How to Memorize Scripture for Life: From One Verse to Entire Books
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- Create Date：2024-01-31 09:21:59
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Andrew M. Davis
- ISBN：1433591030
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Summary
A Simple， Proven Method for Memorizing Long Passages of Scripture When God’s word abides in believers， it overflows with blessings for everyday life。 Many Christians have individual Scripture verses “stored up” in their hearts， but there can be even greater spiritual benefit to memorizing long passages―even entire books―of the Bible。 Unfortunately， this is often dismissed as impossible or too time consuming。 Andrew M。 Davis helps readers commit to extended Scripture memorization so they may grow in holiness， resist temptation， and share the gospel with others。 In this brief guide， he offers an accessible， time-tested pattern for studying Scripture that includes simple daily procedures and tips for long-term retention。 By building up a storehouse of biblical truth in their hearts， readers will strengthen their prayer life and intimacy with Christ as they prepare to share God’s truth with others。
Reviews
Kevin Davis
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Nothing groundbreaking here。 Still good， helpful information and suggestions for memorizing large chunks of the Bible。
David Steele
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There was a day in the church when Scripture memory was expected。 Something happened around the turn of the century。 The emphasis on Scripture memory began to decline， both among children and adults。 How to Memorize Scripture for Life by Andrew M。 Davis is a book that will help recover a passion for hiding the Bible in our hearts。Davis first establishes the foundation by arguing that Scripture memorization is mandated。 Citing John 15:7-8， the author says， “For me， this is the strongest passage i There was a day in the church when Scripture memory was expected。 Something happened around the turn of the century。 The emphasis on Scripture memory began to decline， both among children and adults。 How to Memorize Scripture for Life by Andrew M。 Davis is a book that will help recover a passion for hiding the Bible in our hearts。Davis first establishes the foundation by arguing that Scripture memorization is mandated。 Citing John 15:7-8， the author says， “For me， this is the strongest passage in the Bible on the role of Scripture memorization。” He cites several passages that bolster the case for making Scripture memory a regular part of a disciple's life。Next， the author includes several advantages for memorizing the word of God。 At the heart of the argument is sanctification。 Davis writes， “The word of God must enter us through our minds - through our understanding - to change our hearts。”Another advantage of Scripture memory is evangelism。 The discipline of memorizing the Bible helps bless people and presents God’s word in clear and revealing ways。 Having the Bible memorized is a powerful tool when defending the faith or pressing the claims of the gospel on our hearers。Dr。 Davis includes a helpful chapter that overcomes objections to memorizing Scripture。 He cites several well-known objections and skillfully dismantles them all。Much of the book is devoted to helping readers develop strategies and skills that help them memorize Bible verses。 The author makes a strong case for memorizing large chunks of Scripture。 More than that， he argues that memorizing entire books is well worth the effort。 Readers will be fascinated to learn the various techniques that Davis includes。 He is a gracious instructor who leads his readers well。My hope is that this book will gain a wide hearing。 More than that， I anticipate that many people will accept the challenge to memorize the word of God。 The blessings will bear much fruit and will glorify the great God of the universe！I received this book free from the publisher。 I was not required to write a positive review。 。。。more
Heather Kirkpatrick
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This book provided me with some good tips on how to memorize books of the Bible。 I also liked how the author said to focus for 100 days on a book of the Bible and then switch gears to another book。 This is a very small book， only about 50 pages。 You can expect the first half of the book to talk about why we should even memorize Bible verses。
Maxwill
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Helpful！ Short！ Will most likely be implementing the method recommended here later on this year。 Great call to be people of the Word。 It’s convicting， but more concerned with helping you than guilting you。 Big fan of that
Zorina Shepard
