Second Verse for March

Hello Blog Friends!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!


Our Bible study group is participating in a 6 week DVD Bible study with Lysa TerKeurst and Made to Crave. If you need a good Bible study to do with your girlfriends, I highly recommend Made to Crave. We have learned a lot the past few weeks and I will be sorry to see it come to an end. New lessons are on the horizon with Kelly Minter's No Other Gods as our spring study.

We were looking for verses to focus on during those times when you are feeling more stressed than blessed. You know, those times when every cookie in the Oreo box is screaming your name and you are starting to listen to them!! When that happens to you, take a deep breath, plug your ears and think on these:

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful, he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it . (1 Cor 10:13)

That one might have looked familiar as it was my first memory verse for this year. This next little beauty  is applicable in so many areas of our lives:

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor 4:18)

This struck me like a two-by-four upside the head and there was no doubt what my verse for the second half of march would be. I am wondering why it is surprising me that the six verses I have needed for Siesta Scripture Memory Team seem to come at me like heat seeking missiles.

What is your verse for March?


In His Peace -

Welcome March!

Ahhhhh.. March! The month that gives us hope that winter will really be over soon. The daylight hours are longer. I noticed this morning that it was full daylight at 7am when I drove the girls to the bus stop. We will be back in the dark again for a while after we "spring ahead" for daylight savings time.

I have also noticed that my bird friends are singing more. There was a male cardinal this morning singing his little heart out for his mate. Very soon we will here his territorial songs warning all the other males that he has claimed this area as his own. The dark-eyed Juncos, here in large flocks in the winter cold, are now fewer in number and will soon disappear into the northern regions until late next fall. Seems rather odd that they follow the cold and not the warmth. 

My memory verse for the first half of March is short and sweet. I didn't have a verse and Beth Moore put this one in her blog yesterday and it leaped off the screen at me. I knew it was exactly what I needed.

March on, my soul; be strong! 
Judges 5:21b NIV

The long, bone-chilly and weary days of winter will soon depart.
Next comes Spring! Oh, delight! Oh, my heart!

In His Peace -

Memory Verse for February

 

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. 
 Philippians 4:8 NIV


Memory verse time again. This wonderful bit of wisdom from the book of Philippians has long been a favorite of mine although I have never selected it for memorization. I chose this verse because I use it frequently as a barometer for my life choices. 

If you put this verse in front of you every time you turned on the television would you choose the same shows? Would you attend the same movies or read the same books? 

What about looking using this verse to take a look at yourself? Is your behavior noble, lovely or admirable? Are you human? If you just answered yes to that last question, your behavior is the exact opposite of these traits at least 75% of the time. We try hard, but then someone makes a comment that hurts us and we respond in anger. We start off our day with someone cutting us off in traffic and anything lovely we were cultivating went right out the window. Being the fallible humans we are, we tend to let our behaviors ride and respond to the emotion of the moment losing sight of our desire to be true, noble, right, pure, lovely or admirable. 


Does this make us hopeless? Nope. It just reaffirms our deep need for Jesus. Without his forgiveness we are lost, without his love we are empty. Without his light we are lost in a sea of darkness. Without his guidance we will never know anything close to truth, nobility, righteousness or purity. 


I challenge you to use this verse to check your actions and reactions for the remainder of February. I would love to hear how this verse works it's way into your daily life. 


In His Peace -

January Scripture Two

Do you see the face in the clouds? I thought this picture was amazing. It was taken by a gal named Kennedy. I wish I could say I took it, but this one isn't mine.

The first half of January has skittered right past us and it is time for my new memory verse. I am about 90% accurate on my first memory verse for the month, I am very pleased with that and am ready to strain my brain cells a bit more by adding another.

I selected this particular verse because it is so true. Satan is desperate and very busy. You hear of his work in the world every day. We have to be vigilant. It is one of the reasons I am working hard to memorize scripture this year. It will strengthen my armor. I remember concepts, but I really struggle with the verbage and placement of those concepts. Pray that I will remember my verses for more than the two weeks I am concentrating on each of them. For added accountability I am posting them here and I joined Beth Moore's Siesta Scripture Memory Team. You know God is working in BIG ways when 8,000+ women sign up for memory work -- I am excited to be a part of it.

My verse for the second half of January is 1 Peter 5:8, NIV -

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Lord, let it not be me! Give me the tools to stand firm in my faith.

I encourage you to add scripture memorization to your goals this year as well.

In His Peace --