Hey girls! Lindsee here! By now you know that our dear Beth is teaching her heart out this week, taping her next Bible study in Tennessee. So, when I realized that SSMT would fall right smack dab in the middle of the taping, I told her that if she trusted me, she was welcome to release this to me and I’d try to do it as much justice as she does. She happily obliged, so here I am. What makes it easy is that I’m memorizing right alongside y’all, however, this time around I feel the pressure to make it a good verse. Of course, I’m both kidding and laughing.
Actually, my scripture memory verses don’t always come easy to me, but this week was a different story. You see, this past Sunday at church was an all hymn Sunday. Typically we’re a little more contemporary and certainly throw in a hymn every now and then, but this Sunday every last song was one you could find in a hymnal. Truth be told, I kind of loved it.
Among the selection of hymns, we sang “I’d Rather Have Jesus”. I’m not sure if you’ve listened to those lyrics lately, but what a convicting song it is and rather vulnerable if you ask me.
You tell me:
I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand.
Than to be the king of a vast domain

And be held in sin’s dread sway;

I’d rather have Jesus than anything

This world affords today.
I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;
I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;

I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame;

I’d rather be true to His holy name
Whoa. I’d Rather. What is your rather? What do you want so bad, but you’d rather have Jesus? I could name countless things. But really, what rubbish each of those things are compared to knowing Jesus as my personal Lord and savior. What rubbish they are compared to being known and loved perfectly by Jesus himself, who gave His life for you and didn’t expect anything in return, lest we even think we have anything to offer in return. I know it in my head, but I want to fully grasp it in my heart.
That led me to Phillipians 3:8, which is my scripture this go around:
“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.” Philippians 3:8 (NLT)
Isn’t is so true, that the more time we spend getting to know our Jesus, the more the things of this world grow strangely dim? I think it is true. The more I learn that Jesus is the ONE faithful and trustworthy thing, the less I worry about worldwide fame, men’s applause, riches or anything else my flesh cringes for.
Jesus is simply better.
Have I achieved it? Hardly.
“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.” Philippians 3:12
But I press on. I put my focus on one solitary thing.
“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” Philippians 3:13
Because after all…
“He’s all that my hungering spirit needs;
I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead.”
Jesus is better. Let’s hear yours! (And that’s three options for you, ladies! Should you choose to use one of those. Grin.)
On a not-so-different, yet different note, our sweet siesta mama did just tell me to tell y’all, “I love them so much and feel their prayers and to keep them up!”
Oh, and one more fun and important thing, be sure to hop back on tomorrow (Thursday) for the announcement of our summer Bible study! The suspense!
Y’all are priceless.
Tags: Scripture Memory 2013
Jane, Gulfport, MS – “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:13 (NASB)
When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted himself to Him who judges justly.
1 Peter 2:23 (NIV)
Elizabeth Pack, Charleston, WV
Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished,
but those who are righteous will go free. Proverbs 11:21 (NIV)
Deneen- Pittsburgh, PA
“My God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:19 NASB
Heidi~Lindale, Texas
2 Timothy 1:7 NIV
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.”
Jordan, Columbia, MO. “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16 NIV
MacKenzie, St Louis
For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue.
James 3: 7-8 ESV
Sheila, Bethesda. And we have learned to believe and trust, and more we have come to know surely that You are the Holy One of God, the Christ the Anointed One, the Son of the living God. John 6:69 (AMP)
Jeri, Creston, IA
But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
Tina, Cincinnati, OH – Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (NIV)
Cheryl, Midlothian Va
(love) It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preservers
1 Corth 13:7 NIV
Veronica- Atlanta, Georgia
I Have set the Lord always before me, Because he’s at my right hand I will not be shaken. psalms 16:8 ( memory card)
Kaye,Hamburg,AR
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. ” (1 Peter 5:6, 7 NIV)
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)
rhonda
gilmer
Philemon 1:11(NKJV)
who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me.
Rachael, jersey shore, pa
25 Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
you have done wonderful things,
things planned long ago.
Isa25:1 (NIV)
Kellye from Las Vegas. I am the LORD your God. I am holding your hand, so don’t be afraid. Iam here to help you.
Isaiah (41:13) CEV
Merredith, Champaign. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you . Jas 4:8 ESV
Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Luke 18:27 NIV
Amy–Savannah, GA
1 Corinthians 15:58 NRSV
“Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
Kristi, Lenoir City, TN
The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.
Psalm 145:9 NIV 1984
Andi, Lincoln NE
“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
Kim, from Duncan, SC:
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14 NLT
Susie Johnson Bloomington, IN “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. (John 14:1 NASB)
Staci, Holland, MI
Psalm 91:4, NIV
“He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”
Vicki, Peoria,IL
“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with HEALING in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.”
Malachi 4:2 (NIV)
Susan- Nashville, TN
Psalm 27:6 NIV
“Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and
make music to the Lord.”
Tori DeClue; Bolivar, MO
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.”
Romans 1:16
NIV
Denise
The Woodlands, Texas
2 Timothy 3:12
Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Messiah Yeshua will suffer persecution.
HNV
Cindy, Richmond, VA – “For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.” 1 Thessalonians 5:5-6. ESV
JJ, Oviedo, FL
My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. (Proverbs 3:1, 2 NIV)
Psalm 27:13 NKJV
I would have lost heart ,unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of The Lord in the land of the living.
Tangila, Pearland TX
Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor. (Proverbs 21:21 NLT)
Loveland, CO
Isaiah 43:19 See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it ? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. NIV
Pamela,Mechanicsville,VA.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
Elaine
McVeytown, PA
In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile,circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
Col. 3:11
Andrea Nicholson, McKinney, TX
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
Matthew 24:42, NIV
Kate, Millville, Canada
May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Ephesians 3:19 NLT
Laura K, Spearfish, SD
And He will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is Zion’s treasure. Isaiah 33:6 ESV
Fay, Ozark, NO
1 Peter 5:6 NIV
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
Connie , Longmont, CO
How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob
Whose hope is in The Lord his God,
Psalm 146:5. (NASB)
Shannon “If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Colossians 3:1 NASB
Gina, Bolivar, MO
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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 minds in Christ Jesus.”
Phillipians 4:6-7 (NIV)
Becca, St. Paul, MN, Philippians 3:7-9 The Message
I haven’t seen this one on here yet and it speaks to me so differently and thought it’d be fun to share with y’all!
“The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.”
Kate from Windsor, PA
Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
~Matthew 22:37 NIV
D’Anna Nowack
Kilgore, Texas
Psalm 143:11-12
New International Version (NIV)
11 For your name’s sake, Lord, preserve my life;
in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;
destroy all my foes,
for I am your servant.
Dee Dee, Smyrna, GA
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (ESV)
Connie, Chariton, James 2:6 NKJV But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?
Meredith, Holly Ridge, North Carolina
Jeremiah 1:5 NIV
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…”
Erin, Maysville, KY
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.
Ephesians 3:8 ESV