Memory Verse Challenge: Week 51 (Year End)

Happy New Year's Eve to all of you.  I hope and pray you've enjoyed some time with family and friends over Christmas and are getting settled in to starting a fresh new year.  Is it just me or do they seem to come with greater frequency?

I thought it would be good to close out our year of verses with one that offers us a good reminder of who God is.  It's short, simple and to the point.

God has always been and will always be.  He was there before we were born and will be there long after we're gone.  It's hard for us to fathom one who is truly infinite when we live in such a finite world.  His power, His existence is somewhat of a mystery to us. But if we could understand Him - we could potentially explain Him away.  And then He wouldn't be God, would He?

This verse not only tells us that God is the first and the last but gives us a glimpse of how we should apply that information to the way we live.  God should always come first in our lives.  He is our baseline and we exist because of Him.  We should also live our lives with God (and heaven) as our destination.  He should be what drives our decisions as well as being the end goal for those decisions.  In other words - He should be the total focal point of our lives. 

If your focus has strayed a bit this past year, put your spiritual glasses back on.  With a clear focus on God, life will be so much more richly blessed.

I hope you enjoyed the Memory Verse Challenges over the year and I pray that they encouraged you as well.  If you'd like to add a verse (passage) to round out the year with a total of 52, I selected Psalm 23.  You probably already know it by heart - now just get reacquainted with it so you can cherish it in your heart as well.

May God bless you greatly as you head into the new year!!!



See more about the Memory Verse Challenge here.
See the complete list of Challenge verses here.

Memory Verse Challenge: Week 50

This week's verse is really a passage and doesn't need any embellishment from me.  It's a passage you probably already know by heart.  During the hustle and bustle of this holiday season take a breather to let the words and prayer of Jesus sink into your heart this Christmas.  May it become your prayer as well.

 

Have a very merry and blessed Christmas!!

A Savior is Born

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called, the Son of God." 

Luke 1:26-35

It's Christmas time and we celebrate the birth of our Savior. Although we may not know the exact date of his birth, it doesn't really matter? The point is that He was born! The creator of the universe came down from His much more comfortable surroundings and became one of us. He became one of His own creations. He lived among us – loving us, teaching us, and preparing us for greater things.  Then the unthinkable happened – He died (taking our sins with Him). But most importantly -  He rose from the dead fulfilling His purpose and giving us a new hope and a new beginning. That's the greatest gift we could ever receive!!!

Memory Verse Challenge: Week 49

Happy "one week until Christmas day" to you.  What better way to celebrate the season than with some presents - specifically the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Sure, you've probably already memorized this verse but just in case it's been awhile - dust off the package and unwrap it.  Enjoy it once again.

I think we sometimes take all the characteristics of this gift for granted.  We simply throw them all together and label them "good behavior" traits.  But they're more than that.  They're not simply a way to act but a way to live.  

We can all act out these traits from time to time.  But acting them out and being filled by them so completely that they change our very nature are two different things. Without this gift, we couldn't possibly exhibit them on our own. 

We can't, however, expect the gift to supernaturally change us.  The gift is given.  We must nurture it and allow it to grow.  Things like anger, jealousy, and hatred will stunt the growth of our gift easier than just about anything.  We must feed the one and eliminate the things that would suppress it.  Only then will true transformation happen.

Have you noticed that each one of the traits listed are characteristics of God?  He is so abundantly filled with them that He cannot behave in an opposing manner.  How beautiful to know that He has given us a bit of Himself so that we may learn to exhibit the very nature of God.


See more about the Memory Verse Challenge here.
See the complete list of Challenge verses here.

Sunday Blogvotional: Knowing Our Stuff

"Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him."  Matthew 2:2

Every year at this time we get a refresher course on the story of Jesus' birth.  We pull out the Bible and read the story of the nativity and learn all the main characters.  As a child my knowledge of the magi was limited at best.  They were simply wise men from a far away land that brought expensive gifts (only one of which I could pronounce).

These foreigners who had no direct connection to the Israelites recognized the significance of a special star in the sky.  They knew their stuff.  And when that star appeared they knew exactly what it meant.  They knew the promised king to the Jewish people had been born (or was about to be born) and they set off to worship to Him.  

The sad thing is this story is that the Jewish people, themselves, would not have even noticed had the magi not shown up on Herod's doorstep.  Herod gathered his own "wise men" who then had to go look the matter up in the archives.  How embarrassing is that?  Strangers from a distant land had to tell them their savior had been born.  

Encouragement for the week: Yes - the Jewish people were caught unaware but what about us today?  Do we know our stuff?  If the Holy Spirit acts, do we know it?  If something goes against what the Bible teaches, will we catch it?  Do we go through life unaware of God's teaching and His plan? Let's make sure we don't let the world put us to shame.  Let's know our stuff.  We don't want to miss out on something big.

Memory Verse Challenge: Week 48

Good Wednesday to you.  I hope all is merry and bright.  'Tis the season after all.

The last couple of verses have been a little long.  It's time to lighten the load just a bit.  However - just because this verse is short, don't mistake it for being short in the message department.

We've all heard this verse before.  Reading it will probably even start you singing a popular tune.  It's an easy verse to remember.  But - remembering it is the key.  Plant this verse so deep in your heart that you'll absolutely never forget it.  When you're down in the dumps, repeat this verse to yourself.  When you feel sad and alone, repeat this verse.  When you feel overwhelmed by the struggles of life, repeat this verse. 

There will never be a time in your life when God is not "for" you.  He is always on your side.  He is always your biggest champion.  He wants you to thrive more than you want to thrive.  And we have seen through past verses that nothing can separate us from His love.  Believe it!  It's true!

The verse also says "who can be against us?". I'm sure you have no trouble conjuring up someone or something in your mind.  When we look at things with human eyes, we see danger all around.  But from God's perspective all of those dangers are nothing but nuisances.  Even the devil (as powerful as we think he is) is more akin to a powder puff than any real threat.  There is no force, no evil, no one that can truly be against us with God on our side.

See more about the Memory Verse Challenge here.
See the complete list of Challenge verses here.

Memory Verse Challenge: Week 47

Happy Thursday everyone.  It's been a week since Thanksgiving.  Are you still feeling full?  Well, we only have a few more weeks of our Memory Verse Challenge series.  I hope and pray it's been encouraging to you.  God's words have that affect on us if we just tap into them.

This week's verse is another one that says so much in just one little verse.  Check it out.

Always be prepared to give an answer for the hope we have.  It makes sense, doesn't it, that when we revere God in our hearts, hope is a natural by-product.  Revering Him means we have seen His truths - His promises and we believe in His almighty power and love.  Revering someone also indicates we feel safe and protected.  He will not let us down.  Our hope, our trust, and our faith is in His hands.

It's true - sometimes it can be difficult to share our faith.  But this verse tries to simplify things for us.  We shouldn't try so hard to explain things logically (from our brain) in an effort to make others understand intellectually.  All we have to do is share God from our hearts.  How does He make you feel?  How has He made a difference in your life?  What would your life be like without Him?

The last part of this verse says to give an answer with gentleness and respect.  Like I said - God works through people's hearts more than He works through their minds.  Trying to debate someone into believing in God will do much less good than building a heart connection.  Don't worry that you may sound crazy.  Since when has love ever made sense?

Sunday Blogvotional: First Fruits

"You shall bring the very first of the first fruits of your soil into the house of the LORD your God.  Exodus 34:26

In the Bible we read of God's directive to give our "first fruits".  This means we are not only to give to God first, but also give Him our best.   Although the concept of "first fruits" is usually applied to money, would it be safe to say it applies to our time as well? 

Each day is a gift.  Each day we're given a blessing of time.  Shouldn't we give the first (and our best) of each day to God?  How do we start our day?  For me, it's usually behind the eight ball.  I spend my time just trying to catch up.  When I wait to spend time with God until the end of the day, I'm too tired to put my heart into it. 

It's true - God still hears my prayers as I'm falling asleep saying them but wouldn't He appreciate a little more effort on my behalf?  He deserves quality time from me instead of me simply "fitting Him in"?  It's quite possible the quality of my day would be better (calmer, more peaceful, more joyful) if I started it with God.

Encouragement for the week: God loves to spend time with you.  He also wants to know that He the most important relationship you have.  As you plan your week, rearrange things if you can so that you can spend some quality time with God first.  Pay attention to how this affects your week.

Memory Verse Challenge: Week 46

Hi everyone.  I hope and pray you will have a blessed Thanksgiving holiday.  I know many of you will be feasting up a storm.  So...here is one more thing for you to feed on - this week's verse.

The book of Isaiah is full of wonderful reminders of God's power and love.  This verse is one of the many that gives us a sense of His strength and at the same time shows His watchful, protective nature over us.

We know life has trials but God is with us and we will not be overcome by those trials.  Yes, we will encounter rough waters but we will not drown.  There will be times when we feel like we're walking through the fire.  We will not be burned.  We will make it triumphantly to the other side with the Lord our God right by our side.

This thanksgiving season I'm thankful I don't have to navigate these dangers alone.  I'm thankful for the protectiveness of my heavenly Father.  I'm thankful for my Savior.


See more about the Memory Verse Challenge here.
See the complete list of Challenge verses here.

Sunday Blogvotional: Thankfulness

This is the time of year when most of us take a moment to reflect on the things for which we are thankful.  The picture of thankfulness looks different to each individual person.  Whether it's right or not - our view of thankfulness is often affected by our circumstances at a given moment in time. When we're feeling particularly "blessed", our thanks comes more easily.  When we're feeling beaten down, thanks does not flow easy from our lips.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we're told to give thanks in all circumstances.  Whatever the case for you - may you take some time to speak directly to God.  Open your heart to Him in love and thankfulness.  We have much to be thankful for.  No matter what's going on in our lives, there is always something to be thankful for.  We may have to look harder during some moments but if we look we will find.

Here are a few promises from the Word of God to get you started:

The Lord is a shelter and refuge for us in times of trouble.(Psalm 9:9)
The Lord gives us peace. (John 14:27)
Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. (Isaiah 40:31)
God provides a way out for us when we are tempted. (1 Cor. 10:13)
God will give us wisdom if we ask for it. (James 1:5)
The Lord God is with us.  He is mighty to save. (Zephaniah 3:17)
The Lord has plans for us - to prosper us and not to harm us. (Jeremiah 29:11)
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. (Psalm 34:18)
Nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 18:27)
He began a good work in us and will carry it on to completion. (Phil. 1:6)
He wants us to be with Him in heaven. (John 17:24)

He loves us - always!  He saved us - graciously!  He will search to the ends of the earth to bring us home to Him.  Love like that is one of a kind and worth being thankful for.

Memory Verse Challenge: Week 45

This week's verse is one I often use to remind myself that my prayers make a difference.  I hope you will too.  At first glance we might be tempted to think this verse only applies to someone who is "righteous".  Surely that can't be me?  I sin daily (whether I know it or not). 

Thankfully, though, when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior He clothes us in His righteousness.  Therefore we become righteous despite all our sins and failures. 

It's because of Jesus that we're cleansed enough to approach God - to bring our prayers to Him personally.  He wants to hear from us.  He wants to hear our praises, our thanks, and our requests.  When we're in trouble He wants us to come to Him - to lay our burdens on His lap.

Our prayers connect us with God like nothing else can.  They ARE powerful and effective.  Let's start treating them like they are. 

See more about the Memory Verse Challenge here.
See the complete list of Challenge verses here.