[tminus t=”20-01-2012 19:00:00″ style=”carbonite”/]
**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.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. Jeremiah 17:7 NIV Bible
Donna, Tuscaloosa, AL
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” Col 3:1 NIV
Stacie- Cyvadier, Haiti
Romans 1:12, NCV
“I mean that I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you.”
Amy
Whiteman AFB, MO
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.
Pslam 114:8 NIV
Judy, Apple Valley, CA
“On GOD rests my salvation and my glory;
My mighty rock, my refuge is GOD.”
Psalm 62:7 (ESV)
Lewisville, TX
2 Corinthians 3:5
(ESV)
“Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God…”
“Everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:8 (NRSV)
Tanya- Sheffield, AL:
“Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.”
Psalm 141:3-4
(NIV)
Stacy, Big Lake MN:
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)
Kathy, Henning MN:
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”
Psalms 139:11 (NIV)
Nikki in Richmond, VA
“So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.”
1 Peter 4:19 (NIV)
Cathy, Lebanon “My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:2 KJV
Wendy and my two daughters, Faith (15) and Naomi Hope (11)
Eden Prairie, MN
Psalm 9:10b NIV, “…for you Lord have never forsaken those who seek You.”
Diane in Clay Center, KS
Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9 (NIT)
Chonda, Fayetteville, AR, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1Peter 5:7 NIV
For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day. 1 Timothy 1:12
Job 22:21-22 (NIV)
Submit to God and be at peace with Him; in this way prosperity will come to you.
Accept instruction from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart.
Shelley-Florida
For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight.
Ephesians 1:4 (NIV)
galations 5:13-14
——————————————————————————–
13For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
SO WE FIX OUR EYES NOT ON WHAT IS SEEN, BUT ON WHAT IS UNSEEN. FOR WHAT IS SEEN IS TEMPORARY, BUT WHAT IS UNSEEN IS ETERNAL. 2 CORINTHIANS 4-18 NIV
Michelle in Nashville:
But I am trusting You, O LORD, saying, “You are my God!” My future is in Your hands. –Psalm 31:14-15, NLT
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6
NIV
Karen Orem, Utah
17 “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. Jeremiah 32:17 NIV
I would like to change to this verse:)
Karen Orem, Utah
But I am trusting You, O LORD, saying, “You are my God!” My future is in Your hands. –Psalm 31:14-15, NLT
Sarah, Isle, MN
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to him in song.
Psalm 28:7 (NIV)
Mary, Satellite Beach
“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”
~ 2 Timothy 1:7 NASB
shawna in Alabama “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” Job 42:2
Louisville, Ky
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.”
Isaiah 30:21 (NIV 1984)
Janet, Amarillo, TX
Psalm 34:18 (NET)
The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He delivers those who are discouraged.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12, NIV
Pat W, Green Bank, WV
6:Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace.
7:I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.
Psalm 120:6,-7. The Holy Bible. NRSV. pp. 539.
Helen W, Dunmore, WV
Understand this my dear brothers and sisters;
you must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
James 1:19. New Living Translation.
Abigail, Cincinnati. “And my God will supply your every need according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 The NET Bible
Joyce, Lebanon, Tennessee
Therefore keep watch because you do not know the day or the hour.
Matthew 25:13 NIV
Paula, Russell, KY.
You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands. Psalm 119:73, NLT.
Diann, Woodburn, IN
“You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.” Psalm 30:11-12 NIV
Laura, Morgantown, WV
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
Jana, Brenham, TX
Psalm 139:23-24, NIV
“Search me, 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.”
Cindy in Mt. Pleasant, SC
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Ps. 19:14
Cathy Boyd Pierceton, IN
Linda, Johnstown, PA.
Romans 4:20-21 (NIV)
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised.
Colossians 3:13
Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
NLT 🙂
Leila in Carrollton, GA
Psalm 119:105 NIV
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
Catherine, Montgomery. The Lord is my source of security. I have determined to follow Your instructions.
Psalm 119:57 (The NET Bible)
Stephanie, Newport Beach, CA
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is in the LORD.
Jeremiah 17:7(ESV)
Marsha, Lexington Park, MD (aiming for the whole psalm)
O God, Thou art my God; I shall seek Thee earnestly;
My soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh yearns for Thee,
In a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Psalm 63:1 NAS
mispelled a few words…how can I start over?
I corrected for you. 🙂
Denise, Orange City
2 Corinthians 9:8 ESV
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
Ephesians 4:26 NIV
“In your anger do not sin”[a]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.
Gina Kosciusko, MS
Annie L. Bloomington, Indiana
Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV
“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.”
Isaiah 5:20 TNIV
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
Devi
Geneva, Switzerland
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13:7 (ESV)
Ellen M., Camden DE
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10 NIV
Nicole, Ocean Springs, MS – “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” ~2 Timothy 1:7 (NASB)