Short Memory Verses for Short Memories

By Thomas A. Hammonds

Whatever time we spend reading and memorizing Gods Word is time well spent. But how do you get started? Some of the passages are so long. The book you hold has about four hundred of the shortest verses from the New Testament that you can start on today. Along with each short verse is a one-page devotional thought to remind you what the verse is all about.

Spending time in Gods Word has never been so easy. The format will work for children or adults with a great education or nearly none at all. If you can read and want to try memorizing Gods Word for yourself, you might find this book to be the place to begin a lifetime of hiding Gods Word in your heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 15, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512770032

Thomas A. Hammonds

Thomas A. Hammonds has spent the last thirty years as a teacher and principal in a variety of Christian schools in California. Teaching Bible classes and speaking to kids and adults of all ages has helped prepare him to write this helpful book. Tom lives with his wife, Cindy, in northern California and has three adult children.

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Copyright © 2017 Thomas A. Hammonds.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB),

Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,

1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-7004-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-7005-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-7003-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016921469

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/30/2017

Contents

Dedication

Introduction

The Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles

The Letters of the Apostle Paul

Hebrews to Revelation

Dedication

I am pleased to dedicate this book to my family. My wife Cindy has shared her computer with me for several months in the writing of this project. My children, Tim, Becca, and Caleb carry the future of both our family and the Christian faith within them. To you, my children, I wish a close walk with Jesus which you will pass along to your own children one day. May the light of His word guide you until we all meet again in heaven.

Introduction

T he purpose of this devotional book is to help God’s people with the difficult task of memorizing meaningful Scripture and personalizing that Scripture so that our lives are conformed to the image of His Son. The book is formatted so you can see the verse at the top of the page and read a short thought of mine as God directs. As a Christian educator for many years, I’ve learned the value of using multiple ways of learning (modalities) to help us not just go through the motions of memorizing, but memorizing with a purpose. Although there are enough verses here for a year’s worth of daily devotions, please adapt it to fit your own needs. Because the verses are relatively short, they do not require a large time commitment on the reader’s part. They may be used privately or in a small group or family gathering.

I have selected the verses from only the New Testament and used the New American Standard Version of the Bible. Not all verses that fit the size limitations were used. I was looking for verses that were not more than two lines long in the Open Bible I was using. Some were not suitable because of context issues while others were too impractical for application. Some were omitted because of the repeating of the synoptic gospels. The other 300 plus verses are offered to the reader for spiritual and practical edification.

Let’s face it, memorizing Scripture has to be one of the most beneficial yet, least practiced disciplines of the Christian life. Some take to it well enough, but others seem to struggle with a never-ending cycle of failures and retries. We understand that it is the Sword of the Spirit needed to attack the evil one, yet how many of us recognize the attacker when he comes? We are not ignorant of his schemes, but we still need the tools of proper spiritual warfare if we are to defeat him with any consistency.

However you are led to use this volume, I pray that God will fill you completely with His truth and that that truth will lead you to a deeper relationship with Him.

The Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles

Matthew 2:3

And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

As king, Herod was particularly fond of his position and wasn’t in any hurry to give it up to anyone. So it makes some sense for him to be troubled by what he was hearing. The Magi were seeking the Child to worship as the new King of the Jews. A new king? he must have thought with a threatened defensive attitude. He was in good company though as we see that all of Jerusalem shared his unwillingness to yield to a new King.

Oh, Herod showed interest in the Child, but for very different reasons than the Magi. Even though Herod said he wanted to worship the Babe, the story tells us he went to great lengths to kill Him. What jealousy! Was his position that important to him? Could he be that blind to his own need?

I wonder what things I might be hiding from Him with the same unwillingness to yield. What a grand time of worship am I missing in order to hold on to a possession, an attitude, or a relationship?

O Lord, help me to not be troubled by Your coming, but to welcome you into my entire life. Help me to worship You with whatever I have.

