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.
Dawn Russell, Wausau, Wisconsin
No other gods. Only me. Exodus 20:3 Message
Laura, Jefferson, Maine
Ephesians 4:31 ESV
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Leah Cullen – Ramona, CA
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (â€James‬ â€1‬:â€2-4‬ ESV)
brittny loveless, OKC, OK
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before
He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes
God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do and it gave him great pleasure. Ephesians 1:3-5
Emily, Loveland, Colorado, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” Ephesians 3:20 (NKJV)
At first I didn’t think of it as a gift , and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then He told me,
My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness.
2 Co 12:8-9 MSG
Cindy Peete, Colorado Springs, CO
Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Kristen, Paramount, CA 1 John 2:15-17 NLT
“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. “
Deb, Loveland, Colorado, “The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130 (NKJV)
Deb, Tampa FL Jeremiah 29:11-14a NIV
“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. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.”
Jamie, Pearland, TX
O LORD, I have come to you for protection; don’t let me be disgraced. Save me, for you do what is right. Ps 31:1 (NLT)
Karen Cortese, Fort Sumner, NM Phil.1:9-11 NIV “And this is my prayer: that your love would abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God.”
Linda Jewell
Sedona Az
John 15:17 NIV
This is My command: Love each other.
Ashley Karg, Calgary, Canada. “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 NIV
Nancy, Spartanburg, SC Jeremiah 15:16 ESV
Your words were found and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.
Lee Ann Kelley, Fairhope, AL
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
Marlene charles, colorado KJV
Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the lord jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him
Catherine Thomas, Texarkana, TX.
rather It should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 1 Peter 3:4 NIV
Gretchen, Gahanna, Ohio–For you are all children of the light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 1 Thessalonians 5:5 ESV
“He has shown you, O man, what is good;and what does the Lord require of you. But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with you God” Micah 6:8 NKJV
Melissa, Sacramento, CA
Colossians 3:6 HCSB “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
Leslie, Mount Vernon, OH
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)
Susan Young, Fairhope,AL- Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 (NIV)
Dottie Moore, Houston TX
Hebrews 11:6 (TLB)
6 You can never please God without faith, without depending on him. Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely look for him.
Steph, Ontario, Canada
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.
Psalm 62:6
New Living Translation
Cammy Kilgore, Texas Ephesians 4:29 NIV
“Let no corrupt communication proceed from your mouth, but what is good for edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
Abigail, Lincoln NE
“A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.”
-Proverbs 29:11
Nancy Lacy, Lake Oswego, Oregon
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. Psalm 19:9 NIV
Melanie Miller, Nampa, ID Psalm 86:3 NIV
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long.
Kelly Snodgrass
Rogersville, TN
Hebrews 13:3 NET
Remember those in prison as though you were in prison with them, and those ill-treated as though you too felt their torment.
Katie R., Westfield IN
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” NIV
Walker, LA
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people. (â€Colossians‬ â€3‬:â€23‬ GNT)
Jenison, Michigan. Psalm 18:2 “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. NIV
Therefore, I urge you,, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1 NIV
Denise Matthews, Riverside CA – Romans 12:2 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” NIV
Susan, Blacksburg, Virginia
“He will certainly save you from hidden traps and from deadly sickness.” Psalms 91:3 NIRV
Omaha, NE
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
Margaret, Bellaire, Texas
With your help I can advance against a troop; With my God I can scale a wall.
Psalm 18:29 NIV
Aimee Taylor, Hemet, CA “Teach me your way O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.” Psalm 86:11 (NKJV)
“Don’t work for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life–to God–is vigorous + requires total attention.” Matt. 7:13-14 MSG
Cindy from Sarasota, FL
1 Timothy 1:7 ESV
for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self control.
Jennifer, Boston Ma
Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children —
Deuteronomy 4.9 ESV
Andrea Roberts, Kingsville, MO, “for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:13, HCSB
Stacey doran , tunnel hill ga
James 1 5-6
If any of you lacks wisdom you should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to you.
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by th wind.
Marlene Payne, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. Hebrews 6:19-20 NIV
Debra Gorbandt, Crestwood, Kentucky. Brothers, as an example of patience in suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. James 5:10-11, NIV
Tricia, Huntington Beach, CA
Colossians 2: 6-7 NIV
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Dawn, South Bend, Indiana
for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair;
Proverbs 1:3 NIV
Kathryn Luedtke, Sherwood Park, AB
Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jer. 29.12-13 NIV
Laurie, from Dallas, Texas
“But He knows the way that I take; when He has tried me, I shall come out as gold.”
Job 23:10 ESV