Hey, Everybody! Drumroll please! Welcome to the 2017 Siesta Scripture Memory Team! The entry of your Verse 1 selection acts as your registration. Please read this brief post before you leave your comment so you’ll know exactly how to do it. We are not legalistic about much around here but I am a drill sergeant about the precise way we accept comments for SSMT verse entries. One perusal through the first several hundred comments and you’ll understand why. It’s such a powerful sight you will almost want to cry. Or shout. Or throw your head back and howl your loudest hallelujah. It just all depends on how you process a fresh glimpse of divine revelation. You’ll have before you a feast spread out lavishly on a huge banqueting table.  Keeping the comments to the bare minimum makes Scripture itself stand out on the page. If we add a lot of other verbiage to the comment, the verse is more likely to get lost in it.
Not only will your soul be fed by the entries of others, you’ll discover verses you didn’t even know existed and get ideas for future selections. Any time you can’t decide what verse to memorize, jump on the comments and see what resonates with you. Any time you feel bone-dry or downcast or distracted or discouraged or just plain directionless, open up the comments on any SSMT post and behold the words of the Lord. It’s so powerful I could slap my desk thinking about it.
OK, this is how the information should appear in your comment:
Name (first is fine), city: verse, reference, Bible translation.
(Don’t forget your translation! People love knowing exactly which translation your selection came from.)
So you’ll have a paradigm for how it looks, here is my entry for Verse 1 and you’ll see at the end of the post where I made a slight little addition to add some soul-deep conviction if you wish:
Beth Moore from Houston Texas: “Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved fellow worker.” Philemon 1 ESV
You get to choose your own verse according to what you need most right now, what resonates with you in your present circumstances or what God just simply seems to land you on. This year I feel like He’s leading me to use my 24 entries to memorize the one-chapter book of Philemon. It contains 25 verses but the last one is easy so I’ll throw it in with my 24th verse as my final entry. I’ve done stacks of spirals full of unrelated Scriptures for my memory work in previous years. Other times I’ve done several different chunks or one solid chapter. There is no wrong way to do it. It just all depends on what the Holy Spirit seems to be energizing us to do. If something about chipping away at one chapter through the course of the year rings your bell, you are so welcome to join me or you can look through the Scriptures and choose a different chapter of similar length. I so loved memorizing Psalm 25 several years ago. I recited it as recently as yesterday. It has 22 verses ready to go if you’d like to consider it. You’d only need to tag on 2 separate verses after you memorized the psalm to fulfill your 24-verse goal. Jude is another one-chapter book I memorized. It contains 25 verses but I will warn you in advance, take that one on only if you like a challenge. It is pretty wordy.
Let’s just add two little words this time to the front of the entry of our first verse: I commit! And go right ahead and add that exclamation mark at the end of it for the sake of some very appropriate enthusiasm. What you’re about to do bears FRUIT. God’s Word does not return empty. He sends it forth with accomplishing power and divine purpose. That’s worth anticipating with excitement. (In fact, Isaiah 55:11 is a fabulous Scripture to memorize if you’re still searching for a great launch verse.) I think we ought to add those two little words because I keep reading how allergic we’re growing culturally to making commitments of almost any kind. I’m sure you’ve read the same thing. But here’s the deal. We will never be mighty servants of Jesus Christ, alive and awake in the Holy Spirit, bringing glory to God the Father all while standing against evil rulers, powers and principalities without commitment.
Ain’t happenin’.
Nothing was tentative to those early New Testament believers about following Jesus. They didn’t fulfill their callings by being scared of commitment. They gave Him their lives. They bore His name. They testified to the death. Let’s do this thing, Sisters. Let’s do it deliberately. We’re not destined to be weak-willed women. We’re called to be stunningly strong willed about God’s will. So, here’s my official entry for verse 1 of the Siesta Scripture Memory Team challenge of 2017!
I commit! Beth Moore from Houston Texas: “Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved fellow worker.” Philemon 1 ESV
Your turn, sisters! Try to make each of your entries within 24-48 hours after the posts go up around the 1st and the 15th of each month. Also remember not to worry if you don’t see your comment posted for a day or so. Wait a while before you post the same verse a second time. We moderate all comments to filter through spam and trash and general nastiness so the process can take a little time. Here we go! I’m beside myself with joy. Thank you for the privilege to store up the very words of God with you. They are life and breath to us. Iron in our blood. Steel in our bones. So much love to you.
Cathy Morris Sedona, AZ
“For when I brought your forefathers out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, but I gave them this command: Obey me and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you.”
Jeremiah 7:22-23 NIV
I Commit!!
Michelle O’Banion from Grandview, Tx
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead ~ Philippians 3:13
I commit! Michelle O’Banion, Grandview,TX
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead ~ Philippians 3:13 NET
Kim K., Lancaster, Ohio
Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
“This is the way, walk in it,”
Whenever you turn to the right hand
Or whenever you turn to the left.
Isaiah 30: 21 NKJV
And yes, by the way, I COMMIT!
I commit! Beth from Raleigh, NC “Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.”
Psalm 27:14 | NIV
I COMMIT!!!!
Becky Jo
Chesterfield, MI
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31 NIV
I commit! Andrea Bellis from Louisville Kentucky: “But the land into which you are about to cross to possess, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.”
â€â€DEUTERONOMY‬ â€11:11-12‬ â€AMP‬‬
Kristen Schwark, Indianapolis, IN
“Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker” ~ Philemon 1 NIV
I commit! Sarah From Schererville, IN: “You see and recognize what is right, but refuse to act on it. You hear with your ears, but you don’t really listen.” Isaiah 42:20 NLT
I commit! Susie from Northville, MI: Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.
