Hey, all of you lovely things! It’s nearly Spring and we’re all the way to verse 6! You are doing fabulously, Sisters. We are still THOUSANDS strong on this Scripture memory team. Thousands of Swords drawn and in the hands of women who want to love and not hate, build up and not destroy, rejoice because our God is faithful and not throw ourselves in the nearest ditch because life is hard. And, boy, is it.
I think God has given me something that could be a tad fun to do this time around. Since we started off the week here on the blog talking about clothes, what do you say we end it that way? For those of you who want to come alongside this theme with me, I’m throwing out three different Scriptures about clothing ourselves. You are still welcome to do your own selections as always but, just in case some of you were still in decision-mode and this sounded fitting (pardon the pun), come along with me into the closet of Scripture and let’s come out some well-dressed women of God! I’m offering the first two selections to you in two different versions so you can choose which one resonates most.
Colossians 3:12-13 (NIV) — (As you can see, this one includes two Scriptures. You’d only need to choose one of these for Verse 6 but I thought just maybe somebody could use a fresh, strong exhortation to forgive as you’ve been forgiven. I don’t know about you but that verse is never wasted on me. If you’d like, you could do the first verse for #6 and the second verse for #7.)
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
12Â Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13Â bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others.
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Now for the second set of verses on clothing ourselves. Sometimes we need to clothe ourselves in humility before we try clothing ourselves to no avail with compassion. Our pride is usually reason #1 that we don’t feel compassionate. At least it has been for me.
1 Peter 5:5 (NIV)
In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
1 Peter 5:5 (The NET Bible)
In the same way, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
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And you’ve just GOT to love Luke 24:49 in view of our clothing theme this week! Here’s the third selection out of the closet of Scripture, straight from the mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Luke 24:49 NIV
 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.
Luke 24:49 The NET Bible
And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. But stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
Power from on high! Bless His most holy Name.
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So there you have it! Three gorgeous jackets to wear. Which one do you need to wrap around you most right now? Do you need to be clothed with compassion? Humility? Power?? He’s got you covered. But just like we do each morning, we’ve got to get dressed on purpose.
Here’s what I’ve been thinking about in view of our clothing theme. Remember all those jackets in my 5+ Year Club? Several of them I’d had for ten solid years and I’m still wearing them. When it comes to tangible clothing, that can be good stewardship. But sometimes we can do the same kind of thing spiritually and emotionally and it’s not pretty. We can keep wearing the same old jacket…
…of anger
…or of bitterness
…or of negativity
…or of chronic disappointment
…or of sensuality
…or of desperation
and we’re so used to wearing it that we throw it on automatically, without giving a thought to the fact that we really could have a whole new wardrobe. It might be time we changed the way we dressed. And this whole new incredibly expensive wardrobe of compassion, humility, and anointing has already been paid for. And it’s in your size and mine.
Yep. I’m in the mood for some new clothes.
Beth, Houston. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others. Colossians 3:12-13 The NET Bible
OK, Sisters! Let’s have it! What are you memorizing this time around???
PS. LifeWay Women’s All Access Blog did the funniest thing. They dug into the Living Proof Live archives and pulled out pictures of every single one of those jackets in Monday’s post. Some of you might get a kick out of it. Here’s the link: The Proof Is In The Jacket.
Tags: Scripture Memory 2013
Cheryl, Huntington, WV All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything. I Corinthians 6:12 ESV
Jonda, Shakopee, MN
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.
Jeremiah 17:7
NIV
Brenda Kelley Taylors, SC
“Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.” Proverbs 30:5 NLT
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
Col. 3:12 NRSV
Diane from Littleton, CO
Isaiah 33:2 NIV
O LORD, be gracious to us;
we long for You.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation in time of distress.
Sherri, Marietta, Georgia: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. Lamentations 3:22 NIV
Judy Woodward from Lake Charles, LA
“He will make your righteousness shine
like the dawn, the justice of your cause
like the noonday sun.” Psalm 37:6 (NIV)
Kathryn, Oceanside CA, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12 NIV
Tracey N.
Seminole, TX
Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.
Proverbs 12:15
NLT
Galatians 5:23 (NKJV)
“gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Marsha Fort Smith
This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 13:35 NAB
Maureen, Logan, UT
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
Ephesians 4:25 NIV
Emily, Baton Rouge. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Phil. 4:13
Luann, Grand Junction CO
Psalm 51:10
New International Version (NIV)
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wonderous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.
Psalm 40:5
ESV
Phyllis Amarillo, TX
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night.
Psalm 92:1-2 ESV
Amanda, Lexington, KY
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
Paula, O’Fallon. He reveals the deep things and the hidden things; He knows what is obscured in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him. Daniel 2:22 RcV
Therefore, as God’s people,
holy and dearly loved,
clothe yourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Colossians 3:12 NIV
Christy from Holland, MI:
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” Colossians 3:15a, NIV
Debbie Miller in Muskogee, OK
I will bless the Lord at all times;his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1 (ESV)
Courtney Cherest
LaPlata, MD
1 Peter 2:16-25 (ESV)
16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.
19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.
20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.
21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Sarah from Texas:
Verse 5: “Because all the people hung on his words.” Luke 19:48b NIV
Verse 6: “I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”
Isaiah 61:10 NIV
Meredith from Columbus, OH: “…and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.” -Romans 5:4 (MSG)
Bethany Shelton – Salem OR
ROMANS 12:1 NLT – “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.”
Ruth, Madison, GA
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail, They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24
Tammy W, Bethlehem, GA, If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1, 2 NIV)
Overland Park, KS
As for me, I know that my redeemer lives, and in the end he will stand upon the earth.
Job 19:25 NIV
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. Proverbs 31:12 NIV
Tonia Booker-Meridian ID
Psalm 92:4 (NIV)
For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;
I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
and that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. Stand firm and be deeply rooted in his love. (Ephesians 3:17 NLT)
Kelli, Dover
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:14 ESV
Kristin, Carlsbad, CA
“You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.” Jonah 2:3 NIV
Mary, Atlanta – “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes.There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Rev. 21:3-4, NIV1984)
Becky, Lynchburg, VA
“If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” Prov. 24:10 Amp.
Emily~ Weatherford~ “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”~ Ephesians 2:10 NIV
Daniel 12:3
New International Version (NIV)
Those who are wise[a] will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
Tammy from Maryville, Mo
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. (Matthew 7:24 NIV)
Becky, Oklahoma City, OK
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others.
James 4:10
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (NIV)
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. (Mark 4:39 NIV)
Mendy Cary, NC
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12. NIV
Cindy Cannon, Otterville, IL
I can do all things through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
Joy Nelson from Muskogee, OK
The Lord your God is with you; his power gives you victory. The Lord will take delight in you, and in his love he will give you new life. He will sing and be joyful over you, (Zephaniah 3:17 GNB)
Diana, Seekonk, MA
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
John 15:11
Becky M. from Alabama
2 Kings 6:16
“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
Psalm 139:6 NKJV
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
Margaret Coeur d’ Alene, ID
Cathy Pfeifer-Croken, St. Catherine’s, Prince Edward Island
“For with God nthing is impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.”
Luke 1:37 (AMP)
Janet Long Clinton,MO
Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
Matthew 7:1(NIV)
Becca, TN
“You defend my cause, Lord, you redeem my life.”
Lamentations 3:58 (HCSB)