If you’re interested in starting now, I would encourage you. I didn’t commit to this until February 1, so I’m just now getting ready to pick my 2nd verse of the year. At first, I started feeling discouraged that I didn’t begin on January 1 like everyone else. But then I remembered some wise words that I heard a long time ago… “If you forget to eat a meal, you don’t give up on eating forever. It actually makes you hungrier for the next meal.” Such is the same concept with any spiritual discipline. Those words changed the way that I allowed guilt to creep in when I felt like I wasn’t doing something well enough. Those words mean that there’s no longer room for guilt.
Beth lets you post your scripture on her comment feed as a source of accountability. I figure a greater source of accountability is on my own blog. So I’m going to post my scripture at the end of the two weeks that I’ve spent memorizing and reflecting on it. If nothing else, it will serve as a source of accountability for me, but hopefully, it can be a source of encouragement or hope for you. So here it is, my scripture from February 1 through February 14:
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:10
Usually the thing I find most difficult to memorize is the reference…numbers aren’t my thing. But for a few days I had to just sit in the phrase “restore, confirm, strengthen and establish”. I found that simply reciting them didn’t stick in my brain. So I had to begin thinking about what each of the words actually means. It helped to think of the words secularly…what does it mean to “restore” a house or a painting? What does it mean to “confirm” a reservation? What does it mean to “establish” residence of a country? etc. etc.
Restore: to bring back to a former or original condition, to bring back into existence
Confirm: to make something right, to make valid or binding by a formal or legal action
Strengthen: to give strength/encouragement, to make powerful, to equip with a weapon or increase in size
Establish: to cause to be accepted or recognized, to ordain for permanence
After defining the words in my mind, the verse suddenly clicked. I became amazed by how good He is, that he is going to do these things for me. He’s not going to restore a painting, He’s going to restore me. The rest of the verse is very filling to. He has called me to eternal glory…that is so exciting. He’s not just allowing it, he’s not giving it to me for a short time to make sure that I’m grateful enough, He has intended for me to spend eternity receiving grace from him and sitting in his presence…aka his glory. It makes the first part, which is a promise that we will all suffer, seem very miniscule…kinda like a parent saying “after you’ve finished your chores, you can have a bowl of ice cream.” Well, of course I’ll finish my chores if it means I can have some ice cream…it’s totally worth it.
If you are doing this with Beth already, I'd love for you to post your scriptures on my blog when you've finished memorizing them every two weeks.
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