2013 Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Verse 12!

Hey Sweet Things! I’m putting this post up an evening early so I don’t have to be up and working at 7:00 AM on a Saturday morning off. Smiling. Thank you for understanding! Don’t stress if the comments aren’t moderated right away. We take it a little slower on weekends so nobody’s working nonstop.

 

I wish I had a way to add some great celebratory music to this post. You are officially halfway! Doesnā€™t that feel fabulous? Oh, come on, now. Let yourself feel it. Great job, Sisters! It’s not easy. We know we can do the second half because we have already done the first. Ā And weā€™ll do this next half exactly the same way: through the unction of the Holy Spirit. Just keep choosing Scriptures that are speaking to you in your exact season and need and theyā€™ll come alive in the marrow of your bones.

 

I feel like Iā€™ve been talking to you all day because I think of you while writing the lessons for the Bible study underway. We have hashed some things out in the Scriptures today, Sister. You just couldnā€™t hear them. Iā€™ll just be glad when some of you are sitting on the other side of that page talking back. When I was at the taping for Children of the Day in May, we explained to the group that it would be a whole calendar year before the study comes out. The process takes a long time, especially because it involves both written work and video. We also have to dodge around a travel schedule that is set in calendar-stone a good bit in advance. But, in the twinkling of an eye, another month has already passed. The very last of the manuscript is due in December so youā€™ll not waste a prayer on me between now and then. I donā€™t get to write every week because I am on the road more often this time of year so each day I get to sit with my Bible open to 1st and 2nd Thessalonians is a gift. And a brain cracker at times.

 

You and I have plenty to do before next May, however! I so hope many of you are doing the Gideon Bible study this summer with us that our gifted sister, Priscilla Shirer wrote. Itā€™s tremendously powerful. I saw one of you give her a shout-out today on Twitter with the hashtag #Siestaville at the end of it. It made me so happy. God has graced us with such anointed messengers at this hour in the Body of Christ, men and women alike. Hasnā€™t He? It has been my privilege to study under a number of them with you and to hear about many others from you. Our discipleship worlds are so much bigger when we’re willing to come together. Otherwise, we sit tight in all our own little corners and have no idea how many people God has gifted to serve the Body. We cheat ourselves when we separate ourselves.

 

OK, Sisters, are you ready to log in your 12th verses? Iā€™m choosing mine from a sermon Curtisā€™s good friend, Jerrell Altic, brought in Curtisā€™s absence last Sunday at our church. His primary text was Mark 1 but he tied in a verse that really jumped out at me. I love the Book of Philemon and have taught out of it several times in the last two years but thatā€™s the beauty of living words. A Scripture will suddenly pop off the page that had somehow been veiled from our recognition before. Iā€™d been so taken with phrases like ā€œyet for loveā€™s sakeā€ in verse 9 that Iā€™d missed the treasure of V.6, and who couldnā€™t get distracted by a verse like the 15th? ā€œFor this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever.ā€Ā  I bet some of you have a pretty slack-jawing testimony of that very concept under your own roof.

 

But when Jerrell referenced this verse, I knew it was my choice for our 12th round of SSMT. In fact, donā€™t tell but I jotted it immediately on the yellow notes app of my iPhone, took a screen shot and made it my screen saver right then. Sometimes a ā€œnowā€ word is like RIGHT NOW. Here it goes:

 

 

Beth, Houston. ā€œI pray that the faith you share with us may deepen your understanding of every blessing that belongs to you in Christ.ā€ Philemon 1:6 The NET Bible

Ā 

I want God to deepen my understanding of every blessing that belongs to me in Christ while Iā€™m here plowing into some stubborn earthly soil with sweat sopping my forehead. Donā€™t you? Iā€™m so thankful to be blessed but wouldnā€™t fleshing it out be a whole different prospect if we came to understand the depth and breadth of many of those blessings? To stand on them, act on them, pray from them, teach from them, love from them, and serve through them? Now weā€™re talking.

