Hey, you Scripture-memory buffs! I pray that your verses are bearing fruit and that they’re right there on the tip of your tongue when you’re tempted to say something the polar opposite of God’s will. That’s one of many things I like about memory work. It’s seems out of place to use the same mouth that has been spouting Scripture to spout off a bunch of trash. That doesn’t mean we never do it but it does mean we’re likely to feel miserable over it and think twice the next time.
Two times in a row our SSMT has fallen on a Bible study day so I am forced to be much briefer than I’d like. My heart toward you is bigger than my words, particularly today. Tonight’s lesson is especially pressing because I’m further behind in preparation than I’d normally be if I hadn’t had a taping over the weekend and spent the end of last work-week getting ready for it. Yada yada yada. I am woman, hear me whine.
I bet some of you feel the same way I’ve felt over the last week: too much on your plate. Looking at all of it in one big heap on your desk or your calendar can be demoralizing. Thursday I had one of those days when you can hardly make it to your car after work without bursting into tears. On the way home I felt like God was telling me to humble myself and get the word out that I needed prayer and by the next day I felt a world better. (Some nights you just go to bed early out of love for the people who live with you.) A couple of other things have really helped me today. They seem elementary but, if so, why don’t we ever seem to learn them once and for all? Here’s what they are: Remembering to…
1) TAKE ONE THING AT A TIME! God’s grace really is sufficient and He really does meet all our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. As much as we want to see all that manna heaped up in a mountain of provision a week in advance alongside those upcoming demands, His promise in Philippians 4:19 is to meet each one AT THE TIME WE NEED IT. Thank You, Lord. If we could learn to live in this present moment with this present provision, oh, man, life would be so much less stressful, wouldn’t it?
2) SAY NO. I have managed to get that most distasteful word for the people-pleasure out of my mouth two times today to people I really, really, really didn’t want to say no to. People I love a ton. People I want very much to please. But the fact is, I don’t have a single other yes in my pocket right now. Not one. For this moment, I am completely bereft of extra yeses. Anybody else? So it’s got to be no. Help us, Lord. We need so much help to say yes to no.
Anyway, that’s not what we’re doing on here today. We’re on here to spout off our Siesta Scripture Memory Team Verse 4!
I am continuing out of the Book of James. This round I’m going with James 3:17 –
Beth, Houston. “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and not hypocritical.” James 3:17 The NET Bible (Is that a mouthful or what??)
For any of you who could use some ideas, the alternative verse I’m selecting for today outside of James may as well be the one I mentioned a couple of paragraphs earlier. If you’ve never memorized this one, stick it toward the top of your list. It’s a staple in the mental pantry of the believer.
“And my God will supply your every need according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 The NET Bible
And from The Message:
You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, His generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus.
And that is a promise, Sweet Thing. Eyes up. Chins up. Joy up.
And maybe…just maybe…say yes to no.
Just for fun, here are a couple of pictures from Valentine’s dinner last night. We didn’t have the Fitzpatricks with us because they had their own plans for their third anniversary. Can you believe it’s been that long? We missed them but had a ton of fun anyway. Here are two darling couples I got to stare at across the table. I love them each so much.
We are ecstatic to have Travis and Angela in town and the rest of the worship team lands today. They’ll lead us tonight at Bible study. Wooooohooooooo!
Are they darling or what? For any of you newcomers, that’s Amanda, my firstborn, and Curtis, her wonderful man.
This picture didn’t come out well because the lighting was so bright so I did it in black and white and it looked even goofier but, anyway, at least you know I really did go with them to dinner.
And, in case I haven’t yet bored you to utter oblivion, here is one more that Trav took with his phone:
OK, that’s it! If you’re missing my Valentine, he had to be out of town for a work thing but I will see him soon and got beautiful roses and funny text messages all day.
Let’s hear each of your fourth verses, Siestas! Name, city, verse and translations please!
I love you guys.
Jerre-Anacortes, WA
“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul
Psalm 143:8 NIV
“Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.” Habakkuk 3:2 (NIV)
Adrienne, Clarksville
Kathy, Easley: And my God will supply your every need according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19 NET
Kristin, Lexington
“He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles.”
Proverbs 21:23 New American Standard
Carla, Lake Park, Iowa
Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent and discerning if he holds his tongue, Proverbs 17:28
NIT
NIV sorry hit the wrong key
Sallye, San Angelo John 15:16 NKJV
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”
Sarah Lacy from Cypress, Texas, ” For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11, NASB
Katie, Houston. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 NIV
Heather Louisville, KY
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 2:3-5 (NIV)
Karen, Lexington, KY. “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” Ephesians 3:17-18 (NIV)
Carol * Arlington, Texas
“Since ancient times, no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God
besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him”. – Isaiah 64:4 (NIV)
Forget the former things do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wastland. Is 43:18-19 NIV
Sacha Hasenyager, Missoula, MT
1 Cor 1:4-6
I always thank God for you becasue of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way – in all your speaking and in all your knowledge – because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.
Ellen, Sevierville: Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (NIV)
Penney
Caribou, ME
“O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?”
Psalm 15:1 NASB
Trish L. West Linn, Oregon
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,neither are your ways, my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, So are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV
Margee, Chattanooga – And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,”
Isaiah 30:21 NRSV
Laurie New Hope, VA
Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. I Chronicles 29:10-11. (NIV 1984)
Nancy in Sebring FL: Romans 9:33 New Living Translation
God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said, “I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. But anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:24-25, NIV Jennifer, Cape Girardeau, MO
Jackie Cypress, TX
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless . James 1:26 NIV
Catherine, Lee’s Summit, MO
“If you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” –Proverbs 2:3-5
Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the Vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.
I am the Vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.
John 15:4-5 (NIV)
Carol Peavy
Jena, LA
Muscle Shoals, AL
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16
Betsy, Birmingham, AL
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:12-14 NLT
Lisa, Little Elm, TX
But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me,
I will come forth as gold.
Job 23:10 (NIV)
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 NIV
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast, it is not proud, it is not rude. It is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Chris M, Seattle
Isaiah 30:21 NIV
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
Tiffany, Sandwich, Illinois
“Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.” Colossians 4:6 MSG
Megan, Greenwood, IN: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus”. Philippians 2:5 NIV
“and my god WILL supply your every need according to his GLORIOUS riches in Christ Jesus” philippians 4:19 net
alicia, chicago
Kirsten Heavener, OK “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30
rachel r., lafayette, ind – “preach the word of God. be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.” – 2 timothy 4:2, NLT
“It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.” 2 Samuel 22: 34-35, NIV
Knoxville, TN
Beth, Canton
Psalm 40:8
I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.
TNIV
Julia,Whidbey Island,WA: “Against all hope, in hope Abraham believed. He did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God.” Romans4:18,20 NIV
Trae, Crawford: “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130 NIV
Carmen, Summersville, WV
“Do everything without grumbling or arguing.” -Philippians 2:14 NIV
Heidi – Lancaster, PA
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
Leslie
Alpharetta, GA
Phil 4:19 The Message
You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, His generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus.
Heather, Tallahassee, FL – You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You. Isaiah 26:3 NIV
Joy, Alpharetta. “I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up.” Romans 7:19-21, The Message
Rebekah – Fulton, MS
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:2-4, NIV
Nancy – Newport News, VA
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:12 NIV
Missy, Phoenix: In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Ephesians 3:12 NIV
Kirsten James, Winona Lake, IN “The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11
Teach me your way, o Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. Psalm 86:11 NIV
Holly, Boulder
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up.
1 Corinthians 13:4 NKJ
Brianna: San Antonio,TX
“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 NIV