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
Lizz M., Brick NJ
Ps 143:8
Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for I trust in You; teach me the way in which I should walk; for to You I lift up my soul.
NASB
April Jones, Springfield, IL
I Chronicles 17:30 (NIV)
“There is no one like you, Lord, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.”
AMEN!
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:2 ESV
Kelley, Raleigh, NC
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Eph 6:13 NIV
Marcia, Portland, OR 1 Chronicles 29:11 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.
Bernadette. Mtn home AR. “When I am afraid I will trust in you”. Psalm 56:3 NIV
Susie Johnson, Bloomington, IN 1 Corinthians 15:57 NIV But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rachel, Winchester, KY
“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.” John 4:4 NKJV
Sue, Groveport, OH
Psalm 91:15-16. NIV
He will call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.
Sue
Oktaha, OK
Cast your burdens on the Lord, and he shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22 NKJV
Kristi Midland, TX
“A wise person is hungry for knowledge,
while the fool feeds on trash.”
Proverbs 15:14
Robin…..Orange City, Iowa Ps. 40:10 ” I do not hide Your righteousness in my heart; I speak of Your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal Your love and Your truth from the great assembly.” Ps. 40:10
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.
Psalm 62:8 ESV
Susan, Fort Worth, TX
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of The Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Col 3:17
Thy Word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin
against Thee. Psalm 119:11 KJV
Betsy Roberts – Antwerp, OH
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
Ashley R.
Fort Worth, TX
” I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this wold you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. ”
John 16:33 NIV
~Suzie
Fort Mill, SC
God is within her,
she will not fall;
God will help her
at the break of day.
Psalm 46:5 NIV
Jessica, Waukesha, WI
Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. James 4:8 (NLT)
Lorie, Centreville, VA
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!
2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.
3 “For I am the Lord your God”. Isaiah 43:1b-3a
jackie from platte city, MO
Psalm 139:15 (NIV)
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place,when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Reeder, Auburn, AL
2 Thessalonians 3:16
May the Lord of peace himself always give you His peace no matter what happens.
Linda, Holland, OH
James 1:2-3 (NIV)
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Karen, Houston, Ephesians 3:19 And to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. NIV
Mary Lou, Young America, MN
Psalm 18:21-22 (NIV)
For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
I have not done evil by turning from my God.
All His laws are before me;
I have not turned away from His decrees.
from Littlestown, PA
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matt. 11:28 (NIV)
Sarah ~ Portales, NM
Psalm 63:5 – 8
ESV
“My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.”
Becky, St. Augustine, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him
who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death
to life.” John 5:24 NIV
Amanda, Knoxville: Psalm 139:13 NASB “For you formed my inward parts, you wove me together in my mother’s womb.”
Missy S, Winston-Salem, NC
“Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” ~ Isaiah 64:4 (NIV)
Malachi 3:6 (NASB)
“For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.”
Pat B. in Water Valley. MS
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4: 24 NIV
Lisa Walden from Grand Prairie Tx
Psalm 26:2 NIV
Test me, O’Lord and try me, examine my heart and mind.
Martha, Georgetown, TX, NLT, Galatians 6:5, “For we are each responsible for our own conduct.”
Janet
Edmond, OK
Exodus 14:14 (NIV)
The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still.
Pamela, Mechanicsville, VA.
Draw near to GOD, and He will draw near to you.
James 4:8 NET
Kristie Lovely
Queen City, TX
“If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me.” Psalm 139:11
Ruth Cherry, Royse City, Texas
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Psalms 51:10 NIV
Beverly, Pearland, TX
Titus 3:4-5 NIV
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.
Susan, Overland Park, KS
“…but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight.” declares the LORD. Jer. 9:24 NIV 84
Jill, Lewisville, TX. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with kindness, compassion, humility, gentleness and patience.” Col. 3:12 ESV
Gail Dorn
San Antonio, TX
Then you will find favor with God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.
Proverbs 3:4. (NLT)
Rhonda, Foley, Alabama
And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. 1 Chronicles 28:9 ESV
Heidi from Idaho
1 Corinthians 14:33 (NIV)
For God is not a God of disorder but of peace….
Mary
Houston
Psalm 77:5 (NIV) I thought about the former days, the years of long ago;
Nancy
Barboursville WV
“And if you search for Him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.”
Deuteronomy 4:29b NLT
Laura K, Spearfish, SD
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. Psalm 127:2 ESV
Cynthia
Brentwood TN
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.”
Revelation 19:11
NASB
Col 3:12
Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience
Linda from Birmingham, Alabama
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
— Philippians 4:13 (NIV)