soy un perdedor

...I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?

I hear the teachings about how the Jewish kids could recite the entire Pentateuch, and I feel sort of dizzy. I mean, so few of us have even READ the first five books of the Old Testament, let alone are able to recite it. It seems like such a daunting task, memorizing so many words. But, as Isaac pointed out Sunday night, we DO memorize so many words. I have track # 1 on Beck's album Mellow Gold (which came out in 1994) queued up and ready in my brain. Along with thousands of other words, past conversations, song lyrics, movie quotes, and commercials. And I can remember them all at the drop of a hat. I get tripped up trying to remember all nine fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), yet I can rattle off the set list of Jimmy Buffett's Domino College Tour from the summer of 1995.

Meditation is something that we are, in reality, quite good at.

In Philippians 4:8 (and yes, I had to look a that up, it wasn't readily available on the tip of my brain), Paul says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." What could be more true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy than the word of God? Not that I shouldn't have in my memory the lyrics to "Loser" by Beck or "Tin Cup Chalice" by Jimmy Buffett, but shouldn't I—if I have anything—have the word of God committed to memory?

When I realize the amount of information I've given more importance to than scripture (which is "God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" 2 Timothy 3:16), I feel sort of dizzy.

I must say, though, that the scripture that I DO have committed to memory has been a mighty sword in the battle of life (Ephesians 6:17). In difficult times it has been strength, in hopeless times it's been hope, in weak times it's been comfort, in comfortable times it's been firm ground, and in happy times it's been celebration. The bible is a book full of promise, undying love, loyalty, betrayal, lust, war, mystery, suspense, murder, surprise, triumph, back-stabbing, brutal honesty, victory, science, humor, romance, and—well, I could keep going. It's biographical, it's full of miracles better than any fairy tale, full of creatures that rival the best fantasy novel, and riddled with poetry and prose. Moreover, it's the account of why we're here, where we came from, and where we're headed. It's one of the ways our Creator has revealed himself to us. When I stop and think about it, I WANT to memorize scripture. It's infinitely cooler than any song lyric or commercial that I've got running through the crevices of my brain.

Isaac has challenged us to enjoy the books of Psalms during this current series After God's Own Heart. Five a day, six days a week. The psalms are alive with passion, lament, hope, and praise. Let's pray that as we read these and meditate on them as a community that God will open our eyes to the ways in which he's already revealed himself. And that as we see more and more of his beauty and adventure that we will hungrily feast on scripture, meditating on it day and night, and hiding it in our hearts.

For it is you and none other, Yahweh, who make me rest secure. Psalm 4:8b.