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.
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105 NIV
I commit! Angela, Fuquay-Varina, NC: Daniel 10:9, NIV.
“Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.” Daniel 10:9, NIV.
I commit! Toni, Greer, SC. “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:15-17. NIV
I commit! Linde, Dallas, Texas
“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.” Philippians 4:6 the Message translation
I commit! Chelsea from Yukon, Oklahoma. “I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised and I am saved from my enemies.” Psalm 18:1-3, ESV.
I commit! Sallie, Hillsborough, NC
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV
I commit! Leah from Archer, FL “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:15 ESV
I commit! Rose Ann, Anderson SC: “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,”
Ephesians 2:14 NIV
I commit! Jessup from Fort Collins, CO
“For I know the plan I have for you.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
I commit!
Stephanie Baldwin from Greenbrier TN: And whatever you do, do it heartily,
as to the Lord and not to men. Colossians 3:23 (NLT)
I commit! Rebecca from Benton, AR “Come everyone who is thirsty, come to the water She; and you without money, come buy, and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without cost! Isaiah 55:1 HCSB
I commit! Janet from Bemus Point, New York: “How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path of sinners or join a group of mockers! Psalm 1:1 HCSB
Hey I’m originally from Jamestown, NY! Miss it!
I commit! Shelby from Spring Texas: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12 NIV
I commit! From BC, Canada:
“Your job is to obey the Law, not judge whether it applies to you.” James 4:11b NLT
I commit!Kelly from Lees Summit Missouri: “…and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh.” Mark 10:8 NIV
I commit!! Crystal from Carrot River, Saskatchewan Canada
“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain”. Philippians 1:21 (NKJV)
I commit! Debi Blocker 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. Jeremiah 29:11
I commit! Jennifer from Atlanta, GA: “No dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead” Philippians 3:13 NLT
I commit! Natalie Coles from a Columbus, OH:
“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)
I commit! Cassiopia from Santa Fe, NM
“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 a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
Donna from Athens, Georgia: “Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25 RSV-2CE
I commit!
Susan, Springfield, VA
Psalm 116:1,2 (NIV)
1 I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;
He heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
I commit! Sheila, Meadville, PA “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19 (NLT)
I commit! Anna Kristina from Wilmore, KY
John 9:4 NIV
“As long as it is day,
we must do the works
of him who sent me.
Night is coming,
when no one can work.”
I commit! Nita, Corinth, When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.” Psalm 27:8, NKJV
I commit! Jackie Pope, Covington, IN: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 NKJV
I commit! Theresa, Grove OK. “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 NIV
Trae Kendrick from Crawford, Texas: “You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17 ESV
I commit! Kim, Richmond, Tx, ” And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.” Luke 1:80 (NIV)
Catherine from Loxahatchee, FL
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thes 5:16-18 NLT
I commit!!! Katharine Schott Watertown, WI: “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him…” (Philippians 3:7-9, NIV).
P.S. The loss of my career was not voluntary (illness) and it was utterly devastating, but it was absolutely necessary in order to bring me to a state of brokenness and humility before the Lord. Therefore, I rejoice with thanksgiving in the knowledge that my former career achievements truly are garbage compared to what I now have in Christ.
“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
John 15:5 KJV
http://bible.com/1/jhn.15.5.kjv
I commit!
Andrea. Cartersville, GA
“fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:2 NASB
I commit! Laura Vallee from Parma, Ohio. For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” Isaiah 41:13 (ESV)
Dana, San Angelo,Texas
I commit. “Because your faithful love is right in front of me I walk in your truth.” Psalm 26:3
I commit! Michelle, Russellville, AR:
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1 NIV
I commit!
Melissa; Columbus, OH
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Matt. 7:24 (ESV)
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13 (ESV)
I commit!!! Katie Kuehn – Tyler, Tx
“Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, ‘ Remove the filthy garments from him.’ And to him He said, ‘Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you in pure vestments.’ ” -Zechariah 3:3-4
I commit! Meghan from Redmond Oregon: 1 Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.Psalm 98:1 NIV
I commit! “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13 (ESV)
I commit! Rachel from Flower Mound, TX: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” Colossians 1:15 ESV
I commit!
Tracy- Lake St. Louis, Missouri
O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
Psalm 139:1 ESV
I commit! Misty Sanders from N. Charleston, SC
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
Isaiah 43:19 NLT
I commit! Beth from La Gonave, Haiti: Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever. NLT
I commit! Jaime, Beijing: “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:7 NLT
I Commit!
Hilary from Orlando, FL: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
1 John 4:1 NIV
I Commit! Sandy from Katy,TX. ” And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment. Philippians 1:9 ESV
I committ!! Pam Tucker from Fairhope, Alabama: “For
God gave us a Spirit not of fear but of power and love and
self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 ESV
I commit! Cathy, Albuquerque NM. “See that no one repays evil for evil, but seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 ESV