Sharpie Scriptures

“Let not His steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart.” Prov 3:3

Dear friends,

Do you have an Etch-a-Sketch memory with your Bible verses? You highlight a passage that stirs your spirit, and even pray and ponder it for a handful of days. But with all of life’s shaking, just like an Etch A Sketch, the scripture is soon erased from your brain.* And when the Word fades, too often our faith follows.

Proverbs 3:3 exhorts God’s children to bind His steadfast love and faithfulness around our neck. Now that’s an intriguing analogy, isn’t it? Bind means fasten. Attach. Secure. So let’s do some word substitution so the meaning sticks.

Secure God’s steadfast love around your neck.

Attach yourself – tether yourself – to His faithfulness.

It sounds an awful lot like John 15:4, doesn’t it? Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

The Proverb proceeds: Write (God’s love) on the tablet of your heart. Now let me ask you – do you believe He’s suggesting our heart tablet is like a Dry-Erase Board? Here today and wiped away tomorrow? When you want words to last a long time, (like your name on your favorite Tupperware so someone doesn’t walk off with it at the church potluck…) you pull out a Sharpie! So how do we transition from Etch a Sketch scripture to Sharpie scripture?

Practice! Practice! Practice!

Memorize! Memorize! Memorize!

Accountability! Accountability! Accountability!

It’s just like all good things in life. It takes time, energy, and intention to write God’s word on your heart with indelible ink. But when you’re about to do something dumb, like eat a big ol’ bag of potato chips, you need a Sharpie scripture to be your sword! All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up. 1 Corinthians 10:23

So what’s your next right step? Find yourself a friend who’s likewise committed to permanently remembering God’s Good Word. Decide how many and which passages you’ll tackle. You might consider the Bethlehem Baptist Church Fighter Verses app so you can follow a well-considered schedule and know you are joining other faithful followers. Or focus on passages your spirit needs to KNOW. Regardless, write it so it’s steadfast, just like your Father’s love.

Live Well,

Grace