DEVOTED: 🚀📖 Houston, we have a memory verse.

November 10, 2024

"With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!"

–Psalm 119:10, ESV

IN THIS EMAIL

Shout Out: God is good!

Try This: DCC100

Party Tricks: Who wrote the Bible anyway?

Cheat Sheet: Storing God's Word in Our Hearts

SHOUT OUT

Devoted followers of Christ at DCC

Shout out to God!

It's fun to give shout-outs to Christians when they do cool stuff in Jesus' name, but none of that would be possible if God were not already at work transforming lives through the power of the gospel!

This week, we're praising God for what He is doing in the lives of the 24 people who have decided to proclaim their faith in Jesus through baptism.

Here's just a sampling of the difference Jesus has made in their lives:

"I no longer worry, lay in defeat or get discouraged because I know Christ is with me."

–Latia, Northside Madison Campus

"Jesus did all these powerful things, and I know He can help me too."

–Olivia, Sprecher Road Campus

"Through God's forgiveness, I've transformed!"

–Lacy, Sprecher Road Campus

"Bad things that used to interest me don't have the same effect."

–Micah, DeForest Campus

"I don't feel alone anymore."

–Cora, DeForest Campus

Praise the Lord!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead!” (1 Peter 1:3, ESV)

TRY THIS

Fresh ideas for spiritual growth

Scripture Memory

In an age when the Bible is "googleable" (that is a word, isn't it?) what's the point of memorizing Scripture?

Here are six reasons why the ancient practice of reciting the Bible by heart might be exactly what you need to take your faith to the next level.

1. You'll enjoy God more.

Living in a fallen world means we're naturally out of touch with God. However, internalizing His word is internalizing His very thoughts. What better way to delight in God than by filling your mind with His ideas?

2. You'll have something to say when it matters most.

Have you ever listened in as another believer expertly disarmed a skeptic with Scripture? Have you ever wished you could comfort your hurting friend with something more than cliche? Memorizing Scripture will help you take advantage of those "God moments" like never before.

3. It will help you overcome sin.

When Jesus faced temptation, He quoted Scripture. Scripture memory was part of how Jesus faithfully fulfilled His calling. If it worked for Him, it can work for you.

4. We're commanded to memorize Scripture.

In Colossians 3:16, Paul tells his church to "let the word of Christ dwell in us richly." How can you do that if you can't remember what He said?

5. Scripture memory makes you wise.

Rattling off verses without any understanding of what they mean is not the goal. Rather, when we intentionally absorb the words of Scripture, we subconsciously mull it over until they illuminate, correct and shape our most deeply-held beliefs.

6. What else are you going to do? Play another game on your phone?

You're already filling your mind with something, why not fill it with Scripture instead of scrolling, shopping and wasting time doing things that don't matter?

Ready to get started?

This Sunday, grab the first installment of DCC 100, our new system for Scripture Memory. We'll continue to add to this collection throughout the next several months.

Ready for an even bigger challenge? Check out Josh Summer's YouTube channel to learn how to memorize entire books of the Bible!

We can't wait to see how God deepens us as we embark on this journey together!

PARTY TRICKS 🃏

Stuff your pastor paid big bucks to learn in Bible school

Who wrote the Bible anyway?

When preachers talk about the Bible, why do they say "Paul said this" and "Moses said that"? Didn't God write the Bible?

Well yes, but the way He did it is more interesting than most people think.

Can you explain?

Happy to! Lots of people who really love the Bible assume God "zapped" biblical authors into a trance and made them write until they woke up and voila! There it was, pleather-bound, complete with the table of contents and some nice colorful maps in the back. But when the Bible talks about how the Bible came to be, it was actually way more interesting.

How so?

As you page through the Bible, a clear pattern emerges—when God wanted to reveal His thoughts, He spoke through people. As the message spread, people collected it and wrote it down exactly as God intended. Among Bible nerds, this process is called "verbal plenary inspiration." In 2 Timothy 3:16, the greek word is "theopneustos," which literally means "God-breathed" (how cool is that?).

Woah. So God "inspired" people to write the Bible?