Matthew 2:10

And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

In contrast with Herod, the Magi were seeking the Child to worship Him. God had called them for this purpose – to seek, find, and worship. What a great example they have left to us who still remain here! It’s always a great joy to find something you’re looking for. We’ve all had those occasions in life where we were looking for a loved one to come or for an item that was lost. Try to imagine the excitement shared by these men! But they were doubly excited because not only had they found what they were looking for, but they understood the significance of the star. It pointed them to their King – the one who would rescue them from their sin and its penalty. The prophesies which they knew from their childhood were coming true, and they were to have a part to play in its fulfillment. So, what makes us rejoice exceedingly? Who or what is our great joy?

Lord, help me have that child-like joy that bubbles out when I catch a glimpse of You. Help me to watch for You in the everyday occurrences of my life. And then when I see You, help me not to run and hide, or feel caught doing something wrong, but help me to follow the example of the Magi and rejoice with exceeding great joy.

Matthew 2:21

And he arose and took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

One of the many highlights of the Christmas story is the obedience of Joseph. Several times in the New Testament account we find him instructed by an angel of the Lord to do something that by standards of any time period would be ill-advised. Yet, in each case, Joseph obeys immediately to the saving of the Child’s life and the glory of God.

In this particular case, Joseph returns home to Israel after his stay in Egypt to escape King Herod’s jealousy. It must have been difficult for him to relocate his carpenter’s business so frequently in such a short period of time. Yet, Joseph shows us the way to be a faithful servant of the Lord by obeying without questions. Returning home to Israel must have been a time of mixed emotions for him. Returning home to the familiar friends, family, and clients certainly appealed to him. However, there would be questions from some that were certain to come and had to be answered. So, why did you leave and where did you go and why are you returning? Joseph knew that God would provide the answers just as He provided everything else.

Father, help me to have Joseph’s obedience in my life.

Matthew 3:2

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

John the Baptizer was a cousin to Jesus and the Lord’s prophetic mouth-piece during the time of Jesus’ early ministry. Chosen by God before he saw the light of day, John lived the simple life of a Nazarite who brought a simple yet profound message to Israel. John knew the spiritual condition of the people and that the Healer was coming soon. He wanted these people to be ready for the coming Messiah, so he delivered the message found in today’s verse.

The word repent is a military term equivalent to About-face. It requires a 180 degree turn from something evil in order to face something holy. This entire action is summed in the imperative command, Repent! John knew that in order to face the holy Christ, people would have to turn their backs collectively and individually on the sin to which they were accustomed.

So, with the Christ Child grown and gone back to His Father, are we off the hook? Are we still under John’s command to repent of our sin and face the Healer of our diseases? Jesus is still the same today as He was in John’s day. There are other passages in the Scriptures that command our holiness – so we must respond with the action that John’s words require.

Lord, show me my sin that I may repent.

Matthew 3:8

"Therefore, bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance.

John continues his ministry in chapter three with a strong rebuke to the Pharisees and Sadducees. They were the religious elite of the day but practiced a kind of righteousness that was unacceptable to God’s standards. In short, they were self centered instead of God centered. You may want to read the first dozen verses of John 3 to get the full flavor of his serious rebuke to these religious leaders.

The fruit in today’s verse refers to actions practiced by a person. John says to these folks that repentance is not just going through the motions and saying the right words. The New Testament writer James agrees when he says that faith without works is dead - being alone. My words have to agree with my actions; I must practice what I preach. The religious group as a whole never really understood this point for they were later rebuked by Jesus Himself for the same thing.

Lord, please spare me from the sin of the Pharisees. Help me to humbly practice the holy lifestyle You expect of me. May I, like John, boldly stand for the eternal truth found Your Word.

Matthew 4:1-2 – Double points for this one!

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.

John has just baptized Jesus to fulfill all righteousness. It is after this that we find Jesus not wandering in the wilderness as the Israelites did with Moses but walking purposely. The Holy Spirit led Him there. In the study of the Bible, we are regularly reminded of the fact that God does things on purpose – He doesn’t make them up as He goes along.

The Spirit led Jesus there to be tempted or tested by Satan. And in these two short verses we see a beautiful combination of the divinity and humanity of Jesus. Divinity in His being led by the Spirit on purpose to be tempted by the devil (I don’t recall any other Bible character experiencing this), and His humanity in his becoming hungry after the forty days of fasting.

It’s understandable that Jesus became hungry. I would have been after 40 minutes of tramping around in the wilderness! But I wonder what I would have to do for 40 straight days to become hungry for God.

