And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:5 ESV)
Growing up, I am thankful that I was encouraged by different children’s programs to memorize scripture. Actually, encouraging is not truly what was going on. It was bribery, plain and simple. We were rewarded each week at ‘Crusaders’ children’s club for every verse we locked in our hearts and minds.
At the time, I can’t say it was a spiritual exercise, but I figured I was getting sweets. The cavities that followed were punishment for my shallow motivation. In my defense, it wasn’t easy to digest and memorize the old King James Version! But that was all we had and I managed to grasp the thees and thous just enough to regurgitate the verses each Wednesday night.
Now as an adult, I am unbelievably thankful. When I sit down to write or to plan a lesson to teach, the Lord brings to my remembrance just enough of a verse that I can hunt it down. Priceless childhood training! Thank goodness for BlueletterBible.com where with a few key words, we can find our verses along with the original Greek and Hebrew words and Strong’s concordance.
My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. (Proverbs 7:1-3 ESV)
But lately, as I read a Christian book or listen to someone teaching a lesson on YouTube, I often find myself struggling to place the ‘quote’ they are reading from their ‘bibles’. It appears there are versions – not translations – cropping up in popular culture that I don’t recognize at all. They are fun and ‘refreshing’ to read, but we need to be careful to not forget that scripture is sacred.
There’s a whole generation reading and memorizing words that are not at all close to what was God inspired. We are called to treasure, keep, bind, and memorize the Word of God in the context and as close to the original language that it was scribed (not follow just one man’s popular paraphrasing). While it may be palatable, there are vast cavities in the miscommunications.
We need to know the Truth in order to not be deceived by any wolves who are trying to sneak in and shepherd His flock – and us!
Father, how easily we can be deceived and fall when we compromise Your Word. Help us to be Crusaders of Truth. Keep our hearts and minds tuned, Holy Spirit, to recognize false teaching and compromised versions of Your sweet Love Letters. Forgive us Lord for allowing deception into our churches and homes. Restore Your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
