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! Doesn’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.  And we’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 they’ll come alive in the marrow of your bones.

 

I feel like I’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 couldn’t hear them. I’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 you’ll not waste a prayer on me between now and then. I don’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. It’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. Hasn’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? I’m choosing mine from a sermon Curtis’s good friend, Jerrell Altic, brought in Curtis’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 that’s the beauty of living words. A Scripture will suddenly pop off the page that had somehow been veiled from our recognition before. I’d been so taken with phrases like “yet for love’s sake” in verse 9 that I’d missed the treasure of V.6, and who couldn’t get distracted by a verse like the 15th? “For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever.”  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, don’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 “now” word is like RIGHT NOW. Here it goes:

 

 

Beth, Houston. “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 The NET Bible

 

I want God to deepen my understanding of every blessing that belongs to me in Christ while I’m here plowing into some stubborn earthly soil with sweat sopping my forehead. Don’t you? I’m so thankful to be blessed but wouldn’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 we’re talking.

 

Colossians 2:2-3 gives a glimpse into the grandeur involved as the Apostle Paul prays “that 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 God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

 

Look at that again: “the riches of full assurance of understanding.” We can’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.

 

I’m making these prayers mine and I am looking for God to answer them. He wouldn’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.

 

It’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. 1351
    Jamie in Katy says:

    Colossians 1:13-14 ESV: He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

  2. 1352
    Brandy says:

    Brandy, Roseburg, Oregon. Psalm 62:6 (NIV)
    “He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress I will not be shaken.”

  3. 1353
    Cindy Rabe says:

    Cindy – Houston
    I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
    John 16:33 NIV

  4. 1354
    Gina says:

    Gina from Ruston, LA

    “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 NIV)

  5. 1355
    Michele says:

    Michele, Oakdale, CA

    Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually. Ps 105:4 NASB

  6. 1356
    Shaci says:

    Shaci- Aztec, New Mexico

    Psalm 150:6 NIV

    Let everything that has breath praise the Lord . Praise the Lord .

  7. 1357

    Cindy, Fort Worth, TX

    The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:7 (NIV)

  8. 1358
    Mary Jane says:

    Mary Jane, Troy KS

    “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”

    2 Chronicles 16:9 NIV

  9. 1359
    carol carnell says:

    Carol, Santa Maria, Psalm 86:12-13a, “I will praise You, LORD my God, with all my heart; I will glorlify Your Name forever. For great is Your Love toward me.” I learned verse 11 last session, but my grandblessings want to say that one and this with me now, so I need more practice on this 2nd half.

  10. 1360
    Sharon says:

    Sharon Glennville, GA
    Micah 7:7 NIV
    But as for me,
    I watch in hope for the Lord,
    I wait for God my Savior;
    My God will hear me.

  11. 1361
    Monica says:

    Monica, Abbotsford, BC Canada
    Habakkuk 3:2 – NIV
    Lord, I have heard of Your fame; I stand in awe of Your deeds. Renew them in our day; in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy!

  12. 1362
    MacKenzie says:

    MacKenzie, St Louis

    Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.

  13. 1363
    Darcy says:

    Darcy – Edwardsville, IL

    “Search me, O 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.”

    Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)

  14. 1364
    Lezli says:

    Lezli. Oklahoma City, OK

    The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident. The one thing I ask of the Lord — the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord ’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. (Psalms 27:1-4 NLT)

  15. 1365
    Heather Wilkinson says:

    Heather Wilkinson
    Springfield, VA

    Psalm 91:1-2 (NIV)
    Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

  16. 1366
    Kathy says:

    Kathy, Birmingham, “”And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7 NIV

  17. 1367
    Brianna says:

    Brianna from Huntsville, AL

    He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:24 ESV)

  18. 1368
    Robin Freeman says:

    Robin Freeman~Garland Tx

    In your relationships with one another, have the same mind set as Christ Jesus

    Philippians 2:5 NIV

  19. 1369
    Barb says:

    Barb~St Cloud MN~”And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give our fathers.” Deuteronomy 6:23 ESV Can you tell which Bible study I am presently doing?

