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**January 20-21, 2012**
Hey, You Scripture-Memory-Mad Women!
I hope your Memorial Day weekend was wonderful and that your appreciation of our nation’s heroes got a fresh stir. I looked around our sanctuary on Sunday at all those who had served in wars and I marveled over the few World War II veterans we have left. My Dad was one of them and, had he lived, he would be ninety. Such a powerful part of our history was written in their blood. My dad lived well over half a century with a bullet fragment lodged near his heart. He took a hit right through his cheek and, ultimately, surgeons grafted skin from his hip to cover the severe indention in his face. If you have a family with a weird sense of humor, perhaps you can imagine that it was fodder for a few jokes, most of which he told himself.
Of course, heroes come in all generations and both genders. I have two framed pictures in prominent places in my office of women soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan who have done Bible studies on their tours of duty. Flabbergasting to me. May Christ hold our soldiers tight and let them lose neither their lives nor their faith and may He return them to their families as whole people, twice the wiser.
Well, Girlfriends, it’s JUNE! Our temperatures in Houston are already well into the upper nineties and we are experiencing the severest drought in decades. It seems that few areas of our country are free of something ranging from brow-raising concern all the way to destruction and devastation. What on earth?? I don’t pretend to know the details of what is happening around us but I really do feel that Kingdom history is being written in these days entrusted to us. I believe there is a bold dot on the divine time line representing this era with a label Heaven alone knows for now, but generations will talk about until Christ’s Kingdom comes. We must stand firm in our faith and love twice as much. These are days when our words must be backed by our hearts or dismissed entirely by the world. Remember Christ’s warning in Matthew 24:12 that the hearts of many will grow cold. Our love will not endure extended seasons of difficulty by accident. In our self-protectiveness, the first natural casualty will be our emotions. We will either set our hearts on things above (Col. 3:1) where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, or we’ll lose our footing here below.
We are called to live by faith and to love by faith.
Part of how we stand firm is to know Scripture, and not with swollen heads but swollen hearts. One of the verses in my quiet time this morning was Psalm 119:57 – “The LORD is my source of security. I have determined to follow Your instructions.” (The NET Bible) One thing is certain: we are finding out how little security this anguishing planet can offer us. “The LORD is the source of security.” Personal. National. Global. Universal. The Lord alone. And, so, like never before, we need to know His instructions…and follow them.
One of my favorite portions of the Book of James has turned out to be the last half of 5:11 – “…you have seen the Lord’s purpose, that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” The Lord cannot set aside His compassion and mercy to deal with this world. Oh, I’m not saying He won’t ultimately deal with this world. His Word promises that He will. But I am saying that He cannot set aside His compassion and mercy to do it. They are elements of His immutable character and the first descriptions He used to introduce Himself to Moses by name in Exodus 34:6-7.
OK, Sisters. I better get to our purpose here on this first of June. The pages are flying off the calendar like leaves in the wind and it’s time for our 11th verse! God has had me in 2 Timothy recently for my memory work so here’s mine this time around:
Beth, Houston. “Because of this, in fact, I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, because I know the one in whom my faith is set and I am convinced that He is able to protect what has been entrusted to me until that day.” 2 Timothy 1:12 The NET Bible
You can bet your life on it.
You are treasured here. May Christ continue to captivate you. He loves you so much.
PS. OK, I can’t stand it anymore. SO HOW ABOUT THAT TIMER AT THE TOP OF THIS POST???? That, my beloved Siestas, is exactly how much time we have to go until our SSMT celebration! Wooooooohoooooooo!!! Bring it, Jesus! Kudos to my wonderful coworker, Kimberly McMahon, for making that happen. I told her I thought we needed a little extra incentive for this second half of our Scripture memory commitment. I WANT EVERY ONE OF YOU TO COME if you possibly can. With the numbers where they are right now on our 1st and 15th entries, we have room to fit all of you in our sanctuary. Save your money! Ask for it as a Christmas gift! Remember, the event is our gift to you but it’s not too soon to start saving for travel and accommodations. This is one of the biggest events on the calendar to us at Living Proof so please know how wanted you are and how loved you are. Celebrating a faithful work of God to a woefully dependent people was His idea in the first place. He loves festivals so, Girlfriends, let’s have one.
L.E.T.S.C.O.U.N.T.I.T.D.O.W.N.
Mandy, Cottondale, AL: No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11 NIV
Jodi:Fairhope,AL-And said,”Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;wisdom and power are his.He changes times and seasons;he sets up kings and deposes them.He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.He reveals deep and hidden things;he knows what lies in darkness,and light dwells with him.I thank and praise you,O God of my fathers;You have given me wisdom and power,you have made known to me what we asked of you,you have made known to us the dream of the king.” Daniel 2:20-23 NIV
That is a verse I have on my wall. Helped me through a lot.