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Andrew Davis writes this wonderful little book on memorizing Scripture。 He shows that this spiritual discipline is commanded in the Bible and shares the benefits to the Christian of memorizing Scripture。 He also addresses some of the excuses we make for not and exorts us to be hidding God's Word in our hearts。 His book is supposed to be used as a guide in how to go about memorizing Scripture from verses to whole books of the Bible。 It is short and precise and is a great guide for encouraging the Andrew Davis writes this wonderful little book on memorizing Scripture。 He shows that this spiritual discipline is commanded in the Bible and shares the benefits to the Christian of memorizing Scripture。 He also addresses some of the excuses we make for not and exorts us to be hidding God's Word in our hearts。 His book is supposed to be used as a guide in how to go about memorizing Scripture from verses to whole books of the Bible。 It is short and precise and is a great guide for encouraging the believer in Scripture memory。 It was not exactly what I was at first expecting ，as it was much shorter at 57 pages。 I would have loved to have a longer book on the subject， but it is an invaluable little book。 I would say this would be a great book for the new believer， but it is a needed read for all believers！Thank you @crosswaybooks for a copy of this book for my honest thoughts！ 。。。more
Megan
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Short and clear。 Loved the organization and simplicity。 I’m on board。。just need to actually commit to it and follow through。
Mike Prince
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A short but mostly helpful guide for extended Bible memorization。 Sadly， memorization is a discipline practiced far too little in our churches today。 In John 15:7–8， Jesus gets even more specific: “If you abide in me， and my words abide in you， ask whatever you wish， and it will be done for you。 By this my Father is glorified， that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples。” For me， this is the strongest passage in the Bible on the role of Scripture memorization。— Andrew M。 Davis， How A short but mostly helpful guide for extended Bible memorization。 Sadly， memorization is a discipline practiced far too little in our churches today。 In John 15:7–8， Jesus gets even more specific: “If you abide in me， and my words abide in you， ask whatever you wish， and it will be done for you。 By this my Father is glorified， that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples。” For me， this is the strongest passage in the Bible on the role of Scripture memorization。— Andrew M。 Davis， How to Memorize Scripture for Life: From One Verse to Entire Books （Wheaton， IL: Crossway， 2024）， 2–3。 。。。more
Cole Wright
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A helpful work on scripture memorization。 The author uses the same method I’ve used in the past， so there was not a lot of new information for me here， but it was a timely reminder of the value of storing scripture in the heart and mind。
Jake Dingler
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Practical， simple， and actually is working。 I’m memorizing Colossians right now。 I have struggled with memorizing verses for a few years now， but by God’s grace this method is working。
Ian Watkins
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Dr Davis gives a straightforward and easy to understand method for memorizing long passages to entire books of the Bible。 It is geared towards entire books and gives a sample plan。 Very well done。
Drew Watson
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Helpful and makes me helpful to be more disciplined in this regard。
Melanie
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How to Memorize Scripture For Life was a short read。 It seemed like a good chunk of it was on the importance of memorizing Scripture and then it turned to how he recommends memorizing。 It was interesting to read， although I will say memorizing whole books of the Bible sounds daunting。。。but profitable and something I would like to try to do eventually。 *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/r How to Memorize Scripture For Life was a short read。 It seemed like a good chunk of it was on the importance of memorizing Scripture and then it turned to how he recommends memorizing。 It was interesting to read， although I will say memorizing whole books of the Bible sounds daunting。。。but profitable and something I would like to try to do eventually。 *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it。 I was not required to give a positive review， only my honest opinion - which I've done。 All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers。 I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR， Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising。* 。。。more
Nate
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A wonderful， short read on the why and how of memorizing scripture。 Davis encourages us to transcend from memorizing short sections and individual versus to entire books of the Bible。 I myself can speak to the immense power of this kind of memorization having done so with the book of Ephesians myself。This book is *extremely* short， it took me about 45 minutes to read （not including the appendixes）。 It could almost be treated as a blog post or an essay。Davis advocates for an approach to memorizin A wonderful， short read on the why and how of memorizing scripture。 Davis encourages us to transcend from memorizing short sections and individual versus to entire books of the Bible。 I myself can speak to the immense power of this kind of memorization having done so with the book of Ephesians myself。