Totally Off Day

It turned into one of those days.  It began with the dentist, giving into a craving for fast food.  Then exhaustion kicked in between the two. 

Then the thoughts began to creep in.  You haven't wrote your report.  You haven't prepared for you next session.  You haven't read your notes.  You haven't finished the living room.  Your husband is off working and what are you doing? 

You aren't going to finish when you wanted at the rate you are going.  Reliability is when you do what you say you will and to completion.  Have you really changed?  Aren't you just the same person you've always been and never wanted to be?

I had to call these thoughts what they were - stinkin' thinkin'.  I am wasting time allowing these thoughts to claim me.  I'm missing the time to praise God and have a grateful attitude for the changes that have happened. 

Do old habit show up (like poor eating) - yes.  Do I have to allow it dominate again?  No.  Instead of condemning myself as hopeless, I can turn my thoughts to the hope I have, call out the sufficient grace that is available to me.  Take hold and refuse to let go until I receive a blessing.

"Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things."  Philippians 4:8 (wrote by memory - take that stinkin' thinkin'!)

Life Verse

I studies Titus over the summer.  God when I got to:

It [God's grace] teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, Titus 2:12  brackets added.

The Spirit said this is to be your life verse.  Whether it is my life long verse I know not.  It is to be something I cling to until I get it.  It is only by God's help that I can say no the worldly passions.  It is only by God's grace that I can live self-controlled and produce any fruit in the present age.  

I read this verse every few days, who knows, I may even memorize it.  

MV 5-18-2012 2 Peter 1:3

I wrote about this verse a few weeks ago.  I thought I would add to my memory verse list.


His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3


There it is.  His diving power has given us everything we need for a godly life.  I can rest in that verse.  He has given me everything I need to be who He wants me to be in Jesus.

MV 5-11-2012 Ecclesiastes 5:19

Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. Ecclesiastes 5:19

When I found the previous memory verse Malachi 4:2, I wondered what exactly does revere mean.  For if I want healing, I need to revere God.  In researching that, I found that the whole theme of Ecclesiastes (that is hard to spell) is about how we are to revere God.  The funny thing is, I was lead to start reading the book a few days prior - totally not a coincidence.  And of course this verse stuck out to me.  And it sums up what it means to revere God.  He brought the complete thought together in a wild random way.  

MV 5-4-2012 Malachi 4:2

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.  Malachi 4:2


This verse was part of my study when my back was in incredible pain and I had issues with low blood pressure (which means I didn't do much for a couple weeks, did you notice?)

I clung to the healing part of this verse.  And although I don't like being compared to a cow in general, I would love to leap like a calf that is happy and in no pain.

MV James 1:22-25

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.  James 1:22-25

This weeks memory verse is a bit longer than I normally do, but it's so good and I need to remember it!  I come across so many who share their problems with me, yet they are not applying God's word that they are studying to their life.


And before I don't sound humble, I do this as well.  I often forget what I just read.  The important part is to keep in the word so that it eventually sinks in and I remember.

MV Hebrews 10:14

13 Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, 14 because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.  Hebrews 10:13-14


I plan to memorize verse 14.  Verse 13 shows the patience of my Savior.  He IS in Heaven, He IS waiting for His enemies to be made His footstool.  


Verse 14 is so special to me.  With Easter coming, I like to spend extra time meditating on what Jesus did for me.  It is so humbling.  By His love, He willing took on my sin, made atonement for me with His life.  He is the only perfect, true sacrifice.  That atonement makes me perfect.  I am perfect, forever!  That is hard to grasp in itself.  


I am being made holy as well.  I am perfect, I am being made holy.  Each day, each moment, I am being made worthy of God's presence by His power, discipline and enabling.  I am growing into the robe Jesus covered me with.  Being made holy also indicates that I will be finished someday, just not today!  I have so much to learn and apply.  I am handing what needs fixed over to God and listening to Holy Spirit's conviction.  God is Good!

MV 3-3 Ephesian 1:17

When a verse is put in front of your face in three or more times in less than two days, I think it's God's way to say this is your next memory verse.


I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better.  Ephesian 1:17


Oh how I pray this for me and all that I know and love, even those I don't know and love.  This culminates what God is directing me to, to know Him better through writing His word on my heart, prayer and Bible study.

MV 2-25 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

My next memory verse.  Keep it simple and love the passage.  This verse gives hope.  That no matter what was happening, Paul kept God's perspective.  Until he died physically, he was not defeated.  Even in chains he devoted himself to God's work.  He did not allow those road blocks to stop him.  I will not allow it to stop me either.  I will press on to the prize before me.  I will follow where many others have gone.

Added MV

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

D and K needed to memorized this verse, so I did it with them.  I'm surprised in a way how well I'm doing this.  Of course it's really the Spirit, for I am not good at it.

Tips - I have the first two lines down from past attempts.  Then I noticed Love is only repeated at the beginning of 6.  Then I memorized the first EBPR for the next section, I could remember the self-seeking and angered part.  Then the middle and to finish up, a little girl told K to remember it goes People Treat Horses Perfectly or PTHP.  Low and behold, it's in my head! 

Three Steps

I'm stubborn.  Oh yes, that's me.  I complain that I want to see all the steps God want me to take.  Then when He reveals it, I feel overwhelmed.  I struggle with just the basics.  I look at step fifteen and wonder how can I get there?  I ignore all the steps in between.

So yesterday I fessed up to God this very point.  I'm doing well with memory verse memorization.  So I said, reveal just one step I can make this week to get deeper into You.  To get my feet wet as I descend into Your Living Water.

Answer: lighten up, it's not that hard.  Keep up memorizing my word.  Start each day doing what you can.  

My next step over the next couple weeks is to get up a few minutes earlier than the day before.  With those minutes, open God's word and jump in.  

Also, I have the opportunity to show my cracks, my flaws to those I shepherd.  In my BSF class, God gave the application question:

Am I busy trying to cover and smooth over the cracks in my clay body?  Or am I willing to shine His light through those cracks to encourage others?  

2 Corinthians 4:7-12

So I am to do the next three steps.  I can handle that.

Memory verses

I will admit, I'm not so great with memory verses.  It goes back to the all or nothing approach.  It put my rules on it.  I insist I can't move on to the next verse unless I can recite the verse, even after some time.  Just like the need for daily Bible study kept presenting itself to me, so is memorizing God's word.  Since God is convicting me of my time on TV as well as internet, I had to finally fess up that if I spent as much time learning verses as I did on watching TV, I may just have chance!

I'm easing up on the requirements of memory verse.  I'll take the approach of my daughter, who often learns three verses in one week.  

1.  Say the verse at each meal time.  

2.  Start Bible study with the verse.

3.  Randomly go over the verse. 

To start this process anew, I will begin with:

16Be joyful always, 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 

I love this passage for many reasons (besides the obvious that it's God's word.)  Verses 16 and 17 are two words long and impactful.  Along with the start of verse 18, I get God's perspective, my attitude should reflect this, because - last part of 18- it is God's will for me in Christ Jesus.  How many times do we want to know God's will?  This verse plainly states it!