 

Colossians 2:2-3 gives a glimpse into the grandeur involved as the Apostle Paul prays ā€œthat their (and our) hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of Godā€™s mystery, which is Christ,Ā in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.ā€

 

Look at that again: ā€œthe riches of full assurance of understanding.ā€ We canā€™t soon wrap our minds around all that encompasses but we can instantly and actively start praying for God to deepen our understanding of the blessings that belongs to us in the One who embodies every divine and hidden treasure.

 

Iā€™m making these prayers mine and I am looking for God to answer them. He wouldnā€™t dictate a prayer right there on the pages of the New Testament that He had no intention of responding to.

 

I love working through some verses and concepts with you, Sisters. You are so dear to me. Thank you for spending a little time around here and committing to something challenging in the midst of many priorities. I pray that every part of your life is invaded by the Word of God coursing through your brain. May God bring your harvest forth 100-fold.

 

Itā€™s your turn, Sisters! Give me a hint about what Christ is doing in you right now through the selections of your verses. You are so loved.

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3,111 Responses to “2013 Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Verse 12!”

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Comments:

  1. 901
    Melanie Johnson says:

    Melanie from Georgetown, Tx
    God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Psalm 46:5 NIV

  2. 902
    Stephanie Colucci says:

    Stephanie Colucci
    Dallas TX
    Matthew 19:19
    (NIV)
    19 honor your father and mother,ā€™[a] and ā€˜love your neighbor as yourself

  3. 903
    Michelle says:

    Michelle, Alberta, Canada

    “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your father in heaven may forgive your sins.”
    – Mark 11:25 NIV

  4. 904
    Diana says:

    Diana—San Patricio, TX. “Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.” Psalms 4:3 (NIV)

  5. 905
    Karen says:

    ā€œI pray that the faith you share with us may deepen your understanding of every blessing that belongs to you in Christ.ā€ Philemon 1:6 The NET Bible

  6. 906
    Kathy says:

    Kathy, Houston

    Psalm 34:4 KJV

    I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

  7. 907
    Kathy, Gainesville VA says:

    But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence
    I Peter 3:15 NASB

  8. 908
    Heather says:

    Heather—Corpus Christi, TX. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” James 1:22 (NKJV)

  9. 909
    Tammy Wong says:

    I pray that the faith you share with us may deepen your understanding of every blessing that belongs to you in Christ.
    Philemon 1:6
    Tammy
    Cincinnati

  10. 910
    Heather G. says:

    Heather G.
    Fredericksburg, VA
    ā€œI pray that the faith you share with us may deepen your understanding of every blessing that belongs to you in Christ.ā€ Philemon 1:6 The NET Bible

  11. 911
    Joy says:

    Joy from Lubbock, Texas
    “When I am afraid, I will trust in You.” Psalm 56:3 NIV

  12. 912
    Susan says:

    Susan- Berryville, VA
    Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20 NIV)

  13. 913
    Debbie Weaver says:

    Debbie, Cumming, GA. “When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, He said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Judges 6:12 NIV.

  14. 914
    Lisa Jones says:

    Lisa, Andalusia, AL

    but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:7 NASB)

  15. 915
    Becky, Mountain Home says:

    “I pray that the faith you share with us may deepen your understanding of every blessing that belongs to you in Christ.” Philemon 1:6

  16. 916
    Suzanne blocker says:

    Suzanne, Birmingham : “many are the plans in a mans heart but it is the Lords purpose that prevails.”. Proverbs. 19:21

  17. 917
    Sara Meinders says:

    Sara from Virginia: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, NIV)

  18. 918
    Ramona Pipes says:

    Ramona, Pasadena, TX:
    Romans 5:1 NIV
    Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

  19. 919
    marla b says:

    Marla B from Dixon, IL 1 Corinthians (NIV) 13:1
    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…

  20. 920
    Leslie says:

    Leslie
    Milton, GA

    Jeremiah 33:3 NIV
    Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

  21. 921
    Johannah says:

    Johannah, Alexandria, LA

    “You are good and do only good; teach me your decrees.” Psalms 119:68 NLT

  22. 922
    Peggy Magers says:

    Peggy, Wakarusa IN
    Psalm 16:11 “You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

  23. 923
    april lopez says:

    April lopez, bonneylake, wa
    Look to the lord and his strength; seek his face always.
    Psalm 105:4 niv

    Emmilianna ferreria, bonneylake, wa
    He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
    Isaiah 40:29 niv

