Hey, you Scripture memory fiends! I am so proud of you guys for keeping your numbers up with your second verses! There can be a really big drop out between the hype surrounding the first verse and the discipline that starts kicking in with the second verse. Stay at it, you guys. Not one of you will be sorry you did. No one is going to get to the finish line next December 15th and say it wasn’t worth the work. God is far more faithful than that. He rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6) and diligently uses His Word to equip us in our callings (2 Timothy 3:16-17). He uses His Word to make us wiser, more aware of His will, more fortified against temptation, and more alive in His Spirit. He uses His Word to make us less gullible when our hearts are trying to deceive us, when someone we love is trying to mislead us or when Satan himself is trying to seduce us. Be encouraged. Not one ounce of your effort is wasted.
Here is the biggest key to accomplishing this task: throughout the entire process, continually ask God to enable you to memorize. In John 14:26, Christ tells His followers that the Holy Spirit is the one who will “bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” Proactively taking Him up on this assurance has been strategic through the years I’ve memorized Scripture. Over and over I convey to God that I know only He can empower those inspired words on the page to find a permanent place in my memory and a home in the marrow of my bones. I call upon His Spirit in Jesus’ Name to stir up those verses in me and remind me of every word and phrase.
When you’re able to say your verse with any accuracy at all, start thanking Him. Do it right then. Completely engage in the relational side of your memory work. That will be by far the biggest success in this endeavor. God is after your heart, not just your mind. He’s not just looking for your discipline. He wants to be your desire. His aim is relationship. Ask Him to help you then thank Him when He does it. When you’re working on a beautiful verse, tell Him you think it’s beautiful. When you keep stumbling over one particular word, ask Him right then to help you get that phrase straight. His Word is God speaking to you so speak back. Use it as an invitation to dialogue. Is the verse really hard? Say to Him, “This verse is killing me here, Lord. I can’t seem to get it. Grant it to me. Help me with it.” Get what I’m saying? This way He gets all the glory in every success and we get immeasurable gain.
This I promise you: God’s objective for you and me in 2015 is not for us to memorize 24 verses. It’s for us to draw nearer and nearer to Him, love Him more, know Him more, trust Him more, and believe Him more. To let His Word go down deep where He wants it. To invite it fervently and proactively to abide in us and bring vivacious life to us. To meditate on His words and to prize them more than our daily bread. Job said it this way: “I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my portion of food.” (Job 23:12b) That’s what these 24 verses are about. So, let’s engage with Jesus throughout the entire process. THAT, at the end of our journey, is what will determine our success.
I think I just changed my mind on what I want to present you for my 3rd verse. I am doing memory work out of the Book of Ephesians right now but I don’t happen to be on a verse that stands alone in a comprehensive enough way to offer it to someone to share. Mentioning Job in the previous paragraph stirred up in my memory how much I love that 23rd chapter. Savor the gorgeousness of verses 8-12. (ESV)
8      “Behold, I go forward, but He is not there,
and backward, but I do not perceive Him;
9Â Â Â Â Â Â on the left hand when He is working, I do not behold Him;
He turns to the right hand, but I do not see Him.
10Â Â Â Â Â Â But He knows the way that I take;
when He has tried me, I shall come out as gold.
11Â Â Â Â Â Â My foot has held fast to his steps;
I have kept his way and have not turned aside.
12Â Â Â Â Â Â I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.
Translation of verses 8-10??? I may not know where God is right now in my situation but of this I’m sure: He knows where I am. Isn’t that powerful? Then, behold the faith and steadfastness of Job in that 10th verse: because God is at work and is at the helm, “I will come forth as gold” (NIV). (If you get a chance, glance at how perfectly that concept corresponds with 1 Peter 1:7.) I believe Job 23:10 is the exact verse I want to choose this time around and I think I’ll use the NIV. So here goes:
Beth Moore, Houston, Texas. But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold. Job 23:10 NIV
Hit it, Girls.
So honored to study and memorize Scripture with you. Much, much love to you.
Beckie Potterfield, Florence, SC
Have the roots (of your being) firmly and deeply planted (in Him, fixed and founded in Him), being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving. (AMP)
Pineville, LA
Romans 8:5-6 ESV
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
Sarah Miller, Melbourne, Florida.”You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” Genesis‬ â€50‬:â€20‬ NLT
Vicki Freels, rutherfordton, NC
In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world! John 16:33 NIV
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 (NIV)
For we walk by Faith not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7. Felisa Sipe,Bear Creek,NC.
