Colossians 3:16: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly

I really wanted to lash out with all the anger that was in me. But then I remembered His words, “let us not grow weary of doing good.” (Gal. 6:9) I also remembered that He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Heb. 13:5) The occasion was the appearance of one more frustrating complication as the details of my divorce were being worked out.

I have no doubt that the Spirit brought these verses to mind, to comfort me, and to keep me from sinning in my anger. But the reason the Spirit was able to bring them out was because years ago I had committed these verse to memory.

Decades prior, I had heard a pastor (on a thing called radio) say that the best advice he ever received was to memorize the Word of God. I took that thought to heart and began to memorize Scripture. One verse at a time.

I picked groups of verses on various topics: verses that told the story of salvation, verses that demonstrated the deity of Christ, verses about fulfilled prophecy, and the like. Over the following decades the number of verses grew, like single drops that eventually fill a bucket. Obviously, the effort to memorize those verses is paying off in my new role as pastor, but those verses were ready to help me on that difficult day long before.

Perhaps my favorite group of memorized verses come from the Psalms, and were chosen to be used as prayers throughout the day:

Upon Waking
Psalm 118:24
This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

During Your Shower
Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Getting Dressed
Psalm 104:1-2
Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent

Commuting
Psalm 25:4
Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;

Beginning the Day’s Work
Psalm 90:17
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us-- yes, establish the work of our hands.

Thankfulness
Psalm 72:18
Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does

During a Difficult Day
Psalm 121:1-2
I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

When You Regret Doing Something
Psalm 25:11
For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

At the End of Work
Psalm 145:10
All you have made will praise you, O LORD; your saints will extol you.

At Bedtime
Psalm 16:7
I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.

I started by memorizing the first Psalm, and I didn’t move to the next until I naturally prayed it when I woke up. Then I memorized the second Psalm. Rince and Repeat. Before long I found I was praying throughout the day, which helped me keep my mind on God, and it often led to longer times of prayer as the day allowed.

The benefits of memorizing God’s Word are innumerable. As another Psalm says, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)

If you’d like to give this a try, but don’t know where to start, you could try the Psalms above. I would also be happy to help you select other verses if you have another area of interest or concern.

God’s Word carries the wonderful news of the gospel, but it also teaches, encourages, and comforts. And it does this through the very words of Scripture. Give memorization a try and “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” (Col. 3:16)

✝️ Pastor Deming

The full newsletter can be found here:
https://www.faithmoorpark.com/files/pdf/2026/2026-08-Newsletter.pdf

Acts 8:30 So, Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

In the book of Acts, Philip runs up to the Ethiopian eunuch and when he hears him reading Isaiah, Philip asks him, “Do you understand what you're reading?” The Ethiopian eunuch doesn't understand, and invites Philip to teach him. But the only reason Philip can teach him is because first he knew the Scriptures and what they meant.

When I was young I learned my times tables, and I learned (mostly) how to spell. And I haven't had to go back and relearn these things because that knowledge is finite. 2x2 is always 2x2. But Scripture is much more complicated than that.

I may be able to recite the Ten Commandments without hesitation, but to truly understand them and apply them to the many circumstances in life is a task I will never do perfectly, even after a lifetime of study. But I can keep growing in my understanding of Scripture, and then I can make use of the wisdom that I have gained. So, who do we study the Bible for? 

Yourself: The first person to study your Bible for is yourself. We study the Scriptures so that we can know God better and live our life according to His Word. Paul talks about being transformed by God's Word so that we can discern the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2), and so we can present ourself to God as one approved... rightly handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15) We study God's Word to remind us of His love and care for us, and, most especially, to remind ourselves of the forgiveness He offers through faith in the work of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Our Neighbor: Our neighbor includes anybody that isn’t ourself: our spouse, our children, our parents, strangers, and yes, even our neighbors. We study the Scriptures so we can help our neighbors. Unless Philip knew the Scriptures he could not have helped the Ethiopian Eunuch.

Parents need to know God’s Word so they can train their children “in the way he should go.” And that first requires knowing God’s way. But think of the blessings that come from that— that your child may know the love of God, and understand the salvation that Christ has won for them.

Hebrews says that we should “encourage one another.” And by that the author means encourage one another in the faith so that we don't fall away. When we study the Bible, we equip ourselves to help our neighbor, especially in times of trouble and hardship. God's Word is also given to us for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. God’s Word may directly do all these things for us, but when we know God’s Word, we can also use it in this way to lovingly reprove, correct and train others.

The Holy Spirit: I’m cheating a little bit here, but… we can also study the Scriptures for the Holy Spirit. No, the Holy Spirit doesn’t need to learn the Scriptures, but the Spirit uses the Word of God to transform hearts. Your time in the Scriptures creates opportunities for Him to conform you to be more and more like Christ. (Romans 12:2)

In Psalm 16, David writes, “I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.” Think about that. When God's Word is in you, even when you're not actively reading it or studying it, the Holy Spirit can use what you've heard, read or studied to help you understand God that much better.

If you're not regularly engaged in Bible study, I would encourage you to consider whether you can join us on Sundays or Wednesdays—to spend time with your brothers and sisters, and deepen your understanding of Scripture. If your schedule doesn't allow, pick up your Bible at home. It only takes a few minutes to read a chapter or two a day. The hard part is to make reading your Bible a regular pattern. But if you can do this, the Spirit will reward you as you grow in the knowledge and wisdom of God. And you will also be that much better prepared to be a blessing to your neighbor.

✝️ Pastor Deming

The full newsletter can be found here:
https://www.faithmoorpark.com/files/pdf/2026/2026-07-Newsletter.pdf