I will continue to work on Psalm 95.
Psalm 95:4-5
In His hands are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
Post the verse you are working on for the next two weeks in the comment section. If you are willing, please also leave a sentence or two about an aspect of Jesus' death and resurrection on which you may be reflecting this week.
I shared last night that the women going to Jesus' grave with spices and being greeted by the angels who exclaimed, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here! He is risen!" has been swirling in my mind and heart. Why do I look for Jesus in the dead things of life? In significance in my roles? In gratitude for what I do? In material goods? In the lame substitute the world offers? Jesus is not in the dead things. He is alive!
I will be praying that our hearts grieve over the death he paid in substitute for ours. I will also be praying that our hearts rejoice and worship because his resurrection to life also bring us life!
Jesus is risen!
18 important comments so far. What are your thoughts?
Psalm 62:5 - Indeed my hope is in Him because He came out of the cave alive!
Proverbs 28:27, esv
Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.
Ezekiel 36:26 (ESV) since I almost memorized it while making bookmarks :)
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
I know all these long verses look like a ton to take on, but I know I have the time in my week and have no excuse not to do them! I'm not trying to brag at all, just wanting to encourage people that it is possible!
I'll work on two verses for the first part of the month:
"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
Do not be quick with your mouth,
do not be hasty in your heart
to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few.
A dream comes when there are many cares,
and many words mark the speech of a fool."
--Ecclesiastes 5:1-3
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the LORD.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the LORD.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more
--Jeremiah 31:33-34
I also memorized the message version of 1 Corinthians 9:19-22 last week:
"Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn't take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn't just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!"
(I remembered this one from the women's retreat last fall and really wanted to remember it)
I've really been thinking on how Jesus is the the complete fulfillment of the entire Old Testiment Law. My understanding of the Old Testiment has grown so much recently. I think there's just so much more context in my mind that wasn't ever understood before. I'm just in awe of the connections being made there. Also, as Chad was talking about yesterday: love fulfills the law, and God (Jesus) is Love.
Real light and fluffy stuff going on in my noggin at the moment! ;)
I am continuing on in 1 Peter. Since I got through what I had memorized in 2005, I'm going to start where I left off and pick up vs. 18-19 this week.
1 Peter 1:18-19 NIV
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."
A great one for Easter, huh?
I'm also going to add Micah 6:8 ESV.
"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
Spending time in 1 Peter 1 made me spend quite a bit of time reflecting on the hope the resurrection gives us. Living hope (v3) and setting our hope fully on the grace Jesus gives us (v13) will be big themes for me this week.
Wow Emily... I just this morning wrote down Micah 6:8 to pray over Malena. What a powerful verse!
I am continuing on with Colossians 3...
Colossians 3:9-10
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
I will be continuing on in Isaiah 55 with verses 6&7:
"Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
As I have reflected on the resurrection, the portion of this chapter I have memorized so far has been churning in my mind. The references to lasting satisfaction in Him, His steadfast sure covenant and love, His desire for all nations to know Him, and His compassion and abundant pardon----these all bring personal conviction and deep gratitude and praise!
I've been humbled lately at the lack of capacity I have had to bite off big chunks as I have in the past and store them away in memory. It seems like right now the simplest verses are going nowhere in my memory. So I will still be working on last two weeks' vs and adding the next.
1 Chronicles 16:8-9
Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.
I feel like every Resurrection Day I am understanding just a bit more about the immensity of The Sacrifice and what MY sin did to a perfect, holy God. I am more humbled than before, and more excited than any Easter past to celebrate what this season means. I've intentionally not listened to or sang At Your Name recently because I want to sing it on Easter and I want the name Yahwah to ring in my heart with more power and authority than before.
I didn't post my verse for March 15th so I will post 2 this time.
Hebrews 13:6
"So we say with confidence, the Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid, for what can man do to me."
Romans 8:18
"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."
For me Easter brings the thoughts of great expectation for Jesus' coming again. Based on the fact that he had risen early on the third day shows how his coming isn't intended to be last minute, but eagerly awaits the earliest opportunity.
Still working on Proverbs 31:8-9 from last month...
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
I've been thinking a lot this week about Jesus being the perfect lamb who went willingly to the slaughter. His meekness always makes me pause.
Exodus 19:4-6~
"You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth' for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation".
I am afraid I haven't been so great the last two weeks so will continue to work on my previous verse :
James 1:5-6 (ESV)
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave tossed in the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
I have been reading John this week and am in awe of Jesus' preparation and obedience. His sacrifice brings me to my knees truly! Looking forward to a day of worship.
I have been all over the place lately, and memorizing scripture had taken a back seat. I am going to re-focus and deeply learn Isaiah 43:18-19, what I intended to learn last time around.
“Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert."
I have been reflecting on His grace being totally sufficient for all of my junk, and that he came to save me, not judge me.
Continuing on with Psalm 139.
Verse 8!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave you are there.
Psalm 139 has been a HUGE sorce of comfort to me. Just knowing of God's nearness-that I can never get away from his presence-that he knows everything about me! Even though I can't feel him-I KNOW HE IS WITH ME!
Kelly T.
1 Corith 13:8-10
Love never end. as for prophecies, they will pass away. as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. for we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
Truckin through this chapter has protected my heart a bunch these past few months. This verse reminds me of how temporary this lifetime is. Such makes surrendering what i don't know, much easier. :D
lkm
I've been remiss in posting my verses for the last several rounds. I'm working on memorizing a chunk from Proverbs 4. I've mixed the NIV with the ESV.
Proverbs 4:23-27
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
Isaiah 54:10 (ESV)
"'For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,' says the LORD, who has compassion on you."
I've been thinking a lot lately about leaving Tucson for grad school in the next month or two. Coming from Texas, I've always loved how you can see mountains anywhere in Tucson, and it's stood out to me how much I'll miss seeing them all the time once I'm not here. I really liked this as reminder that, wherever I am and wherever God takes me (and however things change), He will always be there with his love and compassion and peace and promises, too.
Post a Comment