04 Jan New Beginnings & The 2011 Scripture Memory Challenge!
Happy New Year Sweet Sisters!
The presents have all been put away, the tree is down and I have completely un-decked my halls. Now comes the first week of a brand new year! I love new beginnings, don’t you? The opportunity to begin again, to start over with a clean slate; out with the old and in with the new! A brand new calendar for the Lord to fill with His purposes! A brand new journal to record the treasures from time spent with Him in His Word! And a brand new spiral-bound index card book to record my Scripture memory verses for 2011! (I bet you thought I forgot!)
This year I’m going to do something I’ve never intentionally done, but have told myself over and over that I would do one day- and that is to memorize an entire chapter of Scripture. Well… one day is here! My challenge is to memorize all of Psalm 139 in 2011… and I would love, love, love some Scripture-memorizing sisters to join me! I hope that means YOU! I know I have at least one taker: my friend, Kim B, in Orlando! Yaay!! She is a Scripture-memory nut, too!! I hope you’ll join us.
Not-so-coincidentally Psalm 139 has 24 verses! It also happens to be a pivotal passage of Scripture for our Women at the Well Winter/Spring Bible study, “I AM HIS: Knowing and Loving the You That God Created You to Be!” You don’t have to be part of that group to join in the Psalm 139 memory challenge (but if you are a W@W participant then you’ll benefit tremendously in memorizing this Psalm).
So, are you ready to sign up and get going? Here’s how it works:
1. In the comment portion of this blog, enter your name and location and the Bible translation you’ll be using (ie, NIV, ESV, NLT… etc). Along with your comment, write a brief prayer of dedication for your Scripture memory this year.
My example:
Punky Tolson, Dallas, TX
Using New International Version (NIV)
My dearest Lord and loving Father, I offer up to you afresh my heart, mind and spirit to be transformed through your powerful, living and active Word. I dedicate this year and this discipline of committing to memory the beautiful truths of Psalm 139 so that I will come to more fully love and accept the “me” that You have created me to be. By the power of Your Holy Spirit and my surrendered will, may these ancient Words penetrate deeply into my marrow and change me from the inside out for Your glory. In the sweet and saving Name of Jesus I ask this. Amen.
2. Purchase your 3×5 spiral-bound index card book at drug store or office supply
3. Write out verse 1… “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.” Psalm 139:1
4. Start the memorizing process by doing the following
• Write it out in your spiral-bound index card book.
• Speak it out loud.
• Think it through and record the thoughts the Lord brings to your heart and mind.
• Repeat the verse throughout the day.
• Write it on a sticky note and post it where you’ll see it often (car, fridge…)
• Pray it out to the Lord.
• Agree with it and claim it!
5. On the 1st and 15th of each month I’ll send out a blog about the next verse along with a short devotional and an application question for you to “comment” on. This way we can build community between us, across the miles and through cyberspace as we encourage and “spur one another on”.
In closing I want to share a verse with you that I love from Job (yes, Job) 36:22 ~ “God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him?”
Beloved, there is no greater teacher than Jehovah Himself. Who better to teach us these eternal truths than the God who breathed them out onto the pages of Scripture? This is Your Word, Lord, therefore You must be our teacher!
Happy New Beginning!
Pressing on in His unfailing love !
xo – P