Melissa Droegemueller, San Antonio, TX
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12 ESV
Beth Columbia, MS 1Corinthians 6:12
All things are lawful into me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. (KJV)
Vanessa from West Columbia,SC
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.
Pslams 139:14 NRSV
Brandilyn Lowery, Clinton, MS. “Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom. For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasn’t shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
James 2:12-13 (HCSB)
Julia, Redmond, Oregon
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.
Isaiah 41:13 NIV
Connie – Fulton, KY
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. NIV 1984
Denise Vick, Ruby, SC. “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8b. NIV
The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. Psalm 145:17 NIV
Peg Housenga, Michigan
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1 NKJV
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”
Hebrews 12:28-29 NIV
Colleen Duebber. Cincinnati, Ohio.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
Psalm 23:2 NIV
Lora Brobst, Hiawatha, KS –
But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)
Stephanie Tucker Southside, AL “The Lord bless you & keep you, the Lord make his face shine upon you & be gracious to you the Lord turn His face toward you & give you peace” Numbers 6:24-26 NIV
Darcy Arnold, Elizabethtown, KY.
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5: 23-24 ESV
Michele Gibbons, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?”. John 5:44 NASB
Julia Tillman, Clovis NM
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Ephesians 4:29 NIV
Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? Romans6:16
Heidi Worthey, Moreland, GA
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (â€Hebrews‬ â€4‬:â€16‬ NASB)
Christi Beerley, Denton, Tx. “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.”
2 Peter 1:3 ESV
Lee Ann, Norman OK
“To whom then will you liken me? And to whom shall I be equal: says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these things: Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name. By the greatness of His might, and the strength of His power, not one is missing.” Isaiah 40:25-26 NKJV
Kara Davis, Tulsa, OK
No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8, NLT
Autumn, Lubbock, TX
“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me.
Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”
Psalm 138:7-8 (ESV)
Wanda Calderwood, Crofton, Maryland
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 NKJV
Peggy, Yorktown, VA
Matthew 5:11-15 NIV
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
Kathy, Easley SC
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26 NIV
Anna, Cincinnati, OH
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It does not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
Isaiah 55:10-11 NIV
Lisa Herbstreit, Bloomington, IN
Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.
Isaiah 40:28-29 (NLT)
Susan Denton, Moncks Corner, SC
“…and provide for those who grieve in Zion –
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning,
and the garment of praise instead of the spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” Psalm 61:3, NIV
Cheryl Moses, Houston, Tx
His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 1 Peter 1:3 (NRSV)
“Those who cling to worthless idols
turn away from God’s love for them.
Jonah 2:8 NIV
Lori, Louisville, Ky
Terrie Taylor , Pensacola Florida
” If I speak Gods word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain , “Jump”, and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:2 MSG
But He knoweth the way that I take; when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
Julie Passman
McKinney, TX. (KJV)
Columbia, SC
Colossians 3:1 & 2 NASB
Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set you mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth.
Roman 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.(ESV)
Vicky Elkview, WV
Lindsay, Chisholm, MN
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:19 (ESV)
Betty, Wendell, NC
Psalm 18:1-2 HCSB
I love You, Lord, my strength,
The Lord is my rock,
my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my mountain where I seek refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold.
Hi Ms Betty. Just want you to know I am not too far from you. Clayton. I happened to see you post and wanted to say hi, and I am glad we are participating in this. 🙂 No way I read them all, just saw you are near. Best wishes! don’t quit! 🙂
Stacey DiGrazia, Elgin, Ill.
I Corinthians 7:3-5 NIV
“The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”
Lauren, Pittsburgh, PA. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'” Jeremiah 29:11
Margaret Evans Lowell AR. “Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day.” (â€2 Corinthians‬ â€4‬:â€16‬ HCSB)
Ginny – Atlanta, GA
From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.
Ephesians 4:16 HCSB
Teresa from Georgia, “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25 NASB
Jen, Hanover, PA – John 4:24 NLT For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.
Hallsville, TX
Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time. Hebrews 4:16 HCSB
Cindy Dowden, La Grande, Oregon
Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. NKJ