I never thought I would be memorizing a text from 1 Samuel. But it seems really applicable right now.
Only fear the Lord,
and serve Him in truth with all your heart;
for consider what great things He has done for you
1 Samuel 12:24.
God has done so many great things for us! In return, I want to serve him with all my heart. I want Him to be foremost in my life. I want to obey Him and praise Him.
God is good!
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday
Psalm 37:3-6.
This week’s selection for the memory text perfectly describes what has been going on with hubby and I. We have been praying and hoping for the past several years that we would be able to move out of Arizona to the Pacific Northwest. Last week, we finally received the blessing to go.
It’s a very long story, but hubby will be keeping his current job and we will soon be working remotely from Seattle. We have been longing to move for several years and we finally get the opportunity! We are both very excited and can’t wait to begin the moving process.
We should know soon when we will be moving. We still have to pay off one credit card and then save money for moving expenses. We also need to have an inspection done on our car to make sure it’s able to survive a long road trip. Once the car inspection is done, we should be able to put together a budget and determine when we can move. We are hoping for mid-June!
Trust in the Lord. Commit your way to Him. He promises to give us the desires of our heart! It may not always be when we want. Sometimes our desires will change to match His. But God always provides. I am so grateful that we finally get to move and experience the desires of our heart!
Seattle, here we come!
It seems it was just Christmas and now it’s February first. January was a long month but, at the same time, it flew by! It feels like I just started my Bible only challenge but it’s already over. When I posted last week, I mentioned that I was hoping to read through the end of Nehemiah. Once again, I underestimated myself!
During the 31 days of January, I read:
Judges 12-21
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalm 1-13
I could have read more. I found myself mainly reading first thing in the morning and again right before bedtime. Occasionally I would sit down in the middle of the day and read a few chapters or read a bit while waiting for a pot of water to boil. I didn’t read the Bible for as many hours as I would normally spend reading other books, but spent more time each day in the Bible than I usually do. It’s a matter of balance, I think.
To be very frank, I learned a lot about myself during this challenge. Reading the Bible is not exciting to me, though I do enjoy it. When I read other books for the first time, I find myself excited to sit down and see what happens next. I’ve read the Bible completely through at least three times and have read a few of the books (Psalms, Proverbs, Genesis, the Gospels) numerous times over my life. I was born into a Christian family and thus have heard many of the Bible stories many times. For the most part, I know what’s going to happen next. The familiarity strips away some of the eagerness of reading.
On the other hand, each time I read through the Bible, I learn new things. I become aware of holes in my Biblical education, of biases that are taught in children’s classes or facts that are left out. For instance, do you know how Esther came to be queen? She pleased the king, and it wasn’t simply because of how she looked! How PG-13! Just last week I finally caught on to the fact that the Jews (in the book of Esther) were saved not because they weren’t hunted by non-Jews. No, they were hunted but because of Esther pleading with the king were allowed to defend themselves and killed thousands and thousands of people in one day! That was not taught in my Primary School class.
Now that I’m older and taking the time to search, I love tracing themes throughout the Bible and seeing how the Old Testament and New Testament are tied together. You can’t reject the Old Testament by saying we’re no longer bound by it or to it. There’s so much in the Old Testament that is still relevant, that is still crucial to our understanding of God. So much of what is taught in the New Testament is also taught in the Old! Unless we take the time to read both, we don’t see the complete picture.
Overall, I came away from this challenge with a greater appreciation of the Bible. I’ve found that I can spend 30 minutes reading the Old Testament stories and not get bored. While it’s not exciting per se, it’s interesting and important and relevant. I really enjoy spending time with God first thing in the morning and last thing before I go to bed. I’m looking forward to spending more time in God’s Word.
I have remained faithful to my challenge of reading nothing but the Bible for 30 days. Earlier this week, though, I visited the library to pick up a few books for my sick husband. While I was there, I also picked up several books for me to read once February starts. If I had enough time, I would have curled up in the stacks with a library Bible and read for awhile. It’s such a peaceful place!