This book is *extremely* short， it took me about 45 minutes to read （not including the appendixes）。 It could almost be treated as a blog post or an essay。Davis advocates for an approach to memorizing that includes only retaining verses that are 100 days old。 In his system， you would cycle having memorized different portions of scripture every 100 days。 This approach would be in contrast to one where you are committed to retaining all of the scripture you have committed to memory。 While I can see the pragmatism in this approach， I am not sure I am entirely convinced。 I think there is value to retaining certain large portions of scripture that are particularly important to you， though， I’m sure Davis would agree with me on this even though he didn’t explicitly spell that out。In conclusion， this is a great read for someone looking for a concise and simple approach to memorizing scripture， along with encouragement for common obstacles。（P。S。 with a Crossway+ membership you can grab this for only like 6 bucks and also get a free ebook version） 。。。more
Jacob Hood
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This book is more so a handbook on how and why we should memorize scripture。 Can finish the entire handbook in 1 hour。 I would recommend for anyone looking to memorize scripture。
Anthony Jolly
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Quick read with an immediate useable system for memorizing lengthy chunks of scripture。
WH
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More or less read the whole book。 I was probably expecting too much。 Was hoping for THE secret to memorizing whole books （something I'm currently doing）。 Spoiler alert: there isn't really a secret。 Probably should have anticipated that。Still， at least two aspects of his approach got me thinking a bit。 Once he memorizes a book， he lets it go and moves onto a new one。 He won't keep reviewing the old one， which I found really surprising。 He also doesn't seem to hold himself to a standard of getting More or less read the whole book。 I was probably expecting too much。 Was hoping for THE secret to memorizing whole books （something I'm currently doing）。 Spoiler alert: there isn't really a secret。 Probably should have anticipated that。Still， at least two aspects of his approach got me thinking a bit。 Once he memorizes a book， he lets it go and moves onto a new one。 He won't keep reviewing the old one， which I found really surprising。 He also doesn't seem to hold himself to a standard of getting every word right， which is different from my current approach。 I think both aspects are worth serious consideration moving forward。 。。。more
Rob McCutcheon
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Power-packed little book; you can read it in an hour， but it will take a lifetime to master。 Excited to get started on memorizing a whole book of the Bible over the next six months！
Andrew
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Andrew M。 Davis has written a small but valuable resource on how to memorize Scripture。 How often can we recall a song from childhood and the song's recollection brings with it the emotions that spung up fresh once again。 I have heard stories of Christians on their deathbed remembering with comfort the song Jesus Loves Me。 It was because that song was sung multiple times with a comfort so enmeshed。 Scripture can be that to us and not only on our death bed。 Davis realizes that and so gives us a r Andrew M。 Davis has written a small but valuable resource on how to memorize Scripture。 How often can we recall a song from childhood and the song's recollection brings with it the emotions that spung up fresh once again。 I have heard stories of Christians on their deathbed remembering with comfort the song Jesus Loves Me。 It was because that song was sung multiple times with a comfort so enmeshed。 Scripture can be that to us and not only on our death bed。 Davis realizes that and so gives us a relatively sure-fire way to get us going on the road to storing up Scripture in times of need。 But Davis first puts into words that reasons we've put off Scripture memorization convincingly。 Then using Ephesians were are coached in the how-to which we can then implement for years to come。 A well-timed resource as many will be resolving to memorize more Scripture。 。。。more
Douglas Lee
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Memorizing scripture was an important discipline in my early years of discipleship that I am grateful for。 I have been feeling the "draw" to reinvigorate this habit again as part of my daily/weekly rhythm。 The challenge of any discipline is that it takes discipline but knowing why it is important and the benefits helps to put the cost of discipline into context！ "How to Memorize Scripture for Life" is a very useful book that sets out the "why"， the benefits and the method of memorising scripture Memorizing scripture was an important discipline in my early years of discipleship that I am grateful for。 I have been feeling the "draw" to reinvigorate this habit again as part of my daily/weekly rhythm。 The challenge of any discipline is that it takes discipline but knowing why it is important and the benefits helps to put the cost of discipline into context！ "How to Memorize Scripture for Life" is a very useful book that sets out the "why"， the benefits and the method of memorising scripture。 The authors method of memorising is simple but helpful。 A distinctive is Davis' focus and encouragement to memorise whole books of the Bible instead of isolated topical verses。 This is a short but helpful book。 The challenge for me and all other readers is to apply the learning！ 。。。more
