study the verses for quitting, (a great choice for memorization), we then think more often about what God wants in our lustful temptations. That meditation starts us towards obedience, which then starts us toward the path of blessing that this chapter talks about.

The best way to meditate day and night is to memorize scripture. We can include memorization of things like the great verses, or you can get involved in something like the fighter verse program or some other program for memorizing scripture.

Start by memorizing Psalms 1, verses 2-3

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

Second, start to memorize verses to meditate on. But remind yourself of these above 2 verses every day so that you are inspired by their promises, so that you will continue to memorize.

Third, it does not matter how good you are at memorizing. Trying, persistence, and effort are way more important than a perfect memory. If you keep trying, you will be allowing God to renew your mind (as well as being blessed).

Here are some verses to consider memorizing.

Romans 10:17- So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 6:1-2- What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

Matthew 6:22-23 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

Psalm 119:37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.

Romans 6:23- For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew 26:41 ESV Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Matthew 5:8 ESV “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 ESV
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Psalm 101:3 ESV I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.

Isaiah 40:31- But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Matthew 5:16- "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 6:33-34- "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow.”

Mark 12:30-31- 'And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. "And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

John 10:10 ESV /
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Romans 12:1-2- I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

 

Trying to live in a way to start the Psalms one blessing is a challenge. Yesterday I wrote two verses in a notebook to memorize. I looked at them about twice yesterday and I have yet to look at them today. So, I have passed the first hurdle of setting up a system of trying, and now I need to learn the habit of doing it.

Today, my goal is to review my first 2 verses every hour, on the hour. I also plan to add a third verse to my notebook today.

I recommend doing this because of Matthew 6:22-23 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

I memorized this verse one year ago. This verse taught me that I was always trading in my long-term joy for short-term pleasure. I was living sometimes in darkness (with destruction added), sometimes in light, with a whole lot of grey thrown in.

This verse has power. Saying this verse a few times per day had a profound effect on me. Try it, you will like it.

Today consider deciding how you will save your verses so that you can access them every hour. Then see how your life will change for the better.

 

David says a person is blessed when his, “delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

Why use the word law? At least part of the recommendation is to read the Bible. But, he used the term law because we should look to the law every time we need to look to the law if we want that blessing. When lust temptation overwhelms we should study the verses for quitting. We do this to delight in the law, trusting that the law will pound the sin right out of us. When things are under control we should follow his advice and read the Bible.

A new friend of mine said he uses the Horner method to read the Bible. I looked it up and with it you read 10 chapters per day. Maybe that is what David did when he was right with God, at the time he was slaying Goliath. Other systems focus on five chapters per day.

Many are shocked that I know almost all of the New Testament verses regarding sin. But I have studied the key ones a lot because doing so is delighting in the law of the Lord.

Finally, always find new ways to dig into the Bible. It will always be good for you.

 

Matthew 5 tells us how to think to increase happiness. It begins: “Blessed are the poor in Spirit.” Am I just a tiny man, fully dependent on a huge powerful God? Yes. I can't even breathe without Him. Life is not great unless I focus on humility, and on caring about other people. When we start to realize how great God is, and how small we are, then we start to increase in caring about people and caring about their souls. Consider praying:

“Father, help me to decrease, and help me to go to war with lust so I can do Your will.”

The passage ends with, “For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Focusing often on this passage is not taking a break from the war on lust. Helping and caring about others is a key to quitting.

Today consider starting to acquire the habit of denying yourself so that others may be lifted up and helped.

The second blessing is: Blessed are they that mourn. Mathew Henry noted: A penitential mourning for our own sins; this is godly sorrow, a sorrow according to God; sorrow for sin, with an eye to Christ, Zec. 12:10. Those are God's mourners, who live a life of repentance, who lament the corruption of their nature, and their many actual transgressions, and God's withdrawings from them;”

When we sin, part of mourning might be to study a dozen articles to try to better understand “why” a fall happened. Part of mourning might be to spend a block of time in prayer lamenting what has happened. Part of mourning might be to ask God for wisdom regarding “why” lust is such a problem. Asking Him “How” to fight it better. Mourning certainly involves committing more “time” to learn habits of how to fight the problem more effectively.

Finally, studying verses on how to live is a vital part of quitting. We need to pound “How to live” into us at the same time as we pound “How not to live” out of us. Once we are completely dedicated to doing that, the Spirit will keep us from evil.

 

Today I am tempted to chase one of my desires, which would also bring some extra cash in. That is what “I” want. I also have been praying:

“Father, expand my borders and bless me indeed.”

That is what “God” wants.

I deserve to do what I want. Right?

I know from past experience that I will be “happier” if I do what God wants. I know from past experience that I will be more blessed if I do what God wants.

I forget that when I do things my way I reap frustration and emptiness.

Second, every day, decide if you want God's joy and blessing, or your way.

Third, every day, decide if you are willing to work to live life the right way.

Fourth, no matter how many clean days you currently have... Start “Every day” as if you need to fight to stay clean again today. That is a huge key to “Staying clean every day.”