Great to memorize!
Jodi, I could not resist writing you a note to tell you that two years ago this was one of my verses. At that time I had no idea how much it would mean to me now. As our church has been going through a difficult time, I have been constantly reminded that He does indeed know what is in the darkness, He has revealed hidden things, He gives wisdom & knowledge and indeed, I will praise Him forever. God is so good!
Peggy, Corpus Christi, TX
What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits towards me? Psalm 116:12 NKJV
Ladonna, Cottondale, AL: Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity. Proverbs 21:23 NIV
Kathy, Hendersonville, TN
“For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.”
Romans 8:20-21 NIV
Liz, Logansport: “But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My god will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me.” Micah 7:7-8 (NASB)
Mine I have seen 3 times through 3 different
sources. He heals our grieving.
John 11:41-42 (NIV)
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus
looked up and said,
“Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
I knew that you always hear me,
but I said this for the benefit of the people
standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
Like a city whose walls are broken down so is a man who lacks self control. (Proverbs. 25:28)
Carol, Florence Ma.
The Lord will lay bare his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth will see
the salvation of our God.
Isaiah 52:10 NIV
“Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be brave and strong. Your every action must be done with love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 HCSB
Ginger
Wetumpka, AL
Becky, Temecula, CA
“Direct my footsteps according to your word. Let no sin rule over me.”
Psalm 119:133 NIV
Ann — SW VA
Acts 4:12 NIV
12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Blaine, Magnolia:
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” John 15:16 NIV
Amy
Oklahoma
Psalm 119:57 (NET)– “The LORD is my source of security. I have determined to follow Your instructions.”
Deborah-Cheyenne,WY – “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 NIV
Sandra
Wichita Falls, TX
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops Proverbs 3:9 NIV
Courtney, Fort Collins, CO:
“Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.'” Hebrews 13:5 NLT
Elaine ~ Powder Springs.
My lips will glorify You because Your faithful love is better than life. Psalm 63:3 (NIV)
Joan/Coppell, TX: He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. Psalm 112:7-8 NIV
Jana, San Angelo, TX
If we live by the Spirit,let us also walk by the Spirit. Galations 5:25 English Standard Version
Kosciusko, MS
“He made the storm calm down, and the waves became still.”
Psalm 107:29
Psalms 91:1
NIV
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Eleanor
Memphis, TN
Jenn
Frederick, MD
The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.
Psalm 34:22, NIV
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26, NIV
Tracey Knight ~ Arkadelphia AR
Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10 NIV11
But He knows the way that I take;
When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. Job 23:20
…times-a-tick…tick..tick…tick (cannot get over that clock) Cannot wait for the James Bible study, either!
They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. Rev. 12: 11 (NIV)
Sara Springfield Mo
Matthew 7:11 KJV
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
LOIS, CRYSTAL SPRINGS MS
PROVERBS 3: 5-6
TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEAT AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING; IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT
Rosie, Tacoma word
The Lord God is a sun and shield.
The lord will give grace and glory:
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 84:11 NKJV
Amie, Rochester, MN:
“For I hold you by your right hand-I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.” Isaiah 41:13 NLT
Psalm 119:18 NIV
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
Blessings
Kelli in Colorado
New Jersey
I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope….
Acts 2:26 THE MESSAGE
Suzanne Bailey in Harrisville, RI
Psalm 119:165 KJV
Great peace have they which love thy law; and nothing shall offend them.
Holly, Beaumont, CA “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV
Ann, San Antonio, TX: Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Ps. 9:10 NIV
Rita, Birmingham “And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought and in dry places and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not. Isaiah 58:11 The AMP Bible
Rebecca, Pineville, LA
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
Romans 10:17, NIV
(VBS verse for this year!)
Janell, Denver, CO: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” James 1:5-6 NIV.
Colette, Mesa, AZ.
“Mercy, Peace, and Love be yours in abundance.”
Jude 2 NIV
Roxanne, Greenwood, LA, James 5:13-16, KJV:
“Is there any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
Psalm 119:133 Direct my footsteps according to you word; let no sin rule over me. NIV
“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
“Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees;
then I will keep them to the end.”
Psalm 119:33 NIV
Laura – Hoyt, KS. “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”
I Timothy 6:18 – NIV
Chrissy, Detroit Lakes, MN: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].” –Proverbs 18:21 (Amplified)
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Psalm 23:6 KJV
Romans 12:18, If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
candifer, sd: they will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. isaiah 61:4 (NIV)
Michelle, Bossier City
Celebrating Twenty years of marriage today!
In honor of that:
Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ forgave you.”
Happy Anniversary! Today is our 16th! 🙂 Still thinking about my verse for this time, though. . . I’m always so indecisive, but then have been so blessed by the ones I’ve ended up memorizing. Blessed by reading some now, too. . .