9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.

10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.

11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

12 Praise be to you, O LORD;
teach me your decrees.

— Psalm 119

Some time ago I set out on a large task, to memorize an entire book of the Bible, in the interest of complete disclosure I chose Jude. Well it was some time ago and I fell off the wagon and left this task undone. Well I picked it up again and I am almost halfway done.

I don’t say this for a pat on the back but to encourage everyone to do this. Very often I have memorized a single verse of scripture and then I don’t know the context in which it was written. I don’t believe the Bible is to be used as a book of proverbs where you can more readily pull separate saying from it. In reading and reading and saying and repeating the book of Jude I have a greater understanding of its context. I don’t simply repeat it as a mantra but I find myself saying it as if I were Jude speaking it to those ‘dear friends’ to whom the letter was addressed.

How can we hold up proper doctrine as Paul and Jude requires us to do if we don’t even know what God has to say? Maybe you can’t memorize an entire book but start somewhere, memorize a verse and then the next and the next.