Father, give me a hunger for You today that only You can satisfy.

Matthew 4:11

Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

The first dozen verses of Matthew 4 give us the details of the temptation of Jesus. Three times the devil offered to the Lord something to satisfy the flesh, the body: food for His grinding stomach; safety for physical life; and possessions, fortune, and power to enjoy during His earthy existence. In all three scenarios Jesus combats the temptations with verses from the Old Testament. In doing this He has given us an example to follow. If Satan tempted Jesus, he will surely tempt us too.

Jesus must have been completely exhausted. Yet even in His fatigue, He never gives up, complains about how bad times are, or pines for the good ole days. Obeying His Father was the only thing that mattered. Jesus resolved in Himself to not let anything dissuade Him from that path or goal. And His loving heavenly Father sent His angels to minister to Him when it was all over. It looks like a pretty proud Papa smiled at His Son that day. The angels knew what Jesus needed at that time. I imagine they ministered to His spirit as well as His body.

Lord, help me to be successful in my wilderness, knowing that You are always with me.

Matthew 4:19-20

And He said to them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.

And they immediately left the nets, and followed Him.

As bad-off as Jesus was in the last story, we find Him right back at His Father’s work before the end of the chapter. He needs workers to send into the harvest, laborers to build His church; so He sets off to gather a most unlikely group of men. The brothers Peter and Andrew were part of this unlikely group

The call of God on a person’s life is a miracle itself. Without that call, one would certainly not come to Him. And in the case of the twelve disciples, they each had the same response. Fishermen were not known for their high education or knowledge of anything other than fishing. But it was that knowledge that Jesus needed and used to build His kingdom. So, why would a man abandon a perfectly good business to follow a man they had never met? Weird, huh? In the church we call it a God thing. It’s basically unexplainable other than to say that God wanted it that way – like a miracle. It is supposed the women folk attached to these fishers of men had a few questions for hubby when he got home that night!

Father, give me a heart to come when You call. Thanks.

Matthew 4:22

And they immediately left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

James and his brother John were the other set of brothers who were also fisherman. Last time we looked at Peter and Andrew. Although both situations have obvious similarities, there is an added dimension in this verse. Last time, Peter and Andrew left their business – their bread and butter. With James and John, there is family mentioned. Now, family businesses were as common back then as they are today, maybe even more so. But this one indicates to us that the family unit may have been tighter, or perhaps James and John were younger than Peter and Andrew and therefore able to have their father with them.

It could be said then that James and John gave up more in order to follow Christ. Like Abram of old who left country and family to go to a land he’d never seen, so these two brothers left their profession and their family to follow a man who would change their lives forever and make some history along the way. Again the action of direct and immediate obedience has to be admired here. Tough decision for these two guys, but one well worth it in the end.

Lord, thank you for my family, my father, and for the time we have had to work together.

Matthew 5:3 This begins a set of 7 verses.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

In this familiar Sermon on the Mount, Jesus pronounces several blessings, which have been the subject of many a pastor’s sermon. He identifies who the person is by a characteristic of them and then identifies the actual blessing they will receive from Him. Now, nobody knows how to bless like Jesus! He has been doing it a long time and with all that practice He’s very good at it!

Poor in spirit has nothing to do with finances. The word spirit here refers to more of a person’s attitude – we might call it humility. When we get a clear view of who we are compared to Jesus, our pride, arrogance, and conceit melt away. We become poor in our attitude because we realize that we have nothing and therefore we are nothing compared to Jesus. This softening of our heart and opening of our mind is a work of the Holy Spirit and leads us to repentance and our ultimate salvation. But with His salvation comes a new identity. No longer are we known for ourselves but we are called by His name.

Father, forgive me when my spirit becomes rich in myself. Thank you for reminding me of who You are and whose I am – I look forward to your kingdom in heaven. You are a blessing to me.

Matthew 5:4

"Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.

As the Holy Spirit empties me of myself, He begins to show me my sin. My wrong-doing hurts His Father-heart and creates a rift between us. The closeness is gone – not permanently - just as long as I remain in my sin. As I practice the art of repentance (turning away from my sin and toward God) He restores our relationship to its fullest.

