The 12th and 13th chapters of 1st Corinthians should be committed to memory, written in the mind and heart. Through His servant Paul, the Lord has placed before us these subjects for our consideration, and those who have the privilege of being brought together in church capacity will be united, understandingly and intelligently. The figure of the members which compose the body represents the church of God and the relation its members should sustain to one another. (MS 82, 1898). {6Bible Commentary 1090.13}
. . .God would have us store our minds with the principles of his holy word, that we may know "what saith the Lord." He would have us train our minds to wrestle with difficulties, taxing them to remember Scripture until remembering is no longer an impossibility, until the word of God is to us a harmonious whole. If the mind is habitually given difficult tasks, it acquires efficiency and power." {Signs of the Times, April 1, 1897 par. 7}
"The prince of this world cometh," said Jesus, "and hath nothing in Me." John 14:30. There was in Him nothing that responded to Satan's sophistry. He did not consent to sin. Not even by a thought did He yield to temptation. So it may be with us. Christ's humanity was united with divinity; He was fitted for the conflict by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And He came to make us partakers of the divine nature. So long as we are united to Him by faith, sin has no more dominion over us. God reaches for the hand of faith in us to direct it to lay fast hold upon the divinity of Christ, that we may attain to perfection of character. {Desire of Ages 123.3}
And how this is accomplished, Christ has shown us. By what means did He overcome in the conflict with Satan? By the word of God. Only by the word could He resist temptation. "It is written," He said. And unto us are given "exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." 2 Peter 1:4. Every promise in God's word is ours. "By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" are we to live. When assailed by temptation, look not to circumstances or to the weakness of self, but to the power of the word. All its strength is yours. "Thy word," says the psalmist, "have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee." "By the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer." Psalm 119:11; 17:4. {Desire of Ages 123.4}
Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. Job 22:22. It is of the greatest importance that you continually search the Scriptures, storing the mind with the truths of God. You may be separated from the companionship of Christians and placed where you will not have the privilege of meeting with the children of God. You need the treasures of God's Word hidden in your heart. {My Life Today 28.2}
Let the more important passages of Scripture connected with the lesson be committed to memory, not as a task, but as a privilege. Though at first the memory be defective, it will gain strength by exercise, so that after a time you will delight thus to treasure up the words of truth. And the habit will prove a most valuable aid to spiritual growth." 344 {Counsel to the Church 207.8}
We must be better acquainted with our Bibles. We might close the door to many temptations, if we would commit to memory passages of Scripture. Let us hedge up the way to Satan's temptations with "It is written." We shall meet with conflicts to test our faith and courage, but they will make us strong if we conquer through the grace Jesus is willing to give. But we must believe; we must grasp the promises without a doubt.
{Faith I Live By 8.5}
While your hands are engaged in labor, if you desire to become intelligent in spiritual things, if you desire to have your mind directed heavenward, you might commit to memory texts or portions of the Scriptures, and thus train your mind to dwell upon things that are pure and lovely. The heart that is stored with the precious truths of God's word, is fortified against the temptation of Satan, against impure thoughts and unholy actions. It is essential that we search the Scriptures for ourselves; for we want to understand what is truth . . .." {Youth Instructor, July 28, 1892 par. 5}
Your only safety is in making the word of God your study. If you will hide His Word in the heart, you will not mistake the path of duty and of safety. {Youth Instructor, 8/3/87}
Spiritual life must be sustained by communion with Christ through His Word. The mind must dwell upon it, the heart must be filled with it. {Amazing Grace, p. 228}
Keep a pocket Bible with you as you work, and improve every opportunity to commit to memory its precious promises. {Review and Herald, 4/27/1905}
The time will come when many will be deprived of the written Word. But if the Word is printed in the memory, no one can take it from us. {Last Day Events, p. 67}
Let us commit its precious promises to memory, so that, when we are deprived of our Bibles, we may still be in possession of the Word of God. {My Life Today, p. 28}
All that was done and said [by Jesus] had this one object in view—to rivet truth in their minds that they might attain everlasting life. {ISelect Messages, p. 187}
The Bible and the Bible alone, laid up in the heart and blessed by the Spirit can make a man right and keep him right. {1888, p. 44}
None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict. {Great Controversy, p. 593}
It is of the greatest importance that you continually search the Scriptures, storing the mind with the truths of God . . .You need the treasures of God’s Word hidden in your heart. {My Life Today, p. 28}
The youth who has hidden within the heart and mind a store of God’s words . . . from which he can draw at any time, will be a living channel of light. {Sons and Daughters, p. 98}
The office of the Holy Spirit is to take the truth from the sacred page where God has placed it . . . and stamp that truth upon the mind. {Heathful Living, p. 300}
Study the Scriptures . . . commit text after text to memory, and acquire a knowledge of what the Lord has said.
{My Life Today, p. 315}
. . If we want God's glory to pass before us, if we want to have memory's halls hung with the promises of love and mercy, we want to talk of His glory and tell of His power. And if we have dark and miserable days we can commit these promises to memory and take our minds off discouragement. It would please the devil to think he has bothered us; but we want to talk of Jesus and His love and His power, because we have nothing better to talk of." {1888 83.3}
Isaiah 53: The entire chapter should be committed to memory, {Youth's Instructor December 20, 1900, Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 1147}
I have been instructed to direct the minds of our people to the 56th chapter of Isaiah. This chapter contains important lessons for those who are fighting on the Lord's side in the conflict between good and evil. These words outline our work. This scripture is to be received by our people as a message for today. {Review & Herald, June 23, 1904}
I entreat of you to read the third and fourth chapters of Zechariah. If these chapters are understood, if they are received, a work will be done for those that are hungering and thirsting for righteousness, a work that will be an advance work, a work that means, Go forward and upward. {Series A #10 p. 6}
We all need to study as never before the parable of the ten virgins . . . . This is the holy oil represented in Zechariah 4:11-14. This representation is of the highest consequence to those who claim to know the truth. But if we do not practice the truth, we have not received the holy oil, which the two golden pipes empty out of themselves . . . . {MS 140, 1901, quoted in SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 1179}
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