Since last week, I’ve read:
2 Samuel 5-24
1 Kings
2 Kings 1-4
I’ve picked up on a few things this week. My biggest realization is that God doesn’t fit into the box we like to cram Him into. Two specific stories made me pause and take notice.
The background: King Ahab (an evil king) was told by a prophet of God to soundly defeat the Syrians. Instead of killing the Syrian king like he should have, Ahab made a treaty with Syria and allowed the king to live.
The first story that made me take notice: 1 Kings 20:35-42. Here we have a prophet of God who instructed another man to strike him, but the man refused. The prophet told the man that he had disobeyed God’s orders and that the man would immediately be killed by a lion. It happened. Then, the prophet of God, disguised, visits King Ahab and lies to him about a scene on a battlefield. King Ahab believes the story and condemns himself by ordering judgment on the disguised prophet. The prophet reveals his identity and passes on Ahab’s judgment from God, the same judgment that Ahab had decreed on the prophet.
Why did this story strike me? First – The prophet of God ordered another man to hit him and pronounced a judgment when the man didn’t comply. That is difficult to comprehend as I cannot picture someone today believing that God would order a man to hit another man. Second – The prophet of God went to King Ahab and lied in order to pronounce judgment on Ahab. God was behind all of this! It’s not the way we would expect God to act unless we are open to God working in mysterious ways.
The second story that made me take notice: 1 Kings 22:19-23. In this passage, God’s prophet Micaiah is telling King Ahab about a vision he had that took place at God’s throne. God asks the host of heaven who will persuade Ahab to go into battle so that he will fall. Several voices make suggestions and then a spirit comes forward. This spirit tells God that he will be a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab’s prophets (those that only told Ahab what he wanted to hear). God said that this plan will work and sends the lying spirit to speak through the false prophets.
Why did this story strike me? Well, is this a literal story or was Micaiah using an illustration? Does God send lying spirits to deceive people so that His plans will be fulfilled? I believe this is a supported possibility and one that we have to be open to. It doesn’t fit the traditional picture of God! I was taught that God is loving, kind. While this is true, there is more to God than these attributes. The stories illustrate this but we have to be open to God being more than just a loving Father. Sometimes He does things we don’t understand or that go against the character that we believe He possesses.
I am looking forward to reading more. I pray that God will keep my heart open to receiving the truth about Him, not just reinforce preconceived ideas. God is bigger than we think.
Mara Wildflower asked me last week how I go about memorizing my Scripture texts. I actually use the same flashcard program that I use for my Japanese studies. It took me awhile to realize that the program would work great for memorizing Scripture because I’m not used to thinking outside the box. HA!
Anki is a free program that is used as a substitute for physical flashcards. The program uses SRS, a Spaced Repetition System. This is a fancy way of saying the algorithm determines when you are about ready to forget the information on the card. As soon as you’ve almost forgotten, the program tells you it’s time to review again. Studies have shown that this is the best method for inserting information into long term memory.
Joshua 1:9 flashcard – front
(Ignore that the card was due in three days. I didn’t have any current cards and wanted to get this post up tonight.) This card is testing the section in blue that displays as […]. When I think I know what part of the text is missing, I click “Show Answer.” I have created one flashcard for each line in the Scripture, plus another flashcard testing the book, chapter, and verse where the text is found.
Joshua 1:9 flashcard – front and back
Now the answer is displayed in blue on the bottom card. Here I can choose several options – again (fail), hard, good, easy. I choose how difficult it was to recall the answer on the flashcard. Then, Anki uses the SRS algorithm to determine when I should study that card again.
My Anki decks
I’m done with my flashcards today. First thing in the morning, though, this page shows how many flashcards are due in each deck. As you can see, almost all of my decks are for learning Japanese and then there is one deck for memorizing Scripture. The “Due Today” column is how many cards are due that day. The “New Today” column shows how many cards I have not yet studied for the first time.
