--11 of 52--

But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 1 Peter 1:15-16

Holy.

Pure.

Blameless.

Consecrated.

There is no better example of holiness than looking at our God. I encourage you to do a study on the multitude of verses that speak of God’s holiness.

~~~

What is your eleventh memory verse?

Remember to review your other verses!!

He Hath Said

A contributor for our girls' blog, Rubies Like Ruth, shared this with me. I thought that it would encourage you in your memory of God's Word. ~Ana Renee

By Charles Spurgeon

"He hath said." Hebrews 13:5

If we can only grasp these words by faith, we have an all-conquering weapon in our hand. What doubt will not be slain by this two-edged sword? What fear is there which shall not fall smitten with a deadly wound before this arrow from the bow of God's covenant? Will not the distresses of life and the pangs of death; will not the corruptions within, and the snares without; will not the trials from above, and the temptations from beneath, all seem but light afflictions, when we can hide ourselves beneath the bulwark of "He hath said"? 

Yes; whether for delight in our quietude, or for strength in our conflict, "He hath said" must be our daily resort. And this may teach us the extreme value of searching the Scriptures. There may be a promise in the Word which would exactly fit your case, but you may not know of it, and therefore you miss its comfort. You are like prisoners in a dungeon, and there may be one key in the bunch which would unlock the door, and you might be free; but if you will not look for it, you may remain a prisoner still, though liberty is so near at hand. There may be a potent medicine in the great pharmacopoeia of Scripture, and you may yet continue sick unless you will examine and search the Scriptures to discover what "He hath said." 

Should you not, besides reading the Bible, store your memories richly with the promises of God? You can recollect the sayings of great men; you treasure up the verses of renowned poets; ought you not to be profound in your knowledge of the words of God, so that you may be able to quote them readily when you would solve a difficulty, or overthrow a doubt? Since "He hath said" is the source of all wisdom, and the fountain of all comfort, let it dwell in you richly, as "A well of water, springing up unto everlasting life." So shall you grow healthy, strong, and happy in the divine life.

--10 of 52--

Ten verses memorized – 42 more to go!!! Congratulations for hanging on and pressing forward in this challenge!

“As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:” 1 Peter 1:14

By itself, this verse leaves the question, “Obedient to what?” I had to back up to the verse I memorized last week, “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;” (1 Peter 1:13) This verse ends with a semi-colon, meaning that it is to be continued with, “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:” (1 Peter 1:14)

In this verse, we are specifically challenged NOT to fashion ourselves (conform to the same pattern) to the former (previous) lusts (a longing; especially for what is forbidden) that we followed in our ignorance (probably before salvation). As believers (or children of God), our lives should follow a new pattern – the pattern that Christ has set before us, the pattern that is written out for us in God’s Word. We are not ignorant of this pattern because God has given us His Word that we have the freedom to read, study, and apply. Will we be obedient to follow this new pattern? Or will we continue in the pattern of disobedience, following the lusts of our flesh and mind?

~~~

What is your tenth verse?

Remember to continually review your other verses! If you need to, set up a schedule to review half of them each day.

If there are any verses that have “gotten rusty,” you might want to take a few minutes to polish them up.

- -9 of 52 - -

"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;" 1 Peter 1:13 (KJV)

What is your ninth verse?

Have you been reviewing your other verses this week?

 

--8 of 52--

"Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world."

Philippians 2:14-15

We are called to be lights in this world.

As I read Philippians 2:13-14, the questions popped up: "Is it possible that our light dims because of our murmurings (or grumbling) and disputings (debates)?" Then, a more serious question, "How often to others look in and see me murmuring or disputing about something that I thought did not go right?"

Many times, the world looks at Christians through a magnifying glass and are very willing to point out our errors and say, "See, you claim to be a Christian, and yet here you are moaning about everything!" In these verses, we are challenged to live our life blamelessly and above reproach. How am I living mine?

~~~
Remember to share  your verse with us!!
Also review your other verses and work on any rough spots in them.

Creative Ways to Memorize God's Word

Another of our participants, Kelly-Anne (from Beautiful Girlhood blog) has offered to share her creative ideas of memorizing God's Word. Thank you, Kelly-Anne!

If anyone else is interested in sharing tips or creative ways that help you in this journey, either comment or email me at rubieslikeruth@gmail.com.

~Ana Renee

~~~

Write Them In Your Hearts

by Kelly-Anne

I believe that memorizing Scripture is good for every follower of Jesus Christ. It gets us through hard times and keeps us focused on His everlasting love.I do admit that when I joined 52 Weeks 52 Verses, I had no idea just how many words I would be storing in my head!

...So...I came up with a way to keep me re-reading and repeating each verse I have memorized so far...

I print each verse I plan to memorize on a piece of A4 blank paper in stunning fonts and sizes. I then decorate it with ribbons, stamps, paper flowers, pearls, gems, etc. Sometimes, I paint the word most fitting to the verse in bold, so I know at a glance what it is about. Each piece of Scripture goes up on my wall (I don't know where I will put fifty-two!) so I can read through them all before going to sleep. Each verse I can repeat whenever and wherever I am.

Here are some pictures of the verses that I have done so far.

--7 of 52--

“Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24:14-15

A man once said, “When I raised my children, I raised them to make a living. I succeeded; they are all making much more money than I ever hoped to and are very successful in the business world.” He grew serious as he added, “But not one of them is serving the Lord.”

This man raised his children to serve the gods of money, business, and worldly success. Other parents raise their children to serve other gods: diet, exercise, fame, self, etc. The challenge from Joshua is still applicable to us today: will we live for temporal gods that do not last for eternity? Or will we serve GOD – the one true living God? Is the verse, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” simply a plaque that hangs on our wall, or is it prevalent in the way we live our life?

Choose you this day whom ye will serve. We do not just “happen” to serve God – we must make a conscious choice. Which choice are we making?

~~~

What is your memory verse for the week?

Remember to continually review your other six verses throughout the week! :)

--6 of 52--

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."

Ephesians 4:29

How quickly do we “let things slip” out of our mouth without a thought? In Ephesians 4:29, we are challenged to use only words that edify (or “build up”), words that are gracious to the hearers.

Let us pretend that we have a pile blocks in front of us. Each time we spoke of others (especially those closest to us, like parents, siblings, spouses, and cousins) in a positive way, we would add blocks. But each time we spoke in a way that would tear them down, we would take away a block. What would our block pile look like after a day? Would it have a miserable few blocks left or none at all? May we all be challenged to use our words in a way that will build up those around us.

~~~

What is your sixth verse?
Remember to review all of your verses throughout the week and polish up the ones that need it.

--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)

~~

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!!