Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.                                                                   Psalms 119:11

 Every Tuesday Gail goes to the Lenawee Medical Care Facility to visit with some of the residents. One of them, Clara Stevens, has a real passion for memorizing Scripture. So Gail spends much of her time with Clara working on Scripture memory. For someone who is approaching her mid- nineties, this is certainly noteworthy. Clara and Gail have been working on the 23^rd Psalm and Isaiah 12:2.  Since Clara cannot read due to failing eyesight, she depends on Gail to help her with the words.

 Clara not only evokes this passion for Scripture memory, but also loves the study of the meaning of each word. For instance, in Isaiah 12:2 in the King James it says, “He also is become my salvation.” The word “is” excites Clara because it is present tense, not past or future, but “is” become my salvation. When she talks about this, there is such a gleam in her eyes that conveys her love for God’s Word. It is amazing for someone of her age to have such an active enthusiasm for study and memorization of Scripture. She demonstrates great determination and perfection in “getting it right” when it comes to memorization. She doesn’t quit until she has perfected it.

 This is a challenge to all of us, no matter our age, to include memorization and study of God’s Word in our daily spiritual disciplines. We take time to feed and groom our body on a daily basis, but the cultivation of our soul should be even more important. Job said, “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” (Job 23:12b)

 Blessings and Encouragement,

 

Paul, Gail, Patsy, and Penny