Kind of, but let's drill down a bit more. Have you ever felt "inspired" to reorganize your closet or reach out to an old friend from high school? While we often use "inspiration" to describe those motivational light-bulb moments, biblical inspiration is something quite different—and way more fascinating!

So how exactly did God work with human authors?

Think of it like a divine collaboration project. When we talk about the Bible being "inspired," we're not saying the authors just had a really good writing day or that God zapped them into a trance. Instead, it's more like God was the executive producer, working through human co-creators to tell His story exactly the way He wanted to tell it. Peter described it like being “carried along” by the Holy Spirit.

Wait, are you saying God didn't just dictate the words?

Right! God didn't just dictate words to biblical authors like some cosmic voice recorder. Instead, He worked through their unique personalities, experiences and writing styles to say exactly what He wanted to say—down to the very letter. Take Luke, for example—this guy was basically an ancient investigative journalist, carefully collecting eyewitness accounts for his gospel. God used Luke's obsession with getting the facts straight just like He used Jeremiah's punchy word pictures and David's vivid poetry.

So what's the big takeaway here?

When God gave us His word, He wasn't just interested in downloading information—He wanted a relationship. That's why He partnered with humans to share His message in ways that would resonate across cultures and generations.

So next time you open your Bible, remember: you’re not reading something God just dropped out of heaven—you're experiencing the beautiful result of God's creative, patient and loving collaboration with humanity. Pretty amazing, right?

MESSAGE CHEAT SHEET

Get more out of the message

Storing Up God's Word in Our Hearts

Psalm 119:9-16

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WATCH: YouTube or Website

Download Cheat Sheet pdf

The Big Idea

How do we experience the real power of God's Word? By hiding it in our hearts through meditation and memorization.

Good to Know

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible, containing 176 verses.

Psalm 1 says that the person who "meditates" on God's word has it made in the shade (or is "blessed"). Psalm 119 describes what meditating on Scripture actually looks like.

There are a handful of "acrostic" poems in the Bible (poems where each line begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet). This psalm is like a "SUPER acrostic" where each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet gets its own eight-line paragraph!

Why an acrostic? Lots of reasons: 1) It looks cool on a Hebrew scroll, 2) It makes it easier to memorize, 3) It's kind of like an "A-Z" on the topic of God's Word.

Psalm 119 uses eight different Hebrew words that all describe aspects of God's instructions. If you've ever wondered what the benefits of meditating on Scripture are, this is THE place to go.

Although incidental, it's cool that Psalm 119 is near the center of our modern Bibles. How cool is it that in the heart of our Bibles is an extended poetic meditation on the magnificence of God's Word?

Whoever wrote this Psalm was bonkers for the Bible! If you're bored with the Bible, this will remind you that it is a source of joy, delight and life-giving power, with the word "delight" appearing multiple times throughout the text.

Group Guide

Following the series with your group?

Start with some icebreaker questions.
Read the passage together before you dive in.
Share any insights from the message. Use the questions below to get your conversation started.

Conversation Starters

1. Verse 9 asks, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” How does our culture make "clean living" difficult? In what ways has the Bible been helpful in safeguarding the transformation God is working in your life?"

2. Verse 11 says, “I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” What are some practical ways we can “store up” God’s Word in our hearts?

3. In verse 14, the psalmist says he rejoices in God’s statutes “as much as in all riches.” Can you share a time when a particular verse or passage felt like a treasure to you? How did it impact your perspective or bring joy?

4. Verse 15 mentions “meditating on your precepts (instructions).” What are some instructions people have given you that you've never forgotten? How did they really get embedded into your soul?

5. The psalmist says, “I will delight in your statutes (authoritative advice)” in verse 16. What would help you truly enjoy reading the Bible and make it something you look forward to? How can we move from duty to delight?

6. If you could ask God to help you with one aspect of connecting more deeply with Scripture, what would it be? (e.g. understanding, consistency, delighting in it)

7. Have you grabbed your own Scripture memory cards? On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to actually use them? What could you do to bump that number up this week?

Prayer Prompts

Lord make us a people who internalize your word out of wholehearted love for you. Give us wisdom for how to reprioritize our daily schedules so we can deepen our delight in your instructions. Amen!

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