There are a lot more options within Anki but this is a basic overview of my study methods. Reviewing the Scripture deck only takes a couple minutes each day and I quickly become familiar with each verse that I’ve entered into the program. It takes longer to completely memorize a text but the program tells me when I need to review. Then each week I add a new verse to the cards and start learning the new text.
Hopefully this helps someone! It’s free, it’s convenient, and it’s easy to use. It’s a great way to memorize God’s word!
The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing
Zephaniah 3:17.
I am really excited about this week’s memory text. It is such a beautiful promise! I can’t even imagine God, the Almighty One who created heaven and earth, rejoicing over me with singing. What an awesome thought!
Mara Wildflower had asked how I memorize these texts. Later this week I’ll post screen shots of my flashcard system. It works great!
For January’s 30 day challenge, I decided that I wanted to spend the entire month reading only the Bible. No other books, whether they be fiction or nonfiction. I was very tempted to allow myself to read books about the Bible but I knew I would end up reading those instead of the Bible. That’s not the point of the challenge… I wanted to spend the first month of the year immersing myself in God’s word.
In the course of one week, I’ve read –
Judges 12-21
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel 1-4
I like this pace of reading. It’s not as fast as the Bible in 90 Days, so I don’t feel like I’m just skimming. But I am reading fast enough that I’m getting entire stories in one sitting rather than disjointed chapters.
Unfortunately, I’ve been sick since Tuesday. This has seriously challenged my decision to read no books but the Bible. I have wanted so badly to curl up on the couch with a fluffy and entertaining fiction book. Thankfully, I’ve kept to my resolve! It has been a blessing this week and I look forward to three more weeks of the challenge.
I love New Years. I love that we are gifted, all at once!, with a brand new year, month, week, and day. What a clean slate! I have a few goals in mind for this year, some specific and some general. I thought I’d separate each aspect of my life into individual posts and detail some of my hopes and plans. Of course, this is all dependent on the Lord’s will. As James 4:15 says, “you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.'”
Last year’s goals
This year’s goals
image courtesy of stockvault
My 30 day challenge this month relates to this last goal. I have committed to starting the year off with God’s word, reading nothing but God’s word. For the next 30 days, the Bible will be my only book. I really enjoyed my month of nonfiction last month, but I want to spend more time with God. When I start looking around the house for a book to read while I have a few minutes of downtime, I will pick up the Bible. When I read before going to sleep, I will pick up the Bible. I think this challenge will be both difficult and rewarding.
As today is Sunday, it’s time to pick the verse I’ll be memorizing this week.
Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
for the LORD GOD is my strength and song
Isaiah 12:2
What are your spiritual goals for 2012?
Last week flew by like a whirlwind. I’m way behind on last week’s memory text but I’m adding another for this week. There’s no reason I can’t learn two!
This text really stood out to me in yesterday morning’s Bible reading. I was feeling rather abandoned because my husband’s work is taking up almost all of his time lately. But there was a message in this text just for me.
Have I not commanded you?
Be strong and of good courage;
do not be afraid, nor be dismayed,
for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go
Joshua 1:9.
From the mouth of the Lord – Be strong. Be of good courage. Do not be afraid. Do not be dismayed. For the Lord your God is with you.
Even if things are hectic at work, though my husband is extremely busy with work and I feel lonely, God is with me. I can be strong and have courage. God is with me.
I haven’t done a memory text in awhile. This week, I’m going to learn the same text in both English and Japanese.
And now, Israel,
what doth the LORD thy God require of thee,
but to fear the LORD thy God,
to walk in all his ways,
and to love him,
and to serve the LORD thy God
with all thy heart and with all thy soul
Deuteronomy 10:12
イスラエルよ、今、あなたの神、主があなたに求められる事はなんであるか。ただこれだけである。すなわちあなたの神、主を恐れ、そのすべての道に歩んで、彼を愛し、心をつくし、精神をつくしてあなたの神、主に仕え
Some of the grammar for the Japanese text is a bit above my skill level. It might take me more than a week to learn it!