SCRIPTURE MEMORY CHALLENGE for DECEMBER~Titus 2:11-15

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“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.”

— Titus 2:11-15

Our scripture memory for this month reminds us that grace has a name, Jesus Christ. He is the matchless gift given to all of mankind and is of the utmost importance. The Father gifted Him to this world for one purpose ~ to bring salvation to lost sinners. Yet, that purpose encompasses so much and we can only begin to experience His