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!Ā You have dominion and exalt Yourself as the ruler of all. 1 Chronicles 29:11Ā 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 fittingĀ 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
Anne from Glen Allen, VA
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourself. Do what it says. James 1:22 NIV
Susan from Greensburg: “It does not depend on man’s effort or desire, but on God’s mercy.” Romans 9:16 NIV
Wynell
Athens, GA
But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord; in you I take refugeādo not give me over to death. Psalm 141:8 (NIV)
Stephanie
Canton , NY
Acts 2:2 NLT
Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.
Terry in Louisa, VA
Psalm 103:1-5 NIV
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name.
Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits —
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Janet, Holmes Beach, FL
(Jesus said,)
“I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener.
He cuts off any branch in me that bears no fruit,
while every branch that does bear fruit
he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”
John 15:1,2 NIV
Nicole Hudnall, Lynchburg, VA
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. (Romans 12:12 NLT)
Brandy Jay, Oklahoma “. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devilās schemes ” Ephesians 6:11 NIV.
Julia, Whidbey Island, WA: “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
Lisa M., Davidsville, PA
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
O Lord, You are Great,Mighty,Majestic,Magnificent,and Sovereign over all the sky and earth! You have dominion and exalt Yourself as the ruler of all
1Chron. 29:11 NET
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen as his own. Psalms 33:12
Gwyn Tidwell of Haslet, TX – “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing.”
Galatians 2:20-21 (NIV84)
Janelle, WPB, FL: 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
Tammy Reidy
Grand Prairie, TX
Revelation 21:55 NIV
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Schel, Bayou Vista, TX – I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer love but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. – Galatians 2:20 NIV
Ellen K. from Stoughton, MA
Revelation 1:4-5 (NLT) This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia.
Grace and peace to you from the One who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit before His throne; and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding His blood for us.
Cindy, Fort Worth,TX
If I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before Him. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
Job 5:8-9 niv
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:26 NIV
Debbie, Georgia – “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 NET
Maria – Katy, TX
Psalm 119:10-11 (NIV)
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. James 1:19-20 KJV
Abby Kaufman
Vacaville CA
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “the LORD has done great things for them.”
Psalm 126:2 NIV
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly affection. Honor one another above yourselves.
Romans 12:9-10 (NIV84)
Melissa from Flemington, NJ. Acts 4:13, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” KJV
Elizabeth, Frisco, TX (though I’m posting from Stockholm!!)
Psalm 30:11
You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
Sandra Borgen, Lidgerwood, ND “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” 2 Corinthians 5:15 KJV
Kyndra, Houston, TX
Psalm 51:10 NIV “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Sue — Grand Rapids, MI
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.
I Chronicles 29:11 ESV
Janet Long Clinton, MO
Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Romans 12:21, NLT
Lesley, Clinton, MS
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58 NASB
Susan – Maynard, MA
Psalm 22:5 – NIV
They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
Jodell, Frankfort, “Exercise daily in God–no spiritual flabbiness please!” I Timothy 4:7b MSG
Nadine Fry, Morton, UK
I lift up my eyes to the hills-
where does my help com from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2 NIV
Elaine, Littleton, CO
Colossians 3:12 – 14 (NIV)
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another and forgive whatever grievances you may have with one another. Forgive and the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
Millicent – Willis, TX
For I am the Lord, your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear, I will help you.
Isaiah 41:13 NIV
1 Chronicles 29:11 NET Bible
O Lord, You are great, mighty, magnificent, glorious, and sovereign over all the sky and earth! You have dominion and exalt Yourself as the ruler of all.
Ann from Indiana
Carol from Billings
Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. 1Peter 5:2 NLT
Nancy, Junction City, Arkansas
“You, O Lord, are the portion of my inheritance and my cup. You maintain my lot.” Psalm 16:5 NKJ
Annette Richmond, Virginia
Philippians 4:8 NIV
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.
Newnan, GA But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. Psalm 3:3
Amber B, Vicksburg, MI. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32, NIV
Pam, Sioux Falls, SD
“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations for ever and ever! Amen.”
Ephesians 3:20 & 21, NIV
Betty Murphrey, Wendell, NC
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.
Tammy, Lawrenceville. . 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
“Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?”
Lamentations 3:38
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. For man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life God desire. James 1:19-20
West Monroe, LA:
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
John 15:11 NIV
Susan Knowles, Bradenton, FL
O Lord, You are great, might, majestic, magnificent, glorious and sovereign over all the sky and earth! You have dominion and exalt Yourself as the ruler of all.
1 Chron. 29:11
Clarksville, TN
The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock;
And exalted be God, the Rock of my salvation.
2 Samuel 22: 47