When the Holy Spirit convicts me of something that I need to release or remove from my life; I suffer a kind of loss. Grieving can occur as I let go of the thing He wants from me. Like Abraham who was asked by God to sacrifice his son Isaac on the altar, there is a reluctant obedience. But following that is an assurance from God that this is the right thing to do. He brings me comfort in my loss; encouraging me to not go back to it, but to remain faithful to what He’s called me to do. His peace that passes all my understanding replaces my fear and quiets my heart.

Help me, Lord, to see my sin the way You do. Help me remember that it hurts Your heart when I forget to spend time with You. I want to trade the unimportant things in my life for more time with You. Thanks for meeting me there.

Matthew 5:5

"Blessed are the gentle (meek), for they shall inherit the earth.

Meekness has been defined by some as strength under control. Jesus’ life on earth exemplified this better that anyone else. How many times in His three-year ministry He could have used the power of heaven to intervene on behalf of someone in need. Yet He was gentle to all; kind in His speech with the demon-possessed, the adulterous woman, and the blunders of His own disciples. What a great encouragement that is to me! His meekness looks beyond my failures and willfulness to see the need in me. He draws me by His love from my nervous self-centeredness back to a point of calm repentance.

I can then look to Him as my example of how I should behave. Practice His gentleness in my circumstance. In all honesty, I’m not sure what the blessing in this passage means. But, as mentioned earlier, God is quite adept at blessing His children so I’m sure it’s wonderful. Inheriting something is usually a good thing – right? And I suppose there are worse places to be than earth.

Gentle Shepherd, as I study how You handled situations, help me to apply those same characteristics in my own life. Keep teaching me and help me be a good learner. Thanks.

Matthew 5:6

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Now that my attitude is right, my sin is confessed, and I am practicing the gentleness of Christ, I have a hunger to know Him more. For me, the selfishness, sin, and hard-headedness can rob me of the desire to study His Word and learn more about Him. But when all of that has been dealt with (and believe me there’s a lot!) two really cool things happen. He gives me a desire to read the Bible and pray. And His Holy Spirit sits beside me to do the teaching. My heart, mind, and spirit open up to whatever He has for me. It comes through my own study, the pastor’s preaching, conversation with others, or my teaching in class. God can speak to me through my own mouth! When that happens, then I know for sure it is He who is doing the talking and not me – what a huge blessing!

Whether it’s my hungering or someone else’s, God satisfies it as only He can – it’s hard to explain unless it’s happened to you. But just like physical hunger and thirst can be quenched with a fine meal and drink, so the spiritual hunger can be satisfied. But unlike the physical, the more I receive from Him the more I want – and the less I receive the less I want.

Jesus, give me a desire to know You more.

Matthew 5:7

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

At this point in the progression, the characteristics of Christ begin to manifest themselves. Showing mercy is only one of those God things that cannot be explained in any other way except through the power of the Holy Spirit living in a person’s life. Mercy’s opposite is a selfish vengeance seen in every time period and manner of life. The smallest child can naturally show a revengeful spirit while playing with siblings or friends. So it’s quite common for this I’ll get you back or Don’t get mad, get even mentality to wreak havoc on any society.

Mercy, on the other hand, is born out of experience. I am able to show mercy to others because God has shown it to me. He has every right to ignore me, abuse me, or bless me. He’s God and can do as He likes with His own possessions. And as He treats me, so I should treat others. Mercy has been defined as, Not giving me what I deserve. My sin condemns me to a Christ-less eternity in hell. But God grants His mercy to me and saves me from that. A simple testimony of His love.

Thanks, Father for giving Your mercy to me. Help me show it more to others. I need to see this world the way You do – we have a great need for You.

Matthew 5:9

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

(The final characteristic of this set is followed by two more in Matthew 5.) The old quote says, You never know what you have until you lose it. This certainly applies to peace. War, conflict, strife, and struggle are enemies of peace. But there’s another enemy – sin. Selfishness is at the root of all these evils that sets war against peace. The Bible says that my sins made me an enemy of God. We were at war. It was this selfishness that got Lucifer kicked out of heaven. He cared more about what he wanted than what God wanted for him.