  24. 924
    Sharon Allen says:

    Sharon Allen, Redmond, WA

    For thus says the One who is high and lifted up who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:

  25. 925
    veronica Lee says:

    veronica- Atlanta, Georgia

    luke 12,6&7 what is the price of five sparrows? A couple of pennies not much more than that yet God does not forget a single one of them. 7) and He knows the number of hairs on your head! never fear, you are more valuable to Him than a whole flock of sparrows. ( living Bible)

  26. 926
    Karen says:

    Karen, Clarksville, “But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him…”O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hands of the potter, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.” Jeremiah 18:4&6 NIV

  27. 927
    Jenna Suggs says:

    Jenna from Liberty NC
    Evildoers are snared by their own sin, but the righteous shout for joy and are glad. (Proverbs 29:6 NIV)

  28. 928
    Christina McClain says:

    Christina McClain, Nampa, Idaho, HCSB, James 1:11. “For the sun rises with its scorching heat and dries up the grass; it’s flower falls off and it’s beautiful appearance is destroyed. In the same way the rich man will wither away while pursuing his activities.”

  29. 929
    Danielle says:

    Danielle, Evansville, IN

    “And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your Heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you for your own good?” Deuteronomy 10: 12-13 NIV

  30. 930
    Emily says:

    Emily in Anchorage, AK
    Psalm 103:3-4, NIV
    “…who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion…”

  31. 931
    Denise Basden Frisco, Tx says:

    Isaiah 26:3 (NLV)
    You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you.

  32. 932
    Stephanie Floyd says:

    Stephanie. Danville Ky

    No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1. John. 4:12. NIV

  33. 933
    Bridgette King says:

    Bridgette- Rockwall, TX

    “I know the best thing we can do is always enjoy life,”
    Ecclesiastes 3:12 CEVU

  34. 934
    Mary says:

    Mary , Lilburn GA. Taste and see that The Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8 NIV

  35. 935
    Jennifer Worrell says:

    Jennifer, Fort Worth
    Proverbs 14:26 NKJV “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge.”

  36. 936
    Ali s. says:

    Ali s. midwest city, ok
    Psalm 91:5 (NIV)
    You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day.

  37. 937
    Sue from Saskatoon Canada says:

    Ps 139:15 NIV – My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in that secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

  38. 938
    Sharon Allen says:

    Sharon Allen, Redmond, WA

    For thus says the One who is high and lifted up who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.

    Isaiah 57:15 ESV

  39. 939
    Kelley B. says:

    Kelley from Houston, TX

    “We know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you.”

    1 Thessalonians 1:4 (NET)

  40. 940
    Lindsey Jenkins says:

    Lindsey, Nashville, TN. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4 (NIV)

  41. 941
    Lauren says:

    Lauren from Conyers, GA

    For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

    Ephesians 2:10 NLT

  42. 942
    Deb says:

    16Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. Matt 5:16

  43. 943
    Jill says:

    Jill, Fort Ashby, WV

    Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 NIV

  44. 944
    lynn Miller says:

    lynn, Louisville, KY.

    Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I thank my God always, making mention of your in my prayers,

    Philemon 1:3-4 (NASB)

  45. 945
    Ann, Prior Lake, MN says:

    “But as for me, I will sing about YOUR power. Each morning I will sing with joy about YOUR unfailing love. For YOU have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress.”

    Psalm 59:16 NLT

  46. 946
    Mary says:

    Mary, Frisco, “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.” Proverbs 19:21 (NLT)

  47. 947
    Karla says:

    Leverett, MA
    Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good?
    Psalm 34:12 NASB

  48. 948
    Barbara says:

    Barbara, Birmingham,Al
    Be still before The Lord and wait patiently for him;
    Do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    When they carry out their wicked schemes.
    Psalm 37:7. NIV

  49. 949
    Carol says:

    Carol
    Woodbridge, CA
    “My God is my rock, I can run to Him for safety. He is my shield and my saving strength, my defender and my place of safety. The Lord saves me from those who want to harm me.’. II Samuel 22:3. NCV

  50. 950
    Michelle C. Of Houston says:

    For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
    Hebrews 12:3

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