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
Lynchburg, VA.
Matthew 7:8 (English Standard Version)
For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Isa 43:19/NIV
Miriam from Granby, CT
Luke 12:30 (ESV)
For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
Deborah, Katy, TX
John 8:36 (NIV)
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Amanda, Katy, TX
John 8:36 (NIV)
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Cyndi, Katy, TX
John 8:36 (NIV)
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Tiffany, Katy, TX
John 8:36 (NIV)
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Allison, Katy, TX
John 8:36 (NIV)
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Kara, Houston, TX
John 8:36 (NIV)
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Ashley, Kingwood
“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 29:11-12 NET
“The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “I will say to the Lord, my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Psalms 91:1-2 NIV
Joy in Bethlehem, GA
Romans 8:31 (NIV)
What them shall we say in response to this? If God is for us who can be against us?
Stephanie
Hamburg, Ar
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patients, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name. You are mine.
Isaiah 43:1, NIV
Worcester, England, UK
John 14:27 NLT
[27] “I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
krystal ward
teague, tx
“let your conversations be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
Col. 4:6 NIV
Amanda from Plano, TX
Psalm 34:1-3
1 I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
Lori S from Elgin, TX (now College Station, TX)
Psalm 95:4
“On his hands are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.”
The above verse is NIV.
Karen Mceathron,Oconomowoc;Wi…In this world you will have trouble,But take heart! I have over come the world(John 16:33)NIV
Karen Mceathron,Oconomowoc,Wi..All your children shall be taught by The Lord and great will be your children’s peace..Isaiah 54:13 (NIV)
Sarah Sykes, Arkadelphia, AR
Psalms 84:1 (ESV)
How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!
Karen from Woodstock Ontario
“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
Monica Pribe, Blacklick, OH ” keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the spring of life.” Proverbs 4:23 ESV
Above all else guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life
Proverbs 4:23 NIV
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
Savannah, Arkadelphia AR
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matt 5:12, NIV
Joni, Port Neches. “You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?” James 2:20, NIV84
Mandy
Waco, TX
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Matthew 12:36-37 (ESV)
Mary
Woodway, Texas
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding.”
Proverbs 3:5 (NIV)
Sarah, McKinney, TX NIV “Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.” 1 Corinthians 13:6
Cathy, Jackman, ME : NLT “1 Cor. 13: 4-7 “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5) or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6) It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7) Love never gives up, never looses faith, is aways hopeful and endures through every circumstance.”
Kim, Littlestown PA. “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6 (NKJ)
Ann
Morelia, Mexico
“the wind blows over it and it is gone,
And it’s place remembers it no more.”
Psalm 103:16. NIV
June 1 – Matthew 21:16 NIV
“‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise?”
Georgine East
Austin, TX
Sarah Cox from Jay, OK
“we labor, working with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted we endure it;”
I Corinth 4:12 (HCSB)
Shannon Houston, TX
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trust, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Cor 13:4-7 NIV
Summer, McCurtain, OK
The world is passing away, and also it’s lust, but the one who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:17
Melissa J – Houston, TX
John 3:16 NIV
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Patti — Ft. Worth, Texas
Hebrews 10:23 – Let us hold unwaivering to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. (NIV)
Selina, Aberdeen. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9 KJV
Stacy, Greenfield, Indiana “If I acted crazy, I did it for God; if I acted overly serious, I did it for you. Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do.” 2 Corinthians 5:13-14 Msg
Tina, Houston,TX
But I have trusted in your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in your deliverance. Psalm 13:5 (NIV)
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore will I rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” II Cor. 12:9
Bonnie, Marietta, GA
Bonnie – Marietta, GA
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into diverse temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
James 1:2-4
Bonnie – Marietta, GA
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given.
James 1:5 KJV
Bonnie – Marietta, GA
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.
James 1:6-7
Bonnie – Marietta, GA
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him.
James 1:12 KJV
But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then, when lust have conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
James 1:14-15
Mechanicsville, VA
‘Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.’ Romans 12:10 NIV
Emilie Eaton, IN
Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV
For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast.