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
Theresa, Cincinnati, For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation and adorn the wretched with victory. Psa 149:4, Amp.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11
Pamela Mendoza
Cypress,CA
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts…
Deuteronomy 6:6 NIV
But now, this is what the Lord says – He who created you, Jacob, He who summoned you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name, you are mine.”
Is 43:1, NIV
Jennifer Fishers, Indiana
1 Corinthians 13:1 NIV
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
Psalm 92:5 NLT
O Lord, what great works You do and how deep are Your thoughts.
Alissa, Spring, 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 The NET Bible
Deb, Pelzer, SC
2 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV) “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”
Valerie, Fultondale, AL
“For we live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV
Terry
Terry
East Peoria, Illinois
Psalm 120:1 (NLT)
I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.
And [Job] said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return. The Lord gave and The Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Job 1:21 (ESV)
Melissa
Waco, TX
And now, children, stay with Christ. Live deeply in Christ. Then we’ll be ready for him when he appears, ready to receive him with open arms, with no cause for red-faced guilt or lame excuses when he arrives. (1 John 2:28 MSG)
Caroline
Waco, TX
Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
1 John 2:6
Jenna
Waco, TX
Brooke: Princeton, ME:
Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.
1 Corinthians 10:24 ESV
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures
James 4:3 NIV
Barbara, Fredericksburg, VA.
I can do all things through Him who strenthens me. Phil 4:13 NAS
Amanda from Van Buren, AR
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7 ESV
Isaiah 43:19 NIV See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderneww and streams in the wasteland.
Cathryne, Fayetteville NC
O Lord, You have searched me and known me. Psalm 139:1 NASB
Carolina Buford, 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
“O Lord, you are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, & sovereign over all the sky and earth!? You have dominion and exalt yourself as the ruler of all.”
1 Chronicles 29:11 NET
Kristi
Charlotte, NC
1 Corinthians 6:11(NASB)
11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Tammy
Lantana, TX
Psalm 18:30 NIV
As for God, his way is perfect. The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who will take refuge in him.
Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and His Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts, :For I am the first and I Am the Last,beside me there is no God. Is 44:6
June 1st Denise, Stillwater, OK
1st Timothy 6:17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all good things to enjoy.
Traci, Florida:
2 Timothy 1:7
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline”
Lynne J., Gainesville VA
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23 KJV
Sonya Dickrson, Chesterfield, VA
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7
(NIV)
Kim from Amarillo, TX
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do…
Ephesians 6:7-8a NIV
Dana Pace, Fl
Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
Matt. 9:12-13 NIV
Ps. 138:7,8 HCBS
If I walk into to the thicket of danger, You will preserve my life from the anger of my enemies. You will extend Your hand; Your right hand will save me. The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me. Lord, Your love is eternal; do not abandon the work of Your hands.
Jer. 15:19-21 NAS
Therefore, thus says the Lord, “If you return to me, I will restore you – before me you will stand; and if you extract the precious from the worthless you will become my spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, but as for you, you may not turn to them. Then I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; and though they fight against you, they will not prevail over you; for I am with you to save you and deliver you,”declare the Lord. ” So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent.”
Leah, Kansas City, MO
From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Psalm 61:2 (NIV)
Jennifer, San Antonio, TX
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Romans 12:18 (NIV)
I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. Because you are my helper I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.
Psalms 63:6-7 (NLT)
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Psalms 103:12 (NIV)
My heart is confident in you O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises!
Psalms 57:7 (NLT)
Debbie, Hattiesburg, MS:
“to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn
Isaiah 61:2
Diana, Cincinnati,Ohio. We demolish arguments and every pretention that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
II Corinthians 10:5 NIV
Kimber, Panama City, FL
How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! (Psalm 139:17 NIV)
Kim B. – Orlando, FL
Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2
Becky, Morganton, NC
When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul. Psalm 94:19 ESV
Tanya, Whitewater, KS
Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.
1 Corinthians 13:4, Amplified
Rachelle – Cedar Park, TX: “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” Phil. 3:13 NIV
Cayla, Gray Court, SC
If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Romans 12:21, NIV
Regina, Birmingham, AL
The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deu 33:27, ESV
Lauren, San Marcos Tx. The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; the one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. Proverbs 13:3 NASB
Kelly, Fort Smith, AR:
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Psalm 19:14 HCSB
Romans 8:31
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
NKJV
Christi, Newnan , 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