  20. 1370
    Emily Last says:

    Emily (kemptville, ontario)I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:12 NIV

  21. 1371
    Aleta Haugh says:

    Aleta. Westfield, IN. Psalm 51:10 NIV. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

  22. 1372
    Kim Rowles says:

    Kim
    New Port Richey, FL

    “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 NKJ

  23. 1373
    Brittni says:

    And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and in depth of insight

    Philippians 1:9 NIV

  24. 1374
    Debbie says:

    Debbie from Moultrie,Ga
    Psalm 103:5 KJV
    Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;so that thy youth is renewed like the eagles.

  25. 1375
    Dayla Rosebrough says:

    Dayla, Springfield, MO

    We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. Psalm 33:20 NIV

  26. 1376
    Diana Paige says:

    Diana – Indpls – 1 Chronicles 16:11- NIV
    Look to the Lord and his strength;seek his face always.

  27. 1377
    JulieB says:

    Sharpsburg, Ga.
    Romans 8:28 NIV
    “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

  28. 1378
    Jana says:

    Jana, Quitaque, TX

    1 John 3:2-3 NIV

    Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

  29. 1379
    kathypinkbicyclearkansas says:

    For you know the plans you have for me O Lord. Plans to prosper me and not harm me, plans to give me a hope and a future. Jer 29:11

  30. 1380
    Amber B says:

    Amber B., Vicksburg, MI. But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 NIV

  31. 1381
    Colleen H says:

    Colleen, Glen Ellyn, IL

    For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:14 ESV

  32. 1382
    Denise Ferrell says:

    June 15th
    1 Timothy 6:18 NASB
    Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

  33. 1383
    Natalie Dawes says:

    Natalie Dawes, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Do not conform any longer to the patter of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.

    Romans 12:2 (NIV84)

  34. 1384
    Melissa Ford says:

    Melissa
    Midlothian, VA
    “You Lord are forgiving and good abounding in love to all who call on you.” Psalm 86:5 NIV

  35. 1385
    Stephanie Rafferty says:

    Stephanie, La Habra, CA “Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.” 1 Cor. 10:6 NIV

  36. 1386
    Shirley Pierce says:

    This is love, that we walk according to God’s commandments.

    2John:6 (NRSV)

  37. 1387
    Donna Dickert says:

    Donna, Huntersville, NC
    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, NET

  38. 1388
    Nancy Coffey says:

    Nancy from Barboursville WV

    “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord
    establishes their steps.”
    Proverbs 16:9 NIV

  39. 1389
    Shannon Wilkinson says:

    Shannon Wilkinson
    Blacksburg, VA

    Psalm 37:8-9 HCSB
    Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated-it can only bring harm. For evildoers will be destroyed, but those who put their hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

  40. 1390
    Linda says:

    Pittsburgh, PA

    Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)

  41. 1391
    Crystal Clark says:

    Crystal Clark, Omaha, NE
    Know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. Deuteronomy 4:39 (esv)

  42. 1392
    Linda Hammett says:

    Linda from Wake Forest, N.C.
    2 Corinthians 5:17(NIV)
    “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has
    come.”

  43. 1393
    Jayne Patterson says:

    “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
    2 Timothy 4:18 ESV
    Jayne
    Frisco, TX

  44. 1394
    Vivian says:

    Vivian
    Birmingham, Alabama
    (Same passage as June 1 – vs 1=2 then & 3-4 now)

    First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people, even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. Such prayer for all is good and welcomed before God our Savior, since He wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. I Timothy2:1-4 The NET Bible

  45. 1395
    Mandy says:

    Mandy
    Tallahassee, FL

    “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

    Joshua 1:9 NIV

  46. 1396
    Cindy says:

    Isaiah 26:8 (NIV)

    Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and your renown are the desire of our hearts.

    Cindy/Midland

  47. 1397
    Mindy Maddox says:

    Mindy- Andalusia, AL
    No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (I Corinthians 10:13, NIV)

  48. 1398
    sharron says:

    Sharron, Spring, TX
    If God is for us, who can be against us?
    Rom 8:31 NIV

  49. 1399
    Bette says:

    Bette, Danville

    For He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Psalm 91:11

  50. 1400
    Debbie Zeman says:

    Debbie Z Vancouver, WA
    Return to your rest, my soul, for the LORD has been good to you. Psalm 116:7 NIV

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