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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.
April, BonneyLake, Washington
Psalm 63:3 NIV
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
Message
In your generous love I am really living at last! My lips brim praises like fountains.
Cindy – Lexington, NC
Deuteronomy 23:5 NIV
However the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you.
Brianna, San Antonio, TX:
“Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you;
your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.”
Isaiah 26:8 NIV
Maxie, Montgomery,AL
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” I Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)
Joan, Portage,MI
“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;let them sing joyful praises forever. Protect them, so all who love your name may be filled with joy. For you bless the godly, O LORD, surrounding them with your shield of love.”
Psalm 5:11-12 NLT
Christa, Denver, CO
I will go before you and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron.
Isaiah 45:2 (American KJV)
Melanie Toups
Bridge City, TX
“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?”
–Jeremiah 32:27 NASB
Erin – Springfield, MO
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5, NLT
Cheryl
Hephzibah, Ga.
And do not forget to do good and share with others, for with such sacrifices is God pleased. Hebrews 13:16 NIV
Make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your decrees. Psalm 119:135 (NIV)
Amy, GA
Ephesians 5:6-7 NRSV
“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be associated with them.”
I Corinthians 13:4 (NIV): “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”
Kristi, Gardner, KS: Galations 6:2 (NLT) Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
Beckie, Washington, DC: “Into your hands I commit my spirit, redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth. Psalm 31:5 NIV
Elizabeth, still here and in Rochester, NH:
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. ~ Romans 15:4, NIV
Priscilla, Mesa, Arizona
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
Hebrews 4:14 NIV
Laura, Bossier City:
And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
1 Peter 5:10 (NIV)
Cindy, Tulsa OK
Proverbs 29:11 (NIV)
A fool gives full vent to his anger,
but a wise man keeps himself under control.
Elizabeth, Charlottesville
This God — his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
Psalm 18:30, ESV
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
-Hebrews 1:3 (NIV)
Susie, Moultrie, GA
1 Peter 3:9
Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.
Heather
Little Rock, AR
Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.
Proverbs 10:19 NLT
Peg Suveg, Naperville, IL
“who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.” Psalm 103: 3,4 (NIV)
Col 3:2,3 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life in now hidden with Christ in God. NIV
Suzann Benson
Kingwood, WV
Kim, Warren “Say to those who are fearful-hearted, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.'” Isaiah 35:4 NKJV
Dora, Houston, TX:
“Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.”
-Psalm 119:133 (NIV)
Jaclyn, Houston. “Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.” Hosea 6:3 NLT
Genevieve, Orange, Texas – Day and night they never stop saying: “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE Lord GOD ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS, AND IS, AND IS TO COME.” Revelation 4:8
Vanessa, Florence, SC:
Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
Wanda North Canton, Ohio
The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower.
James 1:9-10
Sara G, Oklahoma City, OK;
“It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
That I may learn Your statutes.” Psalm 119:71 NKJV
Paddy, Clayton
God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.
Psalm 18:24 The Message
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 NIV
More GRACE scriptures in 2011….I know this is a gimme Scripture but it is one I want to make sure I have cemented in my head.
“For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2: 8-9 (NIV)
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, cause you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
I Cor. 15:58 NIV
“For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight.” Ephesians 1:4 HCSB
Andrea, Saskatchewan Canada
“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still” Exodus 14:14, NIV
Carrie, Fort Mill, SC
“But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
2 Cor. 2:9 NKJ
“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.” Rev 22:14 NIV
Darcie, Bethel, CT
“Jesus responded, ‘You say that I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into this world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.'”
John 18:37 NLT
Betsy in Birmingham, AL
Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him!
Philippians 4:4 (MSG)
Jenifer B.
Frisco, Texas
Hayley, Seymour TX
“The Lord is my portion. I promise to keep your words.”
Psalm 119:57 ESV
Jenifer B.
Frisco, Texas
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NIV
Barb, Des Moines, IA
You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely.
Psalm 139:3-4(NIV)
Kristina, Huntsville, AL: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Romans 12:12 NIV
Aimee, North Aurora, IL
For there will be no mercy for you if you have not been merciful to others. But if you have been merciful, then God’s mercy toward you will win out over his judgement against you.
James 2:13 NLT
Cindy, Montgomery, AL: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Romans 12:12 NIV
Cindy, Laguna Niguel. “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Colossians 3:1 ESV
Toni, Sugar Hill, GA
James 1:19-20 (NIV): “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”