“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

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The religious leaders of ancient Israel took God’s call in this verse very literally. They made phylacteries, which were little boxes that they tied to their arms and heads that actually held small copies of Scripture verses. I’m not suggesting you do that, but as we continue in our journey of Scripture memorization this week, there is something to be said for making God’s words visible as you’re seeking to memorize them.

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If you’re just now joining us this week, head back to Monday’s video for the foundation of how we’re approaching the spiritual discipline of Scripture memorization this week. In that video we learned how to write the first letter of each word of a verse down and use this visual clue to help memorize the verse. As you do that, I encourage you not just to do this in a journal where you won’t see it all day. Make it visible!

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Write it in sharpie on the lid of your coffee cup so you see it every time you take a drink. Write it on your arm – Mom might not like it, but just show her this verse - ha! Write it on a post-it to stick to your fridge if you’re at home, or on your office computer or the dash of your car. Write it down, take a photo, and set it as your phone’s lock screen this week.

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Here’s why God wanted his words to be visible to his people… In the busyness of life, we so easily forget him, don’t we?

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Verses 10-12 say, “When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

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God knows us so well. He knows that we forget him easily, but he also knows that his words lead to life. Set them before your eyes today, friends, that you do not forget the Lord.