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.
Lala Ball from Ruston, Louisiana.
I commit! My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 2:1 KJV
Mary-Katherine, Ft. Smith, AR
Psalm 90:12, NIV
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
P.S. I commit!!! This was one of the most fruitful exercises I have ever done. So happy to have a new opportunity!!
Fran, Stedman, NC
“”Let no corrupt talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Eph 4:29 ESV
I commit! Emilynn Reed from Houston, Texas: “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. ”
Isaiah 26:3 NKJV
I commit. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. NASB
I commit. Mary from Winchester VA
Psalm 25:1
In you, Lord my God, I put my Trust. NIV
I commit! Cynda, Valley Park, MO.
8 I keep the Lord in mind always.
Because He is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
Psalm 16:8 HCSB
I commit! Crystal from Durham, NC
“so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
â€â€Isaiah‬ â€55:11‬ â€ESV‬‬
I commit. Nancy from Drew, MS. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. NASB
I commit! Linda from Elmira, NY
O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
Psalm 139:1 NIV
I commit! “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Col. 3:17 NIV
I commit! Karina Craig, Katy Tx.
“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 the wind” James 1:6 NIV
i commit! Teresa from Dora, AL And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6 ESV
420 NE Shady Grove Road
Lugoff, SC 29078
I commit: Psalms 143:10 Help me to do your will, for you are my God. Lead me in good paths, for your Spirit is good. Living Bible
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Philippians 4:6-7, The Message.
I commit! 🙂
I Commit! Amanda, Calgary, AB
‘Cause me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust,
Cause to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.”
Psalm 143:8 KJV
Pat Wagar at Jekyll Island, GA
“And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life – this is indeed a gift from God.”
Ecclesiastes 5:19 NLT
Gigi Parisi Mullica Hill NJ
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
James 1:22 NIV
I commit! Stephanie from Morgantown, WV
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the almighty.
Psalm 91:1 (NKJV).
I commit! Amy Harrington from Louisville, KY “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” Romans 12:1NLT
I commit! Sheree from Phoenix, AZ “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it, for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success” Joshua 1:8 NAS
Penny, Greenville, KY
I commit! “It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.” 2Samuel 22:33 NIV
I commit!
Sing to the Lord all you godly ones!
Praise His holy name.
For His anger only lasts a moment,
but His favor lasts a lifetime.
Weeping may last through the night,
but joy will come in the morning.
Psalms 30:4-5 NLT
I commit! Donna Butler from Las Cruces, New Mexico: “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
I commit! Patti Sikes from Fort Worth, TX: “O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.” Psalm 139:1 NLT
I commit! Kandy Graber from Kansas,
So is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:11 NIV
Maureen, St. Clair Shores, Michigan: “Hallelujah! You who serve God! Just to speak His name is praise!” Psalm 113:1 MSG
I commit! Stacey DiGrazia, Elgin, IL, “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;” Psalm 25:1, NIV
I Commit! Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. I John 4:7 NASB
I commit!
Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?
Jeremiah 32:27 NASB95
Rita
Midland, TX
Hear, 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 strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.
Deuteronomy 6:4-6 NIV
I commit! Janis from Delavan, Wisconsin
” I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from?”
Psalm 121:1. HCSB
I commit!
Jen from Lititz, Pennsylvania
But I trust in you, O Lord. I say, “You are my God.”
– Psalm 31:14 (ESV)
Jennifer, Prosper TX: I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalms 34:1 ESV
Committed!!
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12
I commit! Mischia from Connelly Springs, North Carolina,
“I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.” Psalm 34:1 NIV
Committed!!
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12 NIV
I’m changing my series of verses. I’ll do the Romans road passages later.
I commit… Leah Kuor, Salem, OR (NLT)
“Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.”
oops… (I got too excited)… that is Psalm 119:18
I commit! Elizabeth from Falls Church, VA: “The Spirit searches all things. Even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit within him? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 NIV
I commit!
” Paul, aan apostle of Christ Jesus bby the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and care faithful in Christ Jesus:” Ephesians 1:1 ESV
I commit! Neta R. Smithville, TX, USA
God is not a human being, that he should lie,
or a mortal, that he should change his mind.
Has he promised, and will he not do it?
Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it?
Numbers 23:19 NRSV
I commit! Anne from Naples, FL. The Lord is my light and my salvation – so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, Psalm 27:1 NLT.
I commit!!!
Michelle from Franklin, Tennessee
“The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.”
â€â€Isaiah‬ â€50:4‬ â€ESV‬‬
Oh I love this! Also I’m a Nashvillian!
I commit! Ellen Yopp from Moneta VA. “Commit your activities to the LORD, and your plans will be achieved.” -Proverbs 16:3 (HCSB)
I commit!!!
Dawn from Mt. Olive, NC
“For I satisfy the weary soul and every languishing soul I replenish.”-Jeremiah 31:25 ESV
I commit! Samantha from Van Alstyne, Tx.
“For the Lord your God, will bless you in your harvest and in all the work of your hands and your joy will be complete.” Deuteronomy 16:15 NIV
I commit!
“Our Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” Psalm 5:3 ESV
I commit! Cindy Gillis from Lakeland, Florida: “May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” NLT
I committ! Julie from Nederland TX ” He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty” – Psalms 91:1 (ESV)
I commit! Marilyn from Fort Pierce, FL, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matt. 26:41