At the beginning of the year I decided to try and memorize scripture on the first and fifteenth of each month. I have done this before and have also tried memorizing in different ways on different schedules, but this set-up seems to work well.
I tried to bring some of my friends along, but I am afraid I wasn’t very good at keeping us all encouraged along the way…though I am sure they kept up with their verses just great. I just didn’t keep up with them that well.
But since we are right here at the first of November, I thought I would do a recap of my verses so far this year, so I can have a record of them. I keep them in a little tiny notebook that can fit in my purse so that I can practice them if I have extra time here or there.
January 1: Psalm 84:11-12 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory. No good thing does He withold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!”
The one I start the year off with usually ends up having special meaning. I can’t tell you how many times I have rolled around in my head “No good thing does He withold from those who walk uprightly.” It’s definitley been one I will not soon forget.
January 15: Proverbs 12:18 “There is one who speaks rashly, like the thrusts of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
I have needed this one far too many times….I picture me thrusting a sword into my children when I choose to yell or speak rashly to them. Yikes.
February 1: Psalm 147:11 “The LORD favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His lovingkindness.
February 15: Colossians 1:13-14 “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Now that is a good one. The gospel!
March 1: 2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”
March 15: Psalm 107: 20-21 “He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men!”
I am thankful for the healing ways of God’s Word in my life. I need His Word.
April 1: Exodus 17:12 “But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady untilt he sun set.”
Sometimes we need friends in our lives to help us through particularly difficult times.
April 15: Mark 10:43-45 “..but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slaves of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
This was during a time when I was personally realizing my idea of greatness was not aligning with God’s idea of greatness…if I want to be great, I should serve….not look for ways others can serve me.
May 1: Job 38:12 “Have you ever in your life commanded the morning and caused the dawn to know its place?”
Enough said. This one was helpful for reminding me who HE IS and who I am NOT.
May 15: I Corinthians 4:7 “For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”
More words to keep me humble….
June 1st: Galatians 5:1 “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
This was the main theme of our class summer Bible Study. Priscilla Shirer reminded us of the importance of sabbath rest and margin in all areas of our lives. What a shame it would be if Jesus died on the cross to set us free and we choose to be enslaved by some of His good gifts to us!! Food…materialism…busyness…
June 15: Leviticus 25:20-22 “But if you say, ‘What are we going to eat on the seventh year if we do not sow or gather in our crops?’ Then I will so order My blessing for you in the sixth year that it will bring forth the crop for three years. When you are sowing the eighth year, you can still eat old things from the crop, eating the old until the ninth year when its crop comes in.”
This was a great truth from the Bible Study about how the Hebrews were to let the land rest for a year every seven years. A logical question is, “Well, then how will we eat during that year???” And this verse tells what God said. He always provides.
July 1: Matthew 5:6-8 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall shee God.”
July 15: Psalm 8:4 “What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?”
August 1: Ezekiel 36:26 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
August 15: Psalm 141:3 “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth, keep watch over the door of my lips.”
September 1: I Thessalonians 5:16 “Rejoice always”
Sometimes you just need a simple verse….yet this one has meant so much to me.
September 15: Psalm 77:13-14 “Your way, O God, is holy; What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples.”
October 1: 2 Thessalonians 3:3 “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”
October 15: Isaiah 57:15 “Thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy; ‘I dwell in the high and holy places and also with the contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.'”
This one I got from my Bible Study about different names of God…He is holy and He inhabits eternity….and He dwells with the contrite and lowly spirit. That is comforting.
November 1: Deuteronomy 32:4 “The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He.”
Perfect. All His ways are just. All of them.
So, there are my verses so far! The days of this year have flown by so far. We have had some wonderful highs and some not-so-great-lows, as I am sure you have had in your year. Life is like that. I am thankful for the constancy of God in my life no matter the circumstances.
I know I won’t every waste a second of my time that is spent in His Word or meditating on His Word. And neither will you!
