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
Marrissa, Orlando, FL
Colossians 2:6-7
“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with thanksgiving.”
HCSB
Eva in Wichita, KS
O Lord, You are great, mighty, majestic, marvelous, glorious, and sovereign over all the sky and earth! You have dominion and exhault yourself as the ruler of all.
1 Chronicles 29: 11 NET
Darcy – Edwardsville, IL
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
Romans 8:32 (NIV)
Dawn, Dubuque, IA
“Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies make your way straight before me.” Psalm 85:8 NIV
Shauna, Aurora, NE:
“A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.” NIV
Michelle Bordelon
Prairieville, LA
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
Rachel in Thousand Oaks, CA
“You’re my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me.” Psalms 119:114 ~The Message
Paula, Brownwood, Tx
All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children.
Isaiah 54:13. ESV
Meredith, Holly Ridge, NC
Psalm 56:8 NLT
“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”
Cindy from Sisters Or says. 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
Pam in Texas
Depend on the Lord in whatever you do,
and all your plans will succeed.
Proverbs 16:3 (NCV)
Erin Sheldon
Savannah Ga
“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. (Colossians 2:6, 7 NLT)
Alexis from Anderson, SC
Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all. (I Chronicles 29:12 NKJV)
Cindy from Nevada, IA
“Yours, Oh Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.”
I Chronicles 29:11 NLT
Nikki from McGregor, Texas. “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; He gently leads those that have young.” Isaiah 40:11, NIV.
Trina
Midland, Texas
Psalm 4:8 NIV
In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Cat
San Antonio, Texas
1 Chronicles 29:11 NET
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.
James 1:15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. NET
Midge, Atlanta/Florence, SC For you have done great things for us and my heart is filled with joy. Ps. 126:3
Ginger, Phoenix, AZ
“How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!” Psalm 139:17, NIV
Mary Grace Harris, Bolivar Missouri
“My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.”
Proverbs 1:10 (NIV)
Shaci-Aztec, New Mexico
Psalm 25:7 NIV
Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord , are good.
Kelly Haigler, Wingate NC
“For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken”says the LORD, who has mercy on you. Isaiah 54:10 NLT
Susan
Cary NC
Philippians 4: 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Joan Dousman, Wi.
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
Emily (Kemptville, Ontario) James 3:17 NIV ‘But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.’
Beverly, Vicksburg, MS
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12
Susan, Charleston, SC.
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
” ‘This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.’ ”
Isaiah 66:2b(NIV’84)
Kathy
St. Louis, MO
Mary, Spring TX
For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Matthew 23:12 (NIV)
Bette, Danville
I Chronicles 29:11 The NET Bible
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.
Psalm 139:13-14 (NIV)
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
Sandy in Anaheim, CA
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4 NKJV
Kim Tucker, Mabank TX
“He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power.” Isaiah 40:29 NASB
And who can win this battle against the world?
Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
1 John 5:5 NLT
Angie, Rossville, GA
“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
Judy Sommerville
Fairmont, MN
For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do no fear; I will help you. (NIV84)
Stephanie
Abilene, TX
He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also along with Him give us all things?
Romans 8:32, ESV
Jane, Van Buren, AR
Revelation 5:8b
“…having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints”. (NAS)
Ann, Lexington, TN
This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 1 John 4:17 NIV
Linda, Little Rock, AR. But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
Galatians 5:16 NASB
Sandy, San Antonio, Tx
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
Susan, Greenville, SC James 3:2 NIV We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
Lindsey Edmond, OK
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. (Psalms 139:13 ESV)
“Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.”
Psalm 25:8 NIV
Theresa E from Oakland Township, MI
Mary K
Lilburn GA
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders, make the most of every opportunity. Col 4:5 NIV
Oh Lord, You are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious and sovereign. You have dominion and exalt yourself as ruler of all. 1 Chron 29:11 The NET Bible
Teresa, Orange City. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and [a]the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20 NASB
Connie, Chariton, James 2:7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? NKJV
Delores, Columbia, TN,
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)