Scripture Memory 2012: Verse 12

This was from Beth Moore's post exactly one year ago when she was doing the Scripture memory challenge on her blog:

 Hear bells and whistles and lots of music, maybe even a few beginning bars of the Hallelujah chorus: YOU MADE IT EXACTLY HALFWAY!!!! You are officially over the hump after you get this entry behind you.

Way to go, Sisters. Way to go! It’s a pretty good feeling, isn’t it? Don’t think for a second that the enemy didn’t try to steal away your focus and commitment. If you made it this far, you fought with him and won. This is a big victory. Celebrate it with your very faithful God.

Isn't Beth a great cheerleader!

I had no idea what to expect when I started this Scripture memory blog in January, but it's exciting to see that we are halfway done and there are more people commenting than just me and my mom. :-) Thanks, ladies! It's been a fun adventure so far!

So, here's my verse:

Megan L. from San Marcos: "Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." I Timothy 4:7b-8 NIV

Scripture Memory 2012: Verse 11

I just finished the book Knowing God by J.I. Packer. It is a fantastic book that I really should read every year. The funny thing is my husband bought the book for me for my 21st birthday (while we were dating), and it took me almost 11 years to finish it. Yikes! As soon as I finished it, I started reading it again from the beginning. My goal is that it won't take me 11 years this time! Knowing God and the Bible study I just finished on Paul was the inspiration for my next memory verse.
                                 

Megan L. from San Marcos: "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." Philippians 3:7-11

Scripture Memory 2012: Verse 10

During the day when I am working in the kitchen or cleaning the bathrooms (when that actually happens!), I like to listen to Beth Moore online. This website has a ton of lessons archived from radio broadcasts:

http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/living-proof-with-beth-moore/listen/ 

I was listening the other day to her series called, "Measureless Love" (a six part series starting on March 26, 2012). The series was all about God's measureless love for us. She reminded us how amazing that concept is coming from a God who is so meticulous about measurement (like all the measurements for the temple and in Job 38:5 when God talks about marking off the dimensions of the earth's foundations, etc.). It was a really powerful series, and this was the main passage she used and my memory verse from this time around:

Megan L. from San Marcos: "I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:16-19 NIV

Scripture Memory 2012: Verse 9

Hi Ladies! I hope everyone is hanging in there with this Scripture Memory Challenge!

My friend, Rebecca, who is doing this challenge is an amazing digital scrapbooker. A couple of days ago I got the following email from her:

Hey there! I just wanted to share this with you in case you want to share it with your scripture memory blog readers. I created some digital notecards that I'm using for my memory verses, which I then print out. I've packaged up the designs and made them available on my digi scrap blog, they are free for anyone who wants them. 

http://reboscraps.blogspot.com/2012/04/freebie-friday-journal-cards.html

Rebecca

If you go to her blog you will see how stinkin' cute the notecards are. And they are free! Sweet. Thank you so much, Rebecca!

Now for my verse:

Megan L. from San Marcos: "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14 NIV

I feel like this verse is the key to sanctification. If I could just get this mastered I would be all set! ;-) I also love how Paul starts with reminding us of God's love for us--that we are "dearly loved." What a beautiful phrase and the best motivation for striving toward holiness.

Scripture Memory 2012: Verse 8

I forgot today was April 15th! Yikes! At least my taxes are done! Leave your verse and I'll add mine to the comments when I figure out which verse I'm going to do.

Thanks to Katy Whitcher for the reminder! :-)

Scripture Memory 2012: Verse 7

Happy April Fool's Day!

I once saw a bumper sticker declaring April 1st as National Atheists Day. I didn't get it until I saw the verse referenced at the bottom: Psalm 14:1

"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'"

If you are looking for a verse to memorize, that might be a fun one to learn for April Fool's Day.

Here is my verse for this time around.

Megan L. from San Marcos: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:1-3

Scripture Memory 2012: Verse 6

Ladies, I can't tell you how much I am enjoying reading all your Bible verses and comments. It is such a blessing to read what verses people choose and why they choose them.

Last year I participated in a prayer challenge online. The lady leading it shared this quote with us:

"People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated." D.A. Carson

I thought it was so powerful and such an encouragement to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12) I hope that this will encourage you as you work to memorize your verses this year.

Thankfully, as we "work out our salvation," it's still all grace and that's the basis of our assurance. In that vein, here's my verse:

Megan L. from San Marcos "Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." Hebrews 10:22 NIV

Can't wait to read yours...