Hey, Everybody! I am jotting this post several days in advance because I’ll be at a Living Proof Live in Atlanta, Georgia the day this goes up. In fact, if you read this before 11:15 CST (12:15 Atlanta time) on Saturday, we’d be incredibly blessed if you’d pray for our remaining time to be so flooded with the presence of God that we can hardly bear the glory.
I’m so proud of you for making it this far in our Scripture memory process! Sisters, you have worked hard. Let yourself feel the holy nod of God. He has tremendous joy in seeing His children esteem His Word highly enough to store it like treasures in the vault of their hearts. We’ve arrived at a milestone of sorts in this journey. June is tremendously significant for our team because this is the month we come to the halfway marker. Once we get into July and August we have less memorization in front of us than we have behind us. That’s a big deal.
This time around I’m choosing a verse that I’ll be challenging the attendees to memorize at the Atlanta Living Proof Live. I’m not sure a verse could be more fitting for the pure act of praise. I love Scriptures that not only speak about God but speak straight to God. Get a load of this one:
Beth, Houston. O Lord, You are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, and sovereign over all the sky and earth! You have dominion and exalt Yourself as the ruler of all. 1 Chronicles 29:11 The NET Bible
Any of us who memorize a fair amount of Scripture have certain go-to approaches that have helped us along. If you’ve got a method that is working, by all means, go with it! But, if you’re interested in memorizing the same verse and would like some suggestions about how to tackle it, I’ll share what works for me. Keep in mind that the methods of Blonder Than She Pays To Be could be madness to someone else so take this or leave it depending on your learning style.
With any verse, I start looking almost immediately for how I can reason out the word order. The first thing I’m going to notice in 1 Chronicles 29:11 is that there are 6 rapid-fire descriptions of God in the first sentence. In this verse, I’d reason that it’s fitting for the word “great” to be first among the descriptions because many of us are accustomed to using the terminology that God (or the Lord, in this case) is great. It’s an easy, accessible word. The next three descriptions all begin with “M”: mighty, majestic, magnificent. As I prepare for Atlanta, I’ll be saying those three words over and over in that order so that they’ll get ingrained in my thinking. They have an amplifying rhythm to them, too, because the first one (mighty) is two syllables, the second one (majestic) is three syllables, and the third one (magnificent) is four syllables. Does that help at all with the word order and how they roll off your tongue? Say them until you feel the syllables build and you might latch onto them pretty quickly.
After the beginning “G” (great) and the 3 “M’s”, we have another “G.” This time it stands for “glorious.” That’s a word I love to say so I’m hoping I can remember it pretty easily. G-M-M-M-G. Are you beginning to catch on? (I think I just heard somebody yell “NO!” Was that you?? I tried to warn you that I can make things harder than they have to be. Laughing. You might need to be the one telling your sisters here how to tackle a wordy verse. Just give me an “E” for effort here and maybe an “A” for affection. I do so seriously love you.)
The last of the 6 descriptions is “sovereign.” To me, that’s always the final word on anything that has to do with God. If I’m confused or I can’t fit in my brain why this happened or why God approached a particular thing a particular way, I finally come to a measure of peace by stating this biblical truth: He is sovereign over all things. In the exact words of 1 Chronicles 29:11, “over all the sky and earth.” I love visual language and that, Sister, is plenty visual. Span the galaxies in the universe with your imagination then put your scope on our planet and zero in. (I know I’m really pushing it right now with some of you but the way I’d keep it straight that “sky” comes before “earth” is that it starts with an “S” like “sovereign” right before it. If I’m getting on your last nerve, never mind.)
Then put the finishing touches on the verse with this: You have dominion and exalt Yourself as the ruler of all!
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not expecting that we’d have it down pat in the brief amount of time it’s taken us to walk through those few paragraphs but what about 15 days? That’s how long we’d have to get those words steeped into our souls. Could we get them down over the course of two weeks? Yes, ma’am, I do believe we can! And, if not word-for-word, just think how much we’ve meditated on descriptions of our God! That is time NEVER wasted. Let’s ask God to give us the supernatural unction to accomplish this memorization and remind Him how much glory He could receive from our being able to extol His preeminence like that over and over while we’re…
praying…
driving…
walking through our neighborhoods…
on our treadmills…
rocking our babies…
getting chemotherapy…
getting physical therapy…
sitting with an elderly loved one…
healing from a heartbreak…
or so happy that we need some way to tell Him how marvelous we think He is before we burst.
Of course, most of you have your own Scripture selections and I have just put you through the wringer for nothing! So, whether you’re sharing 1 Chronicles 29:11 or bringing your own verse to the table, let’s see them! I’m blessed almost out of my bleached blond mind to get to do this with you, Sister. You are a tremendous joy to me.
