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
Katie, Amarillo. “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.” Philippians 3:8 NLT
Sarah from Brownwood
1Cor. 13:4-5 NLT
Love is patient and kind.
Love is not jealous, or boastful, or proud, or rude.
It is not irritable, and it keeps. no record of being wronged
“Go therefore and make disciples of every nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, And behold I am with you always to the end of the age.” Matt. 28:19, 20 ESV
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
Psalm 34:19
NKJ
“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord all the earth; sing to the Lord praise his name. Proclaim his salvation day after day, declare his glory to the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples for great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.” Psalm 96:1-4 NIV
Monica, Newbury Park 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
Cynthia, Missouri
“So that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ. Phillipians 1:10 ESV
Barb~St Cloud, MN~Philippians 1:6 ESV “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Jennifer
San Angelo, TX
Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
And your plans will succeed.
Proverbs 16:3. NIV
Sarah, Orlando
Romans 12:2
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.’ NLT
Diana, Seekonk, MA
Going to use Beth’s because that is exactly how I think too!
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
By the way the app for the iphone seems to be having troubles loading.
Jacqui. Lemoore, ca..if you listen to constructive criticism you will be at home among the wise. Proverbs 15:31 NLT
Adrienne, Valdosta, GA
“For the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”
Job 33:4 NLT
Gina from Ruston, LA
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV)
Melissa, Denver:
Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, (Galatians 6:4 NIV)
Sue in Kalamazoo. “For I am the Lord, your GOd, who takes hold of your ight hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.'” Isaiah 41.13 (NIV)
Marilyn, Gadsden, Al
HE is my God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield in whom I take refuge.
Ps 144:2 NIV
Kim Smith – Senatobia, MS – 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
Nelda Adkins, Houston, TX
1 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
Sarah Spencer, Marion, KS
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
Ephesians 1:4-6, NIV
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16 NKJV
Nitsa, Eugene, OR. “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
Anna Rose, Richmond.
Psalm 29:11 NET
The LORD gives His people strength;
the LORD grants His people security.
Psalm 63:1-4 NAS
O God,Thou art my God, I shall seek Thee earnestly;My Soul thirst for Thee,In a dry and weary land where there is no water. Thus I have beheld Thee in the sanctuary, to see Thy power and Thy glory. Becuase Thy lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise Thee. So I will bless Thee as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in
thy name.
Psalm 3:3(NIV)
But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
Charlotte, Easley SC:
Psalm 25:5b “I trust you all day long.” NCV
Sheri, Milwaukee, WI
“Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”
James 3:5,6 NIV
Jamie Teagle, Atlanta, GA
“In the same way, their wives are to be worthy of respect. They must not speak evil of others, but be self-controlled and faithful in all things.”
I Tim. 3:11 (combination of NIV, ESV and NCV)
Eniola, Lagos Nigeria
You whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:3b-4 NIV
Beccy, Abilene, TX
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds(Psalm 147:3 NIV)
Dana. Ashland, KY. “Everyone who has been wise will shine as bright as the sky above, and everyone who has led others to please God will shine forever like the stars.” Daniel 12:3 CEV
Peggy, Bangor, Maine
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord Himself, is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:4 (NIV)
Leigh Ann
Gallatin, TN
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV
njc, Frisco.
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
Sharon from Arlington, TX
“Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him — his name is the LORD. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.”
Psalm 68:4-5 (NIV)
Jackie, Mobile, AL.
” I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people,and His incomparably great power for us who believe.”
Ephesians 1:17-18 NIV
Celeste Hill, Laguna Niguel, CA
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD Psalm 150:6 NIV
Concetta, White Oak, Ephesians 4:29 (NLT), “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”
NIV 1 Timothy 1:7
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and self discipline.
Rene, Overland Park, KS “He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,” Psalm 18:47 NIV (second in a series 46-49)
I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live. Psalm 116:1 NIV
Romans 1:20 NIV – “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
“for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.” Phil. 2:13 NIV
I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand on the earth. Job 19:25 (NIV)
Cheryl, in Fairhope, 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 The NET Bible
Beth.. I haven’t chosen my verse yet for June 1st but i just had to tell you that last night, my sleep-deprived (new-momma-again-nursing-in-the-night) brain was going over YOUR verse in my sleep.. trying to remember which M’s came first, the syllables.. hilarious. I guess your method is effective? I read your blog post once and it stuck that much with me..
Abilene, TX
Psalm 139:11-12 (NIV84)
If I say “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you, the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
Christine, Atlanta, 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
Sharon, Mineola, Texas
We demolish arguments and every pretension
That sets itself up against the knowledge of God,
and we take captive every though to make it
obedient to God.
2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV
June 3, 2013