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
Lindsay Albion, IL “I will praise You, Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations.” (Psalms 57:9 HCSB)
Courtney, Houma, LA
“Sanctify them to live in accordance with the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17, TNIV
Kari
Charlottesville, VA
“I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord.” (Psalm 104:33, 34 NIV)
Kim from Bloomington, IL
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
Ellen K. – can’t do just one, so here’s second verse for June 1-14. Praise our gracious LORD!
Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT) Search me , O God and know my heart
Test me and know anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
And lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Julie
Holland, Michigan
And set your mind and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.
Colossians 3:2 AMP
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God.” Philippians 4:6 (ESV)
~ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
— Philippians 3:7 ( NIv)
Elizabeth, Bolivar, MO
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Jan, Rockwall, TX
Colossians 1:17 NIV
He is before all things and in him all things hold together.
Amy Embree
King, NC
Proverbs 19:21 NIV
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
Heather -Greenfield, IN
And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
John 8:32, The New American Bible
Traci~ Vadnais Heights, MN
Psalm 34: 4-5 (NIV)
“I sought the Lord and He answered me!
He freed me from all of my fears.
Those who look to Him are radiant.
Their faces are never covered with shame.”
Carmen, Summersville, WV “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven:” Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV
Angela from Wichita, KS
Proverbs 31:17-18
She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. TNIV
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. (Proverbs 31:30 NIV)
Lisa Diaz, 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
Karen, Redmond. The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. Nahum 1:7 NIV
Shelley, Bolivar, MO
And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Colossians 1:9 ESV
Candace, Lexington Park, MD
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.”
Romans 12:12 NIV
Cindy, Columbia
“I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.”
Psalm 16:8 (ESV)
Troy, Ohio
Deuteronomy 12:7 NIV
There, in the presence of the Lord your God,
you and your families shall eat and shall
rejoice in everything you have put your hand to,
because the Lord your God has blessed you.
Andrea – Michigan
Psalm 118:7 (NIV)
The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
Angel Bowman
Murfreesboro, TN
“That is why you are no longer foreigners and outsiders but citizens together with God’s people and members of God’s family.” Ephesians 2:19 (GW)
Cindy, Brooklyn Park, MN
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 Chron. 29:11 NET Bible
Regina, Salado,TX
“May he give you the desires of your heart and make your plans succeed.” Psalm 20:4 NIV
Amy-Fort Polk
The Lord is good and does what is right; He shows the proper path to those who go astray. Psalm 25:8 NLT
emi, white house: “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.” 1 Chronicles 29:11 ESV (Sorry I am late posting, I’m struggling to pick a verse these days.)
James 3:13 NIV
If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with humility that comes from wisdom.
Proverbs 31:30. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Brenda Cousino, Frisco, TX
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2 ESV)
Valerie, Omaha. I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Shelley
Springfield, MO
. 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,
Thank you so much for your blog. I sincerely enjoy reading your posts. I had been praying that God would help me with devotionals. Im a 50 year old Momma of 2 teenage boys who desparately needs direction and guidance to be better Momma, wife, and person in general. But its taken some very hard life lessons for me to realize I just need to learn to be a better daughter of God first and all the rest will fall into place. Finding your words on how exciting the Word really is helps me so much. So again thank you.
amy d., thousand oaks, CA: be imitators of God,therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:12 (NIV)
Temple, TX
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16 NIV
Michelle ~ Watkinsville, GA
Rejoice and exult in hope;
be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation;
be constant in prayer.
Romans 12:12 (AMP)
Jeannette, Land O Lakes, FL
“You, Lord, give true peace to those who depend on you, because they trust you.” Isaiah 26:3-4 (New Century Version)
Susan B., Chapin, SC
Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives. Psalm 90:14 NLT
“As soon as I pray you answer me. You encourage me by giving me strength.” ~ Psalm 138:3 NLT
Michele O. Raleigh NC
Jill P., Ames, IA
2 Thess 3:16 (HCSB)
May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
Monica, Hicksville, NY.
“Ah, Sovereign LORD, You have made the heavens & the earth by Your great power & outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You!”..jeremiah 32:17(NIV)
Tatiana, Geneva IL
“For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.
He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
His heart is steady; he will not be afraid.” Psalm 112:6-8a ESV
Mansfield, 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 NET)
Jenn, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Gal 5:1 (NIV)
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. stand firm then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Judy, Beaumont, California
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13 NIV
Sharon, McKinney, TX
1 John 1:7 NIV
If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.
Wendy Plano, TX As for me, I look to the Lord for help.I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me.
Micah 7:7 NLT
Mindy from Austin, TX “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.”, Romans 12:2, NIV.
Jill
Winter Haven, FL
Colossians 3:10-11 NKJV
“And have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.”