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
Sandi
Duluth, MN
“And my God will meet all your (our) needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:19 NIV
Beth C, Huntsville, 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 ruler of all. 1 Chron. 29:11 (NET)
Psalm 141:3 NAS
Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my lips.
Linda S
McCalla, Alabama
“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 5:46-48 ESV
Connie
Greene, IA
Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me. Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.
Psalm 40:11 (NLT)
Diana in Arcadia, WI
I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6, NIV
Katie, Kentucky
But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. – Deuteronomy 4:29 NKJV
Kristen from Mount Joy, PA
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4 (NIV)
Erin
Chippewa Falls, WI
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
Laura Berg in Carlsbad
”From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth, and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ”
Acts 17:26-27 NIV
Tara Allison
Columbia, SC
And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Colossians 3:14
NIV
Janie, Sarah and Anna Phillips
Bartlesville, OK
Matthew 12:50 NIV
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.
Lindsey Johnson
San Antonio, Texas
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NIV
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Kerre, Chattanooga, 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 NET
Kate, Parker, CO
1 Chr. 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.
Jamie, Moire, OK.
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
Jamie, Moore, OK. 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
Amy, Pratt ks
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,neither are your ways my ways,”declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8, 9 NIV)
Kitty
Fishers, IN
Exodus 14: 19-20 (NIV)
Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel.
Cheryl, Lewiston, Idaho “Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, ‘You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'” John 8:31, 32 NLT
Kendra W., Dallas –
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:7 (NIV)
Debbie, Prattville, AL
And so, Lord, whee do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you.
Psalm 39:7
NLT
Trae Kendrick, Crawford, Texas: “Now this I know, the Lord gives victory to His anointed. He answers him from His heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of His right hand.” Psalm 20:6 NIV
Sandy, Glendale OR
John 3:30 (KJV) He must increase but I must decrease.
Ramona, Pasadena, TX
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” I Peter 5:6 NIV
Melissa E
Anna, Tx
“I lift up my eyes the the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
Psalms121:1-2
ESV
Marti, Libertyville, IL
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…” Phil 3:20 (NIV)
Amy- clovis Ca
Thats why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
Rom 8:8 NLT
Daphne, Baker City, OR
“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed”, says the Lord who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10 (NIV)
Elaine Brady, Jefferson, GA
By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she had welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised, who shut the mouths of lions
~Hebrews 11:31-33
Oops, forgot the NIV. 🙂
Meagan, Bedford Tx
He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Psalm 91:4 NLT
Glenda – Tieton WA
O Lord, You are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious and sovereign over the sky and earth. You have dominion and exalt yourself as the ruler of all.
I Chron 29:11 NET Bible
Mary H. from Ardmore, AL
Psalm 16:11 (NIV)
“You will make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
“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)
Jane, Houston
“For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love and sound judgment.”
2Timothy 1:7
Hannah – New Albany, IN
1 Peter 2:9 NIRV
“But God chose you to be his people. You are royal priests. You are a holy nation. You are a people who belong to God. All of this is so that you can sing his praises. He brought you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
Debbie, Simi Valley, CA: 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
22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—Colossians 1:22 NASB
LaGlace, Alberta, Canada
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 (NIV)
Niki Carroll, Shelby, NC: “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18 NIV
Becky, The Woodlands, O Lord, You are great, mighty, majestic, glorious, and sovreign over all the sky and earth! You have dominion and exalt Yourself as the ruler of all. I Chronicles 29:11 (NET)
Anne, Atlanta, GA
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
Psalm 91: 11
Allie, South Pasadena CA
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
Psalm 27:14 NRSV
Sheila
Splendora, TX
“Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.” Psalm 33:22 (NLT)
Tina from Chesapeake, VA – “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.” Proverbs 11:28(NIV84)
Olivia, West Sussex, UK. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God – even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good, but the good of many, so that they may be saved” 1 Corinthians 10 v 31-33
NIV
Lisa Stimpson, Munford,Tn., But let your statement be “Yes,yes” or “No,no”, anything beyond this is evil. Matthew 5:37. NKJV
Cindy,
Virginia Beach, VA
“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Colossians 1:27 NIV
Debi, Alva, FL – John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace.
In the worlld you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (NKJV)
Kim- St. Louis, MO
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. (Psalm 130:5, 6 NIV)