Making peace sometimes means giving up something – compromising, diplomacy. It also requires sensitivity to the needs of others whether they are the victims of domestic or foreign war. If nobody cares then they are not likely to initiate any kind of peace talks. Peace talks begin at home and branch out into the church, neighborhood, school, businesses, etc.

Lord, help me to see the strife in this world and do whatever I can to bring Your peace to it. Help me tell others about the peace only You can bring to their eternal souls. Thank you for the blessing of peace – may I protect it whenever possible.

Matthew 5:14

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

As Jesus continues His Sermon on the Mount, He shares His title of Light of the World with the disciples. Jesus calls Himself the Light of the World in John chapter 8. Yet here, He tells His disciples (which includes us) we are the light of the world. The illustration of the city on the hill is a parallel to this.

In both cases, lights are necessary where there is darkness. A burning light bulb or candle has little effect in the light of mid day. But put that same light in the blackest darkness of night and its value is seen clearly. As a modern disciple of Jesus, I should show the light of Christ to the dark world around me. Following the footsteps of the twelve disciples of Jesus’ day, I am to speak of Him and show off His characteristics to the general public. Some of these I have already discussed in the last few entries: mercy, peace-making, etc. The light can easily be hidden by the trappings of this world. One of the most damaging criticisms of the church in any age is that no difference can be seen between it and the world in general.

May the God of heaven keep me as a pure light to the world around me so they may ‘see my good works and glorify my Father in heaven.’

Matthew 5:27

"You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’;

Jesus’ words are quoted from the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 20. In speaking to His predominantly Jewish audience, He assumes they have heard the commandments before so the first part of this lesson is a review for them. It is a simply stated command that brings a powerful message. Because marriage is a symbol of Christ’s relationship with His church, it should be treated with the same respectful attention. Committing adultery breaks this line of respect with a betrayal of the most serious nature.

In verse 28 Jesus goes on to explain why He is bringing this lesson to them. That lesson being this: adultery begins in the heart which is stimulated by what the eyes see. In our world today there is much for our eyes to see that will accomplish this temptation to adultery. I must purpose in my heart not to allow these allurements to get a hold of my decision-making will. My focus has to be on the truth of God’s Word so that when Satan tempts me to look and see I will recognize the temptation for what it is and flee from it.

O Lord, may I honor our relationship by practicing holiness in my marriage. Keep my mind pure of adulterous thoughts that I may honor You.

Matthew 5:41

"And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two.

As Jesus continues to teach the Christian way of living, He stresses our relationships with other people, not just other believers. The previous verse could easily be attached to this one. As I understand that my life and all my possessions really belong to the Lord, I am able to give of them freely to those in need. In verse 40, I can give of my material things, but in this verse, I give of my time.

Wow, that’s a tough one. My schedule is so tight sometimes that going that extra mile with someone is more difficult than giving of more material possessions. But a heart of love for the Lord does just that. It’s the kind of thing Jesus did when He was here on earth. He set the example for us to follow. It was common in Jesus’ day for the Roman soldier or Jewish authority to force you to go one mile. The Law required the person to go, but only for the one mile. Jesus’ love extends beyond the Law. The second mile is not done out of obligation but a genuine concern for another person. It’s a practical manifestation of faith in Christ and must first have the right heart attitude.

Jesus, your extra mile took You to Calvary. Help me remember that the next time You ask me to keep going. Your plan and purpose is my main concern.

Matthew 5:44

"But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you

This time Jesus quotes from the Old Testament book of Leviticus as He updates another old law. Love your neighbor and hate your enemy was the accepted way of thinking. Jesus, though, goes again to the heart of the matter. Loving ones enemies was as much of a shock to the folks back then as it must be today. The natural man easily hates an enemy, but the love of Christ is supernatural and can accomplish the impossible.

But beyond that I am to pray for these who persecute me. Persecution of Christians is pretty mild here in the Land of the free. A snicker or a sneer is about it for the most part. However, we have brothers and sisters in Christ in other parts of the world that are experiencing real persecution. These brave family members don’t just read this verse, they live it. They’ve had their homes ransacked, lost jobs, seen loved ones carted away in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. And whether they find themselves