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
Tamara Ward
Alexandria, VA
“but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her”
Luke 10:42 (NIV)
2Thes. 2:16-17 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us, and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
A little late because I was at my daughter’s wedding! Praise God!!
From Donna – Bartlett, TN
Hebrews 13:5
New Living Translation (NLT)
5 Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,
“I will never fail you.
I will never abandon you.”
Melissa, Columbus, OH By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. John 15:8 ESV
Kay, Tucson AZ Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”
Great verse, Beth! I have learned that one before but the Living Bible version – except somehow I left off the 1st part. So I will re-learn it-hope it’s ok to merge versions:
Barb, Prescott Valley, AZ: 1 Chronicles 29:11 (TLB [NET])
“[O Lord,] Yours is the mighty power and glory and victory and majesty [You are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, and sovereign over all the sky and earth!] Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord, and this is Your kingdom. We adore you as being in control of everything.”
Stephanie, Hamilton, GA Hebrews 13;15 (ESV) Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
Champaign, IL
Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:38&39 (NKJ)
Hannah |Oklahoma City, OK
James 4:2
You do not have because you do not ask.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 nkj
Natalie, Nesbit – “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
Lea Ann McFarland, McKinney TX
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 NIV
Chrissy
Guyton GA
“Arise and Build!!!!”
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
Cathie – Jacksonville, Florida
Psalm 143:8 – Complete Jewish Bible
Make me hear of your love in the morning,
because I rely on you.
Make me know the way I should walk,
because I entrust myself to you.
Charlotte, United Kingdom
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”. – Ephesians 2:10, ESV
Kaye Davis, Hamburg,AR
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23 NIV)
Shannon, Warner Robins, GA
“Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.” 1 Chronicles 29:11 NIV
I memorized verse 11 in week 1, but now I’m adding verses 12-13: Chester,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. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart,'” Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV)
Karen, Hartselle, AL
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)
(This rounds out 1 Corinthians 13. I have committed the entire chapter to memory when I master this verse. Love is definitely more than a feeling. Hiding these verses in my heart will help me focus on God’s true love and examine myself to see if I am loving as He loves.)
Missy Newman, Andersonville, Deuteronomy 6: 7-8 NKJV You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
Jeanne
San Antonio, TX
Psalm 119:10 (NIV)
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
Phoebe, 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.” 1 Chronicles 29:11 – NET
The Lord will circumsize your hearts and the hearts of your descendents so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul and live. Deuteronomy 30:7NIV
Reply
Leah from Ontario, Canada
For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:16-17 NIV
Joan from Carter Lake
Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. (1 Chronicles 29:11 NET)
James 3:10 NET
From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters.
Cherilyn M., Colfax NC
“See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright – but the righteous will live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:4 NIV 1984
Leah, Georgia, NIV Ecclesiastes 4:12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
James 2:11 NLT
For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultry,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.
Lisa C. Zimmerman, MN
Hilary, Columbus, 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
Marlise – Ponte Vedra Beach FL
“Oh Lord, You are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious and sovereign over all the sky and earth! You have dominion and exalt Yourself as ruler of all.”
I Chronicles 29:11 (NET Bible)
Isaiah 41:13 NIV
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.
Melissa, Vicksburg, MS: “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 NASB
Jennifer, Kodak, 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
Natalie Patton, Leawood, Kansas
“But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3 NKJV
Jenn, Orlando
I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, Lord, as you know. I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help. I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly.
Psalm 40:9-10 (NIV)
Selena – Cordele, GA
We love because He first loved us. – 1 John 4:19
Barbara, Prospect, KY: (I’m sticking with you, Beth): “O Lord, You are great, mighty, majestic, 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.
Acknowledge The Lord in all thy ways , and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:6 NKJ
Kathy, Houston
He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
Psalm 62:2 (ESV)
Carolyn, Rocksprings, TX
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3: 5-6 (NIV)
Collierville, TN
Show me your ways oh Lord, teach me your paths, guide me in your truths and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long..
Psalm 25:4-5
Bridge City, TX
Isaiah 41:13
New International Version (NIV)
13 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.
Carolyn, Austin, TX
“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 NIV
Cari
Alexandria, LA
Hope does not disappoint.
Romans 5:5 NAB
Cher – Toledo, OH – II Timothy 3:16 NIV 1984
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, & training in righteousness.”
But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior, my God will hear me.
Micah 7:7 NIV
Stephanie – Tampa, FL
Galations 5:22-23 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! NLT
Mandy, Bastrop, La.
Make me want to follow Your covenant laws instead of wanting to gain things only for myself. Psalm 119:36 NIV
Terry, Indianapolis,IN
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