Tags: Scripture Memory 2013
Michelle, Fort Worth
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8 ESV
Janet
Bemus Point, NY
Habakkuk 3:19 (NIV)
The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights.
Sharon, St. Louis, MO NIV “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34
Melissa, St. Mary’s County, MD “Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.” 1 Chron. 29:11 KJV
Marilyn Wirsz, Odessa FL
Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Psalm 55:22 ESV
Ashley from Durban, South Africa. “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies…” Romans 8:33 ESV
Choose this day whom you will serve. As for me and my household we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15
NASB
Jo Anne Chicago, IL
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.
James 1:19 NIV
Jane from Calgary, Alberta
‘Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10 (NASB)
Sarah, Montrose, CO:
Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.
Hebrews 13:15 (Amp)
Linda,Bartelso,IL. For God has not given us a spirit of fearfullness but one of power, love and sound judgment. 2Timothy 1:7 HCSB
If you listen to constructive criticism you will be at home among the wise.
Proverbs 15:32 NIV
Lindy I. White of Oklahoma City, OK
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
John 16:33, NIV
Pauline, Eau Claire, ” If I say, “surely the darkness shall
Fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me;”Psalm 139:11
NKJV
Tempa, Palm Bay, Florida
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,”Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 NIV
Vicki Koons Surprise, AZ
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12 NIV
Ellen, Albuquerque
“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. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”
Matthew 7:24-25 (NIV)
Lacey R, Hayden, CO
Romans 15:13 (ESV)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirir you may abound in hope.
O Lord, You are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, and sovereign over all the sky and earth! You have dominion and exalt Yourself as the ruler of all. 1 Chronicles 29:11 The NET Bible
Ashley from Dexter, MI (formerly Indianapolis, IN)
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (NIV)
Ohio
The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze and your strength will equal your days.
Deut. 33:25 NIV
Holly, Charlotte NC.
“Are you so foolish? After beginning in the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” Galatians 3:3 NIV
Anne from Hot Springs, AR:
It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. (Psalms 127:2 ESV)
Jesus called out to them, “Come follow me and I will show you how to fish for people.” Matthew 4:19(NLT)
Colleen, Glen Ellyn, IL
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
Matthew 7:13 ESV
“Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:16-17, NIV
I learned yours with you, a perfect complement to the one that I need this time.
Patti from Tampa: For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
Job 19:25-27 (NKJ)
“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone. My hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 62: 5, 6 NIV Pam in San Diego
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, (Titus 2:11, 12 NIV)
Matthew 3:5 NIV
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Amy, Birmingham, AL
O Lord, You are great, mighty, ,majestic,magnificent, glorious and sovereign over all the sky and earth! You have dominion and exalt Yourself as the ruler of all.
I Chronicles 29:11 (The NET Bible)
Heather S., Louisville, KY
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:6 NIV
Audrey Lenz, Dickinson ND
because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:13 NIV)
Janice – Topeka KS
II Cor. 5:17 KJV
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold all things are become new.
Dawn, Raleigh, NC, Daniel 2:20 NASB 20 Daniel said,
“Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever,
For wisdom and power belong to Him.”
Jody in Huntsville, AL NIV
Isaiah 40:31
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 48:17 (NIV)
This is what the Lord says-your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.
Amy from Everett, WA
“No weapon forged against you will prevail,
and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
and this is their vindication from me,”
declares the LORD. Isaiah 54:17 (NIV)
Danielle from Cedar Park, TX
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
John 15:16 (NIV)
Anita; Purcellville,VA
Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
Psalm 103:21-22 NIV84
Kristi, Piedmont,Al, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. (Jeremiah 17:7 ESV)
Jo, Columbia, Missouri
2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, “Let light shine of darkness,” made his light shine to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
-Psalm 143:10 [NIV]
Rosalye
Vicksburg, MS
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true; “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
1 Cor. 15:54
NIV
Judy from Yuma, AZ
Psalm 121:1-5 NASB
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come?
My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade on your right hand.
Nancy from West Grove, Pa
You are worthy, our Lord and God,to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.
Revelation 4:11 NIV
Maureen Guilbault, Pascoag, RI
A bad messenger brings trouble, but a faithful envoy, healing.
Proverbs 13:17 NRSV
O Lord, You are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, and sovereign over all the sky and earth! You have dominion and exalt Yourself as the ruler of all. 1 Chronicles 29:11 NET
Lynda from Ocala, FL: “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field;”
Psalm 103:15 NIV
Dawn, Colleyville, TX
Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.
Zechariah 9:12, NIV