Stella
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Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC that I received in exchange for an honest review。 I would like to make it clear that I am likely not the intended audience; I am an ex-Catholic who now identifies with UU nature-centered feminist spirituality， so my perspective on the Bible is very different from many people who might pick up this book。 Please take that into account when you consider this review。 Overall， I would have liked more from this very slim volume。 The first few chapters of the book encour Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC that I received in exchange for an honest review。 I would like to make it clear that I am likely not the intended audience; I am an ex-Catholic who now identifies with UU nature-centered feminist spirituality， so my perspective on the Bible is very different from many people who might pick up this book。 Please take that into account when you consider this review。 Overall， I would have liked more from this very slim volume。 The first few chapters of the book encourage the reader to memorize scripture using verses from the Bible to make the argument that memorizing scripture is suggested in the Bible。 I think there was some merit to the excerpts chosen in making that point， but the sociopolitical context of a largely illiterate populace with minimal access to hand-copied scrolls being expected to study and memorize such a text rang false。 I think that there are good reasons for memorization， whether it's scripture， poetry， or another evocative text， but claiming that the Bible itself promotes memorization seems unlikely。 Moreover， ostensibly the audience that would select a book called How to Memorize Scripture for Life probably already want to memorize scripture， so one chapter with richer commentary probably could have done the trick; the quantity of text devoted to encouraging the reader to memorize versus the quantity of text devoted to teaching one how to memorize wasn't the right balance for me。Once the reader moves into the didactic portion of the book， Davis gives very little depth or variety in explanations or techniques。 His advice on which translation to choose？ Look into it yourself and just choose one。 His advice on memorization？ Daily repetition。 I found the title a bit misleading， in that Davis actually suggests that you stop practicing one book and move on to another and just make peace that you will forget what you spent months memorizing。 That's realistic--perhaps I was naïvely holding out for some secret memory trick that would enable me to memorize for life。 However， the title is How to Memorize Scripture for Life， so one can see how I might have drawn that conclusion。 The tables and schedules suggested for memorization work were handy tools。 I will not be updating my NetGalley review， but I will update my Goodreads review with information as to how these techniques actually worked in practice if I use them。 I have set the goal to read the entire Bible in 2024， and I may use the techniques suggested to memorize Ruth， Ecclesiastes， or some devotional poetry from my own religious practice， perhaps the Charge of the Goddess by Doreen Valiente。 I will update my Goodreads review with h0w the techniques worked if I do use them over the course of many months that it would take to do Davis's suggested schedule of one verse per day with one day off per week。 （After all， if I am going to review a how-to book， it only seems fair to let people know how it worked out。）Though I learned some， overall this book came up short for me。 I would have liked a handful of memorization techniques and more depth throughout the text。 This book may have benefited from most testimonials from ministers and laity about their experiences and insights from deeply studying the Bible in this way。 I appreciated some insights--the suggestion to memorize books rather than verses out of context was one such insight。 Though the title is catchy from a marketing perspective， I found the title misleading。 I would say that the book is lackluster as a whole。 。。。more
Heather Persing
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This short book will help motivate you to memorize Scripture and give you the tools to actually do it！
Becky
