Becoming Like Jesus: Scripture MemorizationSample

God’s Promise

As we conclude the first week of this Plan, let’s look back on some of the key ideas we’ve covered so far.

We began by exploring the way memorizing Scripture is a spiritual discipline designed to help us internalize truth. The purpose of practicing spiritual disciplines is not to prove how holy we are. It’s not about struggling and striving to become better than other people. Spiritual disciplines are practices that help us trust the Spirit of God to do in us what we can’t do in ourselves, and they help us train our bodies to live out what we believe. In other words, the goal of spiritual disciplines is to make us more like Jesus, by the power of the Spirit, for the sake of others.

From there, we briefly looked at how our spiritual enemy will attack our identity and target our desires with lies and deception, just like he did with Adam and Eve in the garden and Jesus in the wilderness. Jesus readied Himself for battle through years of memorizing Scripture so that every time the devil attacked with a lie, Jesus countered with truth. So, if we, like Jesus, want to reinforce our identity and resist the devil, then one of the best things we can do is internalize truth by memorizing Scripture.

After that, we considered a series of Bible passages that illustrated God’s character and His attitude toward us. Because what we believe shapes how we behave. And how we behave determines who we become. But what influences our beliefs? Knowing where we belong. When we understand that we belong to God, we will start to believe what He believes about us. And this will flow into behaviors that build us into people becoming like Jesus.

Today, we are going to read about God’s promise to us, His chosen people.

Let’s take a look.

Pray ...

Heavenly Father, thank You for making me a part of Your family. You are a good and loving dad. And I’m grateful to be Your kid. Jesus, You are the best big brother anyone could ask for. You died for me so I could be one with You. Holy Spirit, work in me to make me more like Jesus. I trust You to do what I can’t. Lead me and guide me today.

Read ...

… anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 NLT

Consider ...

When you devote yourself to Jesus, He makes you a part of His family.

In Colossians, Paul puts it this way:

For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. Colossians 1:13-14 NLT

We have been rescued from darkness. Now, we belong to Jesus. And as the passage above tells us, anyone who belongs to Jesus has become a new person.

Who you used to be is not who you are. Your past is in the past. The sin and shame that had a hold on you are no more. Now, you are wrapped in the arms of your loving Father, who sees you as His beloved child.

All of this is an act of grace. We didn’t earn it and we certainly don’t deserve it. But God made it possible because He is so generous and kind to us.

In Christ, we become new people. And, in Christ, we are given a new mission.

What is that mission? To partner with God in His good plans to reconcile the whole world to Himself. That means working alongside Jesus as He rescues people from sin and walking with the Spirit as He leads us to play a part in restoring the world.

In Christ, we have become a new creation. And, in Christ, we have been given the task of reconciling others to Him.

Us becoming new isn’t just possible, it’s promised. And Jesus returning to reconcile the whole world to Himself isn’t just a fantasy, it’s our future reality.

So, we can walk with Jesus and work with the Spirit free from worry. Because the weight of the world isn’t resting on our shoulders. He’s the one who started the work, and He’s the one who will finish it. We get the pleasure of partnering with Him while He does.

Practice ...

Continue internalizing the truth found in Ephesians 2:8-10. This is the last day we’ll be focusing on this passage, so make it count!

Quiz yourself to see how well you have these words memorized. Or, give a friend permission to challenge you, on the spot, to say this week’s verse at any given time. The accountability from your friend and the surprise challenge may help you internalize this truth so you are always ready!

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, sonone of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT

Listen ...

Set a timer for 5–10 minutes.

Create space in your mind and heart to hear from God. Lead into your listening by using those verses from Ephesians as a prayer:

God, thank You for saving me. Your grace is a gift and I am so grateful for it. You didn’t save me because of the good things I’ve done, so I have no reason to boast. You saved me because You love me. You are a master artist, and You’ve made me into a masterpiece. Because of Jesus, I have been made new. Now, I can do the good things You planned for me to do before I was ever born.

Next, ask God to speak to you. And then, simply listen.

When you get distracted, come back to Jesus by reading the verses you just wrote down. Say them out loud. Focus on each line and let the truth you are learning redirect your thoughts.