Proverbs 4:6 NIV
Katherine, Owensboro, Kentucky
I commit!
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7
NIV
Good Morning Katherine ~
This was not the verse I chose this week for SSMT but it is a verse I am holding onto this year along with Romans 12:1. Instead of a NY resolution I have chosen “My Word” for the year. It is Dedication.
Carol
Albuquerque NM
Psalm 139:13-14. NIV
13- For you created my inmost being you knit me together in my mothers womb
14- I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made your works are wonderful I know that full well
I commit! Mary Rue from Atlanta – On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. Psalm 145:5 ESV
I commit! Karen from New Holland PA
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” 1 Corinthians 13:4 NIV
I commit! Cassia from Spring, TX: And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians‬ â€5:18‬ â€NET‬‬
I commit! Margie Dudley from Moncks Corner, South Carolina: And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind He will accept. When you think of what He has done for you, is this too much to ask? Romans 12:1 NLT
I commit! Linda Carlson from Dallas TX: “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.” 1 Chr 28.9 ESV
I commit! Carley McCracken from Hereford, Texas: “Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)
Suzanne Bailey, Harrisville, RI
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1 ESV
That’s a good one!! 🙂
“Only let your manner of life be worthy[a] of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,” Philippians 1:27 ESV
Karen Graham from Graham, NC
“Only let your manner of life be worthy[a] of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,” Philippians 1:27 ESV
Allison Ashton – Houston, Texas “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.” Job 38:1-3 KVJ
I commit! Marilyn DeCoursey from Rochester Hills, MI:
“Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.” Psalm 119:133 NIV
I commit! Lynette, Nashville, TN
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. (â€Isaiah‬ â€43‬:â€19‬ ESV)
I love that we have the same verse – and already feel that God has purpose in this x
I commit! Dee Dee Fernandina Beach, Florida Remember not the former things nor consider the things of old. 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 43:18-19 ESV
I love that we have the same verse – and already feel that God has purpose in this x
I commit! Tracey from Shawnee, Kansas: And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us. –Acts 17:26-27 ESV
I commit! Ruth Moore from Winston Salem, North Carolina
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High, Hebrews 1:3 ESV
I LOVE THIS VERSE!!!
Billie, Greenville, KY. “For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: ‘And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.'” Hebrews 4:4 ESV
Oh yes and I COMMIT!!!! 🙂
I commit! Lyn Brewer from Spartanburg, SC : “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 ESV
Bev from Northern Ireland-I commit!
“To you,O Lord ,I lift up my soul .”Psalm 25:1-ESV
I love your verse! Greetings from Topeka, KS, to Northern Ireland. May you be blessed in this effort.
Claire Phillips
Hello to IRELAND! Lovely verse!
Billie January, Yucca Valley, CA
I commit!
“Yes, Lord, walking in the way of Your Laws, we wait for You;; Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.” Isaiah 26:8 (NIV)
I love your name Billie! We are rare, us Billie’s!
I commit! Kelley, Houston, TX: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” 1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV)
“Lord Jesus”!
I commit! Susanna from Ross, Ca.
3You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.
4Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.
Isaiah 26:3-4 NIV
I commit! Kim Hower, Gaithersburg MD: Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Psalm‬ â€139:16‬ â€NIV‬‬)
Sandy Deming NM
I commit! “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Luke 11:9 NKJV
Love you sister, looking forward to another year of SSMT. Thanks for getting me started in 2015.
I commit! Rosi Lovell from Dunmor, KY
“I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13 World English Bible
Yay Rosi!!!
I commit! Pam Davis from Louisville, KY “I have set the Lord continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16:8 NASB
Tammy Huey, San Antonio, TX: Psalm 119-14-16: “I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and contemplate your ways. I will delight myself in your statutes. I will not forget your Word” NKJV
I commit! Naomi Stephens from Calhoun City, MS
“O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.”
Psalm 139:1 NLT
I commit! Kristi Schnipke, Dayton, Ohio:
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”
Genesis 50:20 ESV
I commit! Maura Guillory from Jennings, Louisiana: “My dear brothers take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” James 1: 19-20 NIV
Leah Kuor, Salem, OR.
Romans 3:23. (NLT). “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
I commit!
Nanette Lynch, Kingwood Texas
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James1:27 NIV
I commit!
Karlys, La Place, LA
Finally, be strong in The LORD and in the strength of HIS might. Ephesians 6:10 ESV
I COMMITT,
Janice Pitchford, Abbeville, AL
” O Lord, You have searched me and known me.”
-Psalm 139:1 NKJV
I commit! Valerie from Shawnee, Oklahoma
“Thine, O LORD is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.”
I Chronicles 29:11 KJV
I commit! Cameron Dorton, Maumee, Ohio
Jeremiah 29:11 “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”. NIV
I commit!
Jana, Fritch, TX
Let the morning bring me word of you unfailing love, for I have placed my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Psalm 193:8 NIV
I commit! Sarah Kaminsky from Telford, Pennsylvania: “And of his fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.” John 1:16 OSB
I commit!
Tracy Everson from Garland, TX
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia…
â€â€1 Peter‬ â€1:1‬ â€NIV‬‬
For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
I commit!
Diana, North Attleboro, MA
Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly, and the pride of sons is their fathers. Proverbs 17:6 HCSB