Memory verses

Just after Thanksgiving a co-worker asked me a simple question that stumped me for a moment. His question was... "what does John 3:17 say?"

My answer was "that's a good question," then I told him that I have had verse 16 memorized since I was a kid, but never memorized verse 17. After thinking about it and reciting verse 16 several times trying to remember what 17 said I answered his question the best I could. I said I don't know it by heart but it says something to do do with Jesus not condemning the world. I then took out my phone and opened up my Bible app, Olive Tree Bible app (https://www.olivetree.com/), and looked it up to find that I was correct.

I got to thinking about that situation for a few days and realized that most people have a favorite verse or a verse that has deep meaning to them. They know what that verse says and what it means to them. Many could probably even tell you their story of how or why it became their favorite. But they don't know what the verses before and after say. Or at least they don't know them by heart, like I didn't know John 3:17 by heart but knew what it talked about.

So this led me to come up with a sermon series about our favorite memory verses and the verses before and after them. I asked my church to write on an index card up to 3 verses that they considered to be their favorites and I would choose 5 and look at a few verses before and after it and do a sermon based on those verses. I also challenged them to take some time and look at a few verses for themselves and just be familiar with what it says. It's just another way of getting closer to God's Word.

I challenge the reader of this post to do the same thing. Take a few moments at the start of your time with God and look at a favorite verse and go up to the start of the paragraph and start reading and go to the end of the paragraph or read the next paragraph. This can give you a better understanding of God.

I'm looking forward to the next 5 Sunday's.