--5 of 52--

“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” 

Galatians 5:16

Jesus also mentioned love and the law:

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40)

If wethink of the Ten Commandments briefly, we will discover that they fall under two categories: Love for God and love for others.

-Love for God-

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

(Exodus 20:3-11)

-Love for Others-

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Thou shalt not kill.

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Thou shalt not steal.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

(Exodus 20:12-17)

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What is your fifth verse of this challenge?
Why did you choose it?
Are you faithfully reviewing your last four verses?

--4 of 52--

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)

“I have liberty in Christ – I can do what I want.” How often this phrase is repeated by Christians today! We enjoy taking our “liberties” but we like to determine what these liberties are instead of studying God’s Word to see what God says these liberties are.

I decided to do a small study on the word “liberty” (i.e. freedom), and here are some other verses I found.

Romans 8:21 – Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

We are delivered from the bondage of the corruption of the world into liberty (freedom) in Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:17 – Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Every born-again believer has liberty in Christ.

Galatians 5:1 – Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Even though we have liberty in Christ, it is possible to get tangled into bondage again - we are not above falling.

Galatians 5:13 – For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

We are not to use our liberty to please ourselves, but to serve others.

James 1:25 – But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

If we hear and apply the “law of liberty” (God’s Word – see James 1:22-24), we will be blessed.

James 2:12 – So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

We will be judged by the law of liberty.

1 Peter 2:16 – As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

We are not to use our liberty as a “cloak of maliciousness” (i.e. something to cover badness, malignity, or trouble), but we are to use our liberty to serve God.

- -

What is your verse for this week?

What does it mean to you?

Are you reviewing your other three verses?

--3 of 52--

"Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it."

Deuteronomy 31:12-13 (KJV)

These verses struck me with the importance there is in everyone gathering together to hear God's Word. Many people underestimate the understanding of a child; yet here, God groups them with the men and women to learn His laws.



- - - -
What is your verse this week?
Remember to review the previous two verses from this challenge.

Creative Ways to Memorize God's Word

Throughout our challenge of memorizing 52-verses, I would like to feature guest posts from our participants. Our first friend who graciously agreed to supply us with a guest post is Katie. I was excited to see her creative ways to help her in memorizing God's Word and I thought that you would appreciate it too.

If you are interested in sharing with us, please email me at rubieslikeruth@gmail.com.

~Ana Renee

~~~

Magnet Makeover

Greetings, 52-Challenge participants!  

My name is Katie, and I'm participating in this wonderful 52 Verses 52 Weeks Challenge. I am so grateful to Ana Renee for creating and hosting this challenge, and I am humbled that she asked me to share a post from my personal blog here regarding one way I recently discovered to help me memorize my verses this year. 

For years, I collected those free advertising magnets you get from your doctor's office or in the mail from a particular business. I figured I could always use them for something and just set them aside in a kitchen drawer. I came across the pile of magnets the other day and had an idea.

Here is the sea of magnets that were just waiting for some special purpose in our home.

I have been looking for new ways to help hide God's Word in my heart for this challenge. I also have been looking for new spots around the house to display the Bible verses I'm working on so I can see them as I go about my daily business. That's where these magnets come into play. I'm going to decorate these magnets with my memory verses! :) I have almost just enough to write all of my verses for the whole year. Now, I won't always endorse holding onto things that produce unnecessary clutter around the house, but I would recommend turning an old, unused magnet into a tool to hide God's Word in your heart! ♥

Here's the first of my magnet makeovers...

I selected a magnet that was the right size for the verse I was memorizing.

I traced the shape of the magnet on some cardstock and cut it out.

I glued the cardstock cutout onto the magnet. (**NOTE: I would recommend using a gluestick or double-sided tape as alternatives. About an hour after the magnet was finished it curled up a bit. I flattened it back out by placing a heavy object on it, but I wanted to comment here and save anyone interested in trying this the trouble.)

Now, I have a new clean canvas to write my memory verse.

I chose to simply write my verse out, but I easily could have typed it up on the computer instead. I might do that for future verses.

I grabbed just a few embellishing items and decorated the magnet a bit.

The magnet is finished!

    BEFORE                                                         AFTER

Now, it can be posted on three places I visit often:

The refrigerator...

The dishwasher...

...and the washer. 

Using those three spots alone, I think the opportunities for me to glance at God's Word in my home just increased greatly! Now I have to go search out some other spots around the house that are magnetic. How many magnets do you have lying around the house that could be turned into tools to help you memorize your Bible verses? ♥ Happy memorizing!

"And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." ~Deuteronomy 6:9

--2 of 52--

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." 2 Corinthians 7:1 (KJV)

As I began memorizing this verse, the question popped up, "What promises?" To find the answer was pretty simple: look at the verses before this verse. 2 Corinthians 6:16-18, "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my  people. Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." At the conclusion of this passage about being separate, we have 2 Corinthians 7:1, which challenges us to purify the filthiness out of our system - our spiritual life.

- - - -

What is your memory verse for this week?

Be sure to review the memory verse(s) from last week. The goal is to have God's Word hidden in our hearts . . . and by continually reviewing the memory verses from this week and last week, we will be accomplishing this goal.

--1 of 52--

My first memory verse in this 52-verse challenge is one that God brought to my attention two days ago. I thought it very applicable for the beginning of a new year!

"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye." 
Psalm 32:8

What is your first memory verse this year? Feel free to comment with your first verse/post-URL for this challenge!!