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! Doesnāt 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 weāll 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 theyāll come alive in the marrow of your bones.
I feel like Iāve 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 couldnāt hear them. Iāll 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 youāll not waste a prayer on me between now and then. I donāt 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. Itās 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. Hasnāt 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? Iām choosing mine from a sermon Curtisās good friend, Jerrell Altic, brought in Curtisās 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 thatās the beauty of living words. A Scripture will suddenly pop off the page that had somehow been veiled from our recognition before. Iād been so taken with phrases like āyet for loveās sakeā in verse 9 that Iād missed the treasure of V.6, and who couldnāt get distracted by a verse like the 15th? āFor this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever.āĀ 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, donāt 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 ānowā word is like RIGHT NOW. Here it goes:
Beth, Houston. āI 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 Iām here plowing into some stubborn earthly soil with sweat sopping my forehead. Donāt you? Iām so thankful to be blessed but wouldnāt 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 weāre talking.
Colossians 2:2-3 gives a glimpse into the grandeur involved as the Apostle Paul prays āthat 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 Godās mystery, which is Christ,Ā in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.ā
Look at that again: āthe riches of full assurance of understanding.ā We canāt 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.
Iām making these prayers mine and I am looking for God to answer them. He wouldnāt 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.
Itās 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.
Tags: Scripture Memory 2013
Lindsay from Sugar Land, And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one anotherāand all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24, 25
PerryLove * Gallatin, TN * “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4 NIV
Steph, Ontario, Canada
“That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when i am weak, then I am strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:10 NLT
Cathryne, Fayetteville NC
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14 NKJV
2 Timothy 1:7
New King James Version (NKJV)
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Dawn, Dubuque, IA
āBut in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respectā I Peter 3:15 NIV
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Psalm 51:12 (NIV)
Teri S. Gadsden, AL
Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 NIV
The very late Michele from Minneapolis, MN
You will seek Me and find Me when you search with all your heart
Jer 29:13. NASB
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
1 Peter 5:6 NIV
Sara, Greenville, SC – Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. Psalms 34:5 NLT
Denise – San Antonio, TX
Let all that you do be done in love. (1 Corinthians 16:14 ESV)
So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? Hebrews 13:6 NIV
Lizz M.
Brick, NJ
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.
Lamentations 3:25
NASB
Janice, Arkansas Joshua 1:9 NIV
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not e discouraged, for the Lord your God will go with you wherever you go.
Jody in Huntsville, AL
Isaiah 41:13 NIV
For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you “Do not fear; I will help you.”
Brenda from Southern Maryland
Ā “He is your constant source of stability; he abundantly provides safety and great wisdom; he gives all this to those who fear him.ā Ā Isaiah 33:6 NET
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:2 NASB
Jane, Cuba, Missouri
Ephesians 6:11 NIV
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Elizabeth Harris, Bolivar, MO
Psalm 119:10-11 (NIV)
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! I John 3:1NIV
Me husband is suffering from 4stage Alzheimer’s . Yesterday I called Emsa and spent five long hours in the emergency room. Very taxing and confusing for him. He was always the most gentle,kind, and caring man………As The Lord led me for the first time to read your message this morning the words. ” AND YET FOR LOVE ” was Christ helping me to stay focused on why I remain dedicated to care for my husband in our home that he loves so much ……YET FOR LOVE IN CHRIST AND MY HUSBAND. …………..I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength……….Please keep Arnold and Robin in your prayers
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” ~Ephesians 3:20-21~ (NIV)
Yvonne
Louisville
Psalm 20:7
some trust in chariots, some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
Sadie
Louisville
Luke 12:34
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Bowie, MD
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. KJV Col 3:2
Vicki, Lubbock, TX But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. Psalm 73:28 NIV
Leah, Kansas City, MO
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Romans 15:5-7(NIV)
Shannon ~ Bethesda, MD
“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.”
Psalm 5:11 NIV
Heather, Ooltewah TN
The Lord is indeed going before you ā he will be with you; he will not fail you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged!ā Deuteronomy 31:8 NET
Suzy, Grove City, Ohio
Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, to it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossian 3:17 niv
Create in me a clean heart,O God.Renew a loyal spirit within me. Ps. 51:10 NLT
Alaina / Tyler, TX
Habakkuk 2:3 NIV
For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.
Taryn from Corinth, TX
“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16
Pattie Self, San Angelo, TX
Do not be misled. Bad company corrupts good character.
1 Corinthians 15:33 NIV
Karen Di., Martinsville, NJ
“My Lover is radiant and ruddy, outstanding among ten thousand!”
Song of Solomon 5:10 (NIV)
Celeste, Thompson’s Station, TN:
I lift my eyes toward the mountains.
Where will my help come from?
Psalm 121:1 (HCS)
Elaine, New Orleans, LA
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 NIV
Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you,
Isaiah 30:18a (NASB)
Rachel from Sedley, VA:
“and said to him: āRun, tell that young man, āJerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. 5 And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,ā declares the Lord, āand I will be its glory within.ā”
~Zechariah 2:4-5 (NIV)
1 Thessalonians 4:11 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands. (NIV 1984)
Lorraine, Marysville, Washington
A heart at peace give life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
Proverbs 14:30 NIV
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding.”
Proverbs 3:5 NIV
Mollie from Northwest Arkansas
Psalm 103:4b-5 HCSB
“He crown you with faithful love and compassion. He satisfies you with goodness; your youth is renewed like the eagle.”
Katie Swaney (McDonough, GA):
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Proverbs 31:30 (NIV)
Debra, Mobile, AL:
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross Colossians 2:15 (NIV84)
Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. Psalm 95:2
Vicki
Longview, WA
For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
Romans 8:16 NLT
Patty pierce
searcy AR
Mark 12:29-30
NIV
āThe most important one,ā answered Jesus, āis this: āHear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.ā (Mark 12:29, 30 NIV)
“This I declare about the Lord. He alone is my refuge, my place of safety. He is my God and I trust Him.
Psalm 91:2 NLT
Cindy Gandy
Hazlehurst, MS
Psalm 111:7 NIV
The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.