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First sentence: Welcome to the rich and challenging journey of Scripture memorization！ You are about to embark on a searching and rewarding exercise of spiritual and mental labor: the memorizing of whole chapters and books of the Bible。 This effort will challenge you greatly—not simply because memorizing is hard work （it is） but also because the verses themselves will search your soul with the light of God’s perfect truth。I thought it would be a great idea to read another [a second] book on Scri First sentence: Welcome to the rich and challenging journey of Scripture memorization！ You are about to embark on a searching and rewarding exercise of spiritual and mental labor: the memorizing of whole chapters and books of the Bible。 This effort will challenge you greatly—not simply because memorizing is hard work （it is） but also because the verses themselves will search your soul with the light of God’s perfect truth。I thought it would be a great idea to read another [a second] book on Scripture memorization。 [Plus this one is a review copy。] I ended up comparing this one to Memorizing Scripture: The Basics， Blessings， and Benefits of Meditating on God's Word by Glenna Marshall。 Was it intentional？ unintentional？ A bit of both if I'm honest。I will start with the pros。 Davis is nothing if not practical。 Also emphatic。 He says while it is okay to memorize [random， topical] verses， it is absolutely the best to memorize whole chapters， whole books of the Bible。 His reasoning is that this affords the greatest benefit。 It helps you a） meditate on the Word， b） apply and obey the Word， c） encourage and support other believers with the Word of God， d） evangelize to unbelievers。 Back to his practical nature， his approach doesn't seem to vary all that much。 Pick a book （with the Spirit）。 Pick a deadline （with the Spirit）。 Tackle one new verse a day using his very specific method。 Review previous verses。 [Lather。 Rinse。] Repeat。 [I jest。] His method is to a） read aloud a new verse， say Ephesians 1:1， ten times。 Then repeat the verse [Ephesians 1:1 in our example] ten times without looking。 The next day repeat [without looking， I believe] Ephesians 1:1 ten times。 Then read aloud Ephesians 1:2 ten times。 Then repeat Ephesians 1:2 ten times without looking。 The next day， recite Ephesians 1:1 and Ephesians 1:2 ten times apiece without looking。 Read aloud Ephesians 1:3 ten times。 Then repeat Ephesians 1:3 ten times without looking。 More pros are that he a） admits that it is hard， difficult， challenging， time-consuming。 He's honest about the effort and level of commitment。 He also does not back down [nor should he？？？？] that Scripture itself commands believers to memorize it。 Are there cons？ Yes， in my opinion [for what it's worth。] He doesn't really allow for diverse learning differences， styles， techniques。 It's like this is the way I've done it， copy me exactly。 The practicality ends rather quickly if his method doesn't work well for you。 Other authors offer MORE tips and tricks。 Like writing the verse you are memorizing， like listening to the verse you are memorizing， like writing out first letters for each word， putting up cards around the house， recommending various apps， etc。 He also doesn't have great "bedside manner" in my opinion。 He is more a brisk， just do it as opposed to someone who is a natural at encouragement and inspiration。 I also found that the title was slightly misleading。 His goal is not to memorize "for life" in the interpretation that these are verses/chapters/books that you will retain for life。 Instead， I believe， his "life" means for the spiritual benefit and improvement of life。 He actively talks about how each book you memorize should be "forgotten" or "wiped clean" so that you can start a new project。 He does try to impress upon readers the benefits of Scripture memorization。 However， Glenna Marshall's book was more encouraging and even more practical。 。。。more
Doreen
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This is an excellent， practical book that will light or relight your desire to memorize Scripture。 It did that for me。 It's a very short book， 64 pages。 He sets out a method and provides a sample of how to go about memorizing Ephesians or Matthew。 It's simple enough to follow。The book starts out with why it is so important to memorize scripture。 Davis states， "Extended memorization of his flawless words will be the greatest and most eternally productive discipline you can embrace" （location 35）。 This is an excellent， practical book that will light or relight your desire to memorize Scripture。 It did that for me。 It's a very short book， 64 pages。 He sets out a method and provides a sample of how to go about memorizing Ephesians or Matthew。 It's simple enough to follow。The book starts out with why it is so important to memorize scripture。 Davis states， "Extended memorization of his flawless words will be the greatest and most eternally productive discipline you can embrace" （location 35）。 He goes on to point out all that the Word does and how valuable it is to have that word hidden in our heart。 Here's what got me really excited。 He said that after you've memorized a book or chapter and have recited it 100 days， to "kiss it goodbye" and go on to another book。 What？ This has been one of my hangups in the past。 It takes so long to review what I've memorized that I get discouraged and quit much less work on new material。 He says， "the goal is not so much to retain the books you've memorized as to learn in depth as much of Scripture as you can" （location 335）。 You may remember those verses for life and you may not but that's okay。 He states that you'll always be extremely familiar with the book and will understand more of its message and a lot of the parts because of all the time you spent memorizing it。 "The truths are still embedded deep in my mind" （location 338）。 I don't have to feel guilty for what I can't remember。 Years ago， I memorized Philippians。 Today， I can recite parts of it but not most of it。 But I know what this book says。 I'm very familiar with it。 Davis helped me see the value in that time I took to memorize it even if I can't recite it today。 How freeing！ Thanks to Crossway for providing a free e-copy of this book。 I'd highly recommend it。 All opinions are my own。 Now I'm off to work on memorizing Jude。 （I'm starting small。） 。。。more
George P。
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The new year is always a good time to begin new habits。 In How to Memorize Scripture for Life， Andrew M。 Davis recommends the always timely habit of committing God’s word to memory。 His book is a quick read， but his advice， if taken， will bear fruit over time。Various Bible verses seem to command Bible memorization。 For example， James 1:25 says， “But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom， and continues in it — not forgetting what they have heard， but doing it — they will The new year is always a good time to begin new habits。 In How to Memorize Scripture for Life， Andrew M。 Davis recommends the always timely habit of committing God’s word to memory。 His book is a quick read， but his advice， if taken， will bear fruit over time。Various Bible verses seem to command Bible memorization。 For example， James 1:25 says， “But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom， and continues in it — not forgetting what they have heard， but doing it — they will be blessed in what they do。”Remembering is the opposite of forgetting。 It means both recalling information and acting on it。 And those who remember Scripture benefit from doing so。Davis identifies two benefits in particular: “the internal journey of growth in holiness and the external journey of evangelism and missions。”The Bible is indispensable for human existence。 As Jesus put it， “Man shall not live on bread alone， but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” （Matthew 4:4）。 As we feast on God’s Word， it contributes to our growth in holiness。Moreover， it helps us evangelize the lost。 The more Scripture we know， the better able we are “to bless lost people with an accurate and vivid presentation of the gospel of salvation，” Davis writes。So， how do we go about the task of Bible memorization？ Navigators and Fighter Verses help users learn individual verses on key topics。 Unfortunately， such systems can habituate users to reading those verses out of context。Davis thus advocates the memorization of entire books of the Bible。 He recommends starting with a smaller book， such as Ephesians。 Once you’ve selected a book， divide its number of verses by how many verses you can memorize per day， then set a finish date。 Davis recommends taking one day off per week and adding 10% to your deadline so you don’t get burned out。（The book has two appendixes。 One lists how many verses are in each book of the Bible。 The other lays out a six-month program for memorizing Ephesians one verse at a time。）The key to memorization is repetition。 “Saying a verse one hundred times in one day is not as helpful as saying it every day for one hundred days，” Davis writes。 Moreover， that repletion should be cumulative。Davis illustrates this principle using Ephesians 1:1–4。* Day 1: Memorize 1:1 by saying it aloud 10 times。* Day 2: Recite 1:1 10 times， then memorize 1:2 by saying it aloud 10 times。* Day 3: Recite 1:2 10 times， then recite 1:1–2， then memorize 1:3 by saying it out loud 10 times。* Day 4: Recite 1:3 10 times， then recite 1:1–3， then memorize 1:4 by saying it aloud ten times。Notice the pattern that starts on Day 3: recite yesterday’s verse， then all previous verses altogether， then today’s verse。Obviously， you can choose a book to memorize other than Ephesians。 （Assemblies of God readers might want to start with Romans or James， which are the books for the 2023–24 season of Teen Bible Quiz。 TBQ uses the New Living Translation of the Bible。）I suppose you could also choose to begin by memorizing an extended passage of Scripture such as the Ten Commandments （Exodus 20:1–21） or the Sermon on the Mount （Matthew 5–7）。 The important thing is to memorize Scripture at length。As you begin a new habit of Bible memorization this year， may Jesus’ promise come true for you: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you， ask whatever you wish， and it will be done for you” （John 15:7， emphasis added）。Book ReviewedAndrew M。 Davis， How to Memorize Scripture for Life: From One Verse to Entire Books （Wheaton， IL: Crossway， 2023）。P。S。 If you liked my review， please click “Helpful” on my Amazon review page。P。P。S。 I wrote this review for InfluenceMagazine。com。 It is cross-posted here by permission。 。。。more
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how to memorize scripture for life from one verse to entire books how to memorize scripture for life from one verse to entire books andrew m. davis