Memory

Good Morning!

My daughter Heather is embarking on a mission to memorize Bible verses. I think memorizing Scripture is a very good endeavor. I recall encouraging some of my students to memorize Scripture when I taught sixth grade boys and girls at Valley Hill Baptist church some twenty two years ago. We used several encouragement tools. One was to make a chain of Bible verses remembered stretching around the ceiling of the room. Of course, my overachievers lapped the field several times before the contest was complete. We celebrated our memorization efforts by having a Sundae Sunday – a scrumptious time.

I would like to add Scripture memorization to our daily walk for those who would like to participate. Here is the method I sometimes use to get the Scripture implanted in the brain:

1. Read the Scripture passage or verse aloud twice.
2. Attempt to recite the passage without looking … noting where one stumbles
3. Think about what the passage means to you – chew on it, so to speak
4. Later in the day, re-read the Scripture passage
5. Attempt to recite the passage.

I know this sounds repetitive … but what happens is that the words finally stick. You will be amazed at the recall you have.

On another subject, thanks for the phone calls and emails regarding my accident. I was amazingly not sore the next day … I even got to play some golf with my good buddy, Tim McCullough. Then Miss N and I headed up to Clarkesville GA to take care of our granddaughters. So I recovered pretty well – I think. Again, God is good to each of us.

So what will be our first Scripture for memorizing?

Proverbs 1:7 (English Standard Version)
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Here’s what the verse says to me: We cannot begin to understand God until we respect Him. Far too many people today have no respect for God at all. Many treat God as though He were their lackey … some one to call upon to do their will at their whim. We are talking about the very One who CREATED this entire universe … and we have the audacity to threaten not to believe in Him if He doesn’t do what we say??? How foolish can we be? Respecting God means attempting to grasp who He really is … and being in AWE of Him and all He has done.

So that is our first memory verse. Let me know how it goes for you.

Agape’


Mr. Jim

New Prayer Need:

Shared Praises:
Want a WOW? Check this out … sent from Ellen to me:
Dear ellen,
A new journal entry for Kendra's CaringBridge website was posted at 8:02:00 AM on Jan 1, 2011.
Read the latest update and show your support at: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kendraetheridge
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Read the latest update on (http://m.caringbridge.org/visit/kendraetheridge/journal/entry/id/7108190/page/1) Don’t forget to sign the guestbook!
Saturday, January 1st, 2011 8:02 AM
I have great news for everyone! This morning around 6:00, Kendra spoke. She woke me up because she kept coughing. When I got up to check on her, I noticed that her face was covered in sweat. So I asked her if she was okay, not expecting a verbal response, but an eye blink for yes or no. In a whispered response, she said "I'm okay." I started screaming and praising God! Sam and Travis got up to see what was wrong. Sam asked her if she knew who had made all this possible; her response was, "Jesus!" He then asked her to identify people in the room; she first said "Travis," and then she said, "dad."

At the time that this was going on, I was still screaming and praising God throughout the house. When I settled down and came back down the stairs, "I went back into Kendra's room, and Sam asked her, "Who is this?" She replied, "mom-my." We continued to talk to her and got more responses from her. God is so-o-o-o-o-o-o good.

When the New Year came in last night, we were all in Kendra's room praying and praising God. I read from James 1.
James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3-4 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

James was saying that as followers of Christ, we will be tried by God, but the fruit of our trials is patience and endurance, hence, if we can endure and have patience, it brings about perfection. Jesus in Matthew 5:48 tells us to be perfect as our Father which is in Heaven is perfect. I have heard so many people say that none is perfect but the Father. The Bible does not say that; Jesus said in Matthew 23: 9 that none is good but the Father. Although we fall short, we are supposed to strive towards perfection every day through the fruit of patience and endurance.

James 1:5-8 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways

In order to go through any trial in life we need to know the purpose of the trial, we have to ask God for wisdom. James says that God will give us wisdom freely if we ask for it in faith and not doubting. That reminds me of James 4:2. It says that we have not because we ask not, and when we ask we ask amidst. My mother used to say, "be careful what you pray for." If we are double minded, we will never have our prayers answered. In other words, we either believe God, or we don't. We either want God to answer our prayer in His way and time, or we don't. We either want God to handle it or we don't. But just remember, that God's ways are not our ways.

The entry is from Kendra’s Mom.

YOUR PRAYERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!