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
Michelle, Watauga TX
Isaiah 60:5 (VOICE)
And when you see it, your face will glow; your heart will race and be filled with joy; for great ships will arrive from across the sea and the wealth of nations will make their way to you.
(I may have posted this twice, but alas, I did not note the date and time posted in my little book so now I am at it again! I Think…:/)
Cheryl, Los Osos:
verse 11 – Isaiah 43:1 ESV “Fear not for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exvhange for your life.”
Chelsia Waverly, MN
“Wives, submit to your husbands as is fitting in the Lord.
Colossians 3:18 NIV
“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” (Is. 55:12 NIV)
Christie from Plano, Texas
“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”
Prov 13:20 (NIV84)
Barb from Carlsbad, NM “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” Ps. 40:2 NKJV
Sarah H.
Conroe, TX
Isaiah 40:29 NIV
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Annalee in Houston
To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
I Peter 5:11
Amanda The Colony, TX
1 Chronicles 29:11 NLT ” Yours, O lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty, everything in the heavens and on earth is ypurs, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.”
2. Romans 12:18 (NIV) “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
Theresa
Pace, Florida
NIV
Hebrews 12:11
No discipline (storms) seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Rowena Gulfport, MS.
in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. Psalm 25:2
in you I trust O my God. Do let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. Psalm: 25:2
Brigette Brock
Morehead, Ky
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22
NIV 84
Chrissie from Aurora,
“It is better to be happy with what you have than always to be wanting more.” Ecclesiastes 6:9 (ICB)
Annie
Dallas, Texas
“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
Romans 8:15-16
Romans 8:15
Courtney, LaPlata, MD
1 Peter 5:10-11 (ESV)
10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Laura, Katy, TX. For your Maker is your husband, The Lord Almighty is His name. Isaiah 54:5 NIV
I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of yours will be thwarted.
Job 42:2. NIV
Lillian, Vermilion, OH
“Now let Your unfailing love comfort me, just as You promised me, Your servant.
Surround me with Your tender mercies so I may live, for Your law is my delight.” Psalm 119:76-66(NIV)
Abilene, TX
But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:20 NIV
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. But do it with gentleness and respect.
1 peter 3:15 (NIV)
Pam in Chiangmai, Thailand
Lamentations 3:24-26
New Living Translation (NLT)
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!”
25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
to those who search for him.
26 So it is good to wait quietly
for salvation from the Lord.
Emma, Conifer, Colorado
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Sonya
Aurora, Colorado
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
Psalm 103:8 (NIV)
Ivy Morrison
Willis, TX
1 Corinthians 14:1 MSG
“Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it – because it does. Give yourselves to the gifts God gives you. Most of all, try to proclaim his truth.”
Rena, Tulsa. “I pray that [my] heart will be flooded with light so that [I] can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called…” Ephesians 1:18a NLT
Orlando, FL
having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Revelation 21:11 NKJV
Jude 11 NIV
Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.
Charlotte Good
Mesquite, Texas
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalms 90:12 NIV
Patti from La Porte
“The Lord is my light and my salvation-
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life-
of whom shall I be afraid?”
Psalm 27: 1 NIV
Bonnie Wallace, Charleston SC
“The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.” Psalm 84:11 NLT
Mandy from Mt. Vernon
“Search me, Oh God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalms 139:23-24 (NIV)
Dawn, Lafayette, LA
Psalm 4:3 NIV 1984
Know that The Lord has set apart the godly for himself, The Lord will hear when I call to him.
Allyson
League City TX
Psalm 86:9 ESV
“All the nations you have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name.”
Lauren Morton, Decatur, TX – She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue. – Proverbs 31:26 NIV84
In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:6 ESV
Sara, Plymouth, IN
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
James 3:17 (NIV)
Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. Is 43:1b, NLT
Amber, Huntington, IN – “The Lord is my portion” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.” Lamentations 3:24 ESV
Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” Luke 5:26 NIV
Julie Elrod Smyrna, GA: James 4:3-4 NIV .3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
Kathy French, Austin
“The LORD confides in those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them.” Psalm 25:14 NIV
Diana Yarborough, Gallatin, TN
The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27 NIV
Karina
Baton Rouge, La.
“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:13
NASB
Olivia, Lapwai, Idaho: For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
As for God, His way is perfect, the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.
For who is God besides the Lord and who is the rock except our God?
Psalm 18:30-31
Jana, Tampa, FL
Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. Colossians 3:6 NIV
Allison, Jersey Village
Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
Phillipians 4:6 HSCB
Anna in Mobile, AL
No weapon forged against you will prevail.
Is. 54:17 NIV