Wow oh wow oh wow!! WE DID IT! We are about to complete our first year of memorizing together!
Are you excited? Are you proud of yourself? Did you meet your goal?
How have you seen your life changing because of the living active word of God penetrating your mind and heart?
Did you stay the course throughout the year? Was it more difficult to learn new verses or review the ones you had already taken in?
What about those of you who didn't stick with it? Do you have regrets? Are you hopeful for the coming months? Is there repentance that needs to happen or have you already talked with God about spiritual disciplines in your life?
Whatever the case may be, this is our last post for 2011. My heart is so full. I'm thankful for each of that have at one time or another through this year posted scripture that you committed to take into your heart.
"How can a young man (or young woman) keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart. Do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:9-11
I know He is working powerfully in our hearts through His word.
And, friends, this is only just the beginning of Moxie Memorizers. This isn't something that we cross off our bucket list and say, "Oh man, I'm so awesome. I memorized verses for a whole year. Good thing that's finished and I can move on!" Nope. This is discipline. A lifetime of learning. Allowing His word to make us more and more like Jesus. Staying the course and not looking back.
Just imagine: This year you took in 24 verses, give or take a few. What will your life and heart be like in ten years when you have 240 verses memorized? But in ten years most of you will still be young whippersnappers. So let's think about what your heart will be like in 20 years...FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY VERSES! The thought of that makes me absolutely giddy! And let's just be honest, most of you have much longer than just 20 short years to continue taking in His word, so the possibilities are incredible.
Giddiness leads to celebration. We are going to celebrate memorizing through 2011 in January. (For those of you who do not live in Tucson, I hope you will find some way to celebrate what God has done in your life through His word. Recruit a local friend to join you this coming year. Share with her/him what God has done in your life and influence them towards participating in the spiritual discipline with you.) Depending on the size of the crowd will determine the location of our memorizing party. Details will come on the January 1st, 2012 post...when we continue taking His wonderful, precious, life-changing words into our hearts. Let me know if you are planning to attend.
For the last two weeks of this year, I'm finishing off Romans 12. When I started this passage, I didn't realize how much in would penetrate my heart and mind. So, so good.
Romans 12:20-21
On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
I've been searching and praying about how to start of 2012. 2011 started with Is 43:19 about God doing new things and this year was full of all kinds of new beginnings. There are a few stirrings, but I still haven't narrowed it down. I'll let you know in a couple of weeks.
Thank you, friends. It has been a joy to lead you in this process. I'm looking forward to reading the verses you post and praying for you each by name. May the God of all grace continue to work to make you more like His son through the power of His word!
9 important comments so far. What are your thoughts?
Isaiah 33:2
Be gracious to me Lord. I long for you. Be my strength every morning. My salvation in times of distress.
I've been speaking this the first moment I'm awake. I want Jesus to fill all those empty places within me every morning, so that when insecurity arises in the day I know who my strength comes from.
Kelly T.
this year was my first year dedicated to memorizing scripture. Looking back, there were so many cases that something I was memorizing/had memorized was brought up in conversation to love/encourage/help a friend or myself. Hooray :) Angel, I am down for a Memorizers shin dig! I'm back in Tucson January 5 (not that you need to wait).
Isaiah 43 is filled with really good stuff, so I may continue to memorize until I finish it or God says move on. However, it's oddly appropriate that God ends my year with verses about evangelism.
"Bring out the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears! All the nations gather together, and the people assemble. Who among them can declare this and show us the former things? Let them being their witnesses to prove them right, and let them hear and say, It is true."
Isaiah 43:8-9
I can't believe this is the last post of the year! I'm so thrilled that I stuck with it for the whole year, and not just for the sake of being able to say I did it, but because I truly want to refine and strengthen this discipline. I am stoked about beginning a new year and learning new verses.
For me the hardest challenge was reviewing. I was great at initial memorizing, but going back through was always hard for me. That's what I want to improve on this next go-round.
I'm excited for a Moxie Memorizers round up to share more of what God has done in our lives through this experience.
Here's my verse for the rest of Dec, continuing on with Isaiah 40...
verse 24:
No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.
Wow! I cannot believe that it has been an entire year already! I'm definitely looking forward to strengthening this discipline in the coming year. For the end of this month I'm still working on Psalm 130. I had a hard time finding time to work on memorizing these past couple of weeks with the end of the semester but I'm committed to finishing out this year strong by memorizing this chapter of scripture.
My goal is to finish off Philippians 1 by the end of the year! I've been reading through it a lot, and know the pieces, I just have not firmly cemented how they all come together. Almost there!
It has been a while since I've posted a verse on here and I haven't been very disciplined this year in memorizing. I am really committing to follow through in 2012 though! The Lord has given me this verse to finish off the year and to start anew in 2012.
Hebrews 4:16 - "Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time." Thanks for leading us in this Angel!
Miss all you lovely ladies!
-Rahel
Time has just flown by! I'm finishing the year with the verse I was just starting to work on at the beginning of the month, Philippians 4:8...
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
This has been a great year, ladies. I'm excited for what next year will hold! :)
AH! How did I miss this post the other day?? I kept waiting for it, then missed it, I guess :) So I'm glad I found it now. I started only in Sept, but am SO glad I did. Memorizing has been a great blessing, and now that i'm on a roll, I plan to challenge others (like my readers) to join me. I already have one on board! So my last one for this yeard is a verse that means a lot to me, but is sorta obscure...
Revelations 12:10-11
And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ has come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they conquered him by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death."
Angel, I'm thankful for you and what you've brought to all of us just through a bit of accountability. Merry Christmas!
Wow, I can't believe it's been a whole year either! I've definitely had my ups and downs with keeping up, but I'm going to finish my year strong!
Since I didn't post my last couple of verses, I'll write those out too:
"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those who's hearts are blameless toward him." - 2 Chronicles 16:9a
"Who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry,
the LORD sets the prisoner free,
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
the LORD loves the righteous,
the LORD watches over the sojourners,
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin."
- Psalm 146:7-9
And my last one for the year is the verse Chad went through last night -
"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." - Galatians 4:4-5
Thank you for inspiring us, Angel. This has been such a blessing to be apart of in so many ways!
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