Kelly - Proverbs 22

v. 17-18 - apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips.

John Wesley (founder of Methodism) preached thousands of sermons in his life. He began as a Church of England pastor, and the schism to found a new denomination was born partly from his reforms and partly from the American Revolution. Every time I read his sermons, I am amazed at his knowledge of scripture. He quoted it with every breath - and worked the words of Christ or Paul or James or John into his own thoughts seemlessly.

I wish I knew scripture like that. When I was about 10, my father's best friend memorized the Gospel of Mark. He traveled alot for work and took to memorizing it while waiting in airports.

I take some solace in the fact that I know hymn lyrics like that, or sometimes the words of the liturgy or common prayers. But it's been proven that we can remember better when music or lyrical cadence is added to the words. So I rely on the words of the hymns and prayers to tie me to the words of scripture - to bring me solace and wisdom and challenge during my daily life.

Someday, I will have them ready on my lips. But probably not all these proverbs. God can and does work miracles, but I don't see God cramming all of these proverbs into my head.