WE’VE MADE IT HALFWAY, SIESTAS! This is verse 12 of our 24! Can you believe it? I am so stinking proud of you that I don’t know what to do. And there is no doubt in my mind that God is as pleased with this pursuit as anything we’ve ever done on this blog. I’ve enjoyed it like crazy.
I’ve practiced Scripture memory and used index cards for many years but now, when I recite my verses, I think of so many of you out there doing exactly the same thing. I picture you darling college girls, a bunch of you single siestas, tons of you busy moms, and a terrific band of grandmoms all practicing your Scriptures as you balance the demands of your crazy lives. I think of all our Canadian Scripture memory-siestas and our beloved missionaries in other countries and how they sometimes record their verses in their new languages. There’s so much joy and motivation in community.
I keep thinking about a woman I met at the Pittsburgh event. She’d made the life altering decision to receive Jesus Christ as her personal Savior and I had the joy of getting to visit with her and pray over her for a few minutes. In her lap, she was holding a very nice large leather Bible still in the box. She had the top off the box and had stacked it underneath so that the Bible was in open displayed.
“Did you just get that beautiful new Bible here at the event?”
She rubbed the leather on the top of it then took it out of the box for me to smell how wonderfully aromatic it was. She shook her head and said, “No, I’ve had it for a while. Isn’t it beautiful?”
I could have cried. She’d brought it to the event in the box so it wouldn’t get messed up. I’d never seen anyone do that before in all these years of speaking. Her reverence for that Bible was stunning and, yet, there was something also very childlike about her. I didn’t think it was going to do much good to try to talk her into scribbling all over those gorgeous gold leaf pages so we offered her another Bible, a hardback Life Application NIV, so she’d feel like she could ruffle it up, mark verses, and write in the margins. I don’t know if she will or not.
Isn’t that the paradox of the whole thing? Sacred words etched on the page by the breath of God so folks like us with feet of clay can wallow all over them. Not just live by them but live on them. Not just thrive through them but sometimes, in tragedy and storm, survive through them. Life lived with Bible out of the box, off the shelf, flipped wide open and pressed to the heart.
And committed to memory. That’s how we press it to the head.
I’m working on the second half of my June 1st portion out of Psalm 112 NIV. Here are Vv.4-8:
Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.
Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.
He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting the Lord.
His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
OK, Siestas, hit it! Let’s have your Verse 12! Name, city, verse and translation!
DILIGENCE, SIESTAS! DILIGENCE!
Matthew 6:33
NLT
"And he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern."
Daimy Penn
Naples, FL
Teresa from Las Cruces, NM
My goal of twelve psalms this year is more difficult than I had anticipated but I am enjoying the effort!
Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
8 Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields [b] with fire.
10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31b NIV
Susan
Katy, TX
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Sarah
S. Hamilton, MA 01982
I am the true vine and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
John 15: 1-3 ESV
Stacy Fountain
Dothan, AL
Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Beth,
Cary, NC
"He will be your constant source of stability. He abundantly provides safety and great wisdom. He gives all this to those who fear Him." Isaiah 33:6
I couldn't find my post on this one, so maybe I pushed the preview button instead of the publish your comment button. Here's the one I memorized for the June 15th verse:
Ecc. 5:7 (NIV)
"Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore, stand in awe of God."
Jeanine
Athens, NY
Jude 1:24-25 NIV
24To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
Susan
Springboro OH
How great is the love the father has lavished on us, that we may be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1
kaci from norman
Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
Romans 2:4 NKJV
Monica Patrick
Fort Worth, TX
finishing up
II Peter 1:5-7 (The Message)
So don't lose a minute in building on what you have been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others.
Kathy
Chattanooga TN
Nothing on earth is hidden from our God, but everything becomes bare and exposed before the one to whom we must give an account.Hebrews 4:13
Proverbs 18:10
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
Melissa
Asheville, NC
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Ephesians 1:3 (NIV)
Leann Ford
Alabama
Psalm 119:36-37, NIV
Turn my hear toward your statutes, and not toward selfish gain.
Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.
Rose in Dallas
Philippians 1:6
"being confident in this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children; and walk in love just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. Eph 5:1&2
Sharon
Union City, CA
Romans 5:5
"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
Kristin
Kennesaw, GA
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
Psalm 62:6
Anita
Austin, TX
"Set you minds on things above, not earthly things."- Colossians 3:2 (NIV)
Kenzie Stanfield
Katy, TX
When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people: "Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses."
Nehemiah 4:14 NAS
Kim
Perrysburg, OH
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in they sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.
Psalm 19:14
NIV
Luain, Amarillo, TX
Sabrina in Georgia
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
Proverbs 3:5 NKJV
Psalm 103:3 (NIV)
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases
Sharon
San Antonio, TX
Even in darkness light dawns for the upright for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
Good will come to him who is generouse and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.
Surely he will never be shaken; A righteous man will be remembered forever.
He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting the Lord.
His heat is secure, he will have no fear, in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
Psalm 112 4-8
Verna
Berea, KY
"Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. God will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. he will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting the Lord."
Psalm 112: 4-8 NIV
Staci — Kalamazoo, MI (Late start!)
God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to His eyes.
Psalm 18:24 (MSG)
Sarah =)
Waxahachie, TX
Hebrews 12:28-13:2
Therefore since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken let us be thankful and so worship God with reverence and awe. For our God is a consuming fire. Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
Candice
Evanston, IL
Phillipians 4:9 KJV
Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Darlene Logansport, IN
PS – I am behind on posting my verses, and it is next to impossible for me to go back and find where I made my last post! :)I've been memorizing, but I had stepped away from the blogging world for awhile. Is there a way to find out where I left off? I was thinking it was around April, maybe?
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.
Phil 4:4-5 (HCSB)
April P. North Stonington, CT
Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)
Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
Jenn, manhattan KS
I John 2:3 NIV
We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.
Becky, Houston, TX
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
James 3:17
Erika Chapman
Florence, SC
Nicole
Winnipeg, MB
NIV
2 Cor 10:3
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
Kasey Ewing, Bossier CIty, LA
Psalm 40:17
Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay.
Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
James 2:5-7(NIV)
Rhonda
Anderson, IN
"Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians 4:5-6 NIV
Kathy
Austin
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Romans 6:14 (KJV)
Fran Dockins
Corryton, TN
Psalms 31:12
I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery.
Eleanor
Memphis, TN
"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody."
1 Thessalonians 4:11,12 NIV
Jody, Colfax, NC
Isaiah 7:9 NIV
The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah's son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.
Nicole
Sugar Land ,TX
You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.
Exodus 20:5
Ina
Lancaster, PA
"You hem me in-behind and before; You have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain."
Psalm 139:5-6 (NIV)
Pam Carrigan, Greensboro, NC
Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the lord and he will give you your hearts desire.
Trudi Tedrick
Lynchburg, OH
Pat in Bigfork, MT said:
Psalm 23:5-6
…He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies. He annoints my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Philippians 1:12 NASB
Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel.
Becky
Indianapolis, IN
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"
1 John 3:1 NIV
Beverly
Brenham, TX
I am from God and am an overcomer, because He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4
Libby
Dallas, TX
Phil. 4:8 NIV
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anthing is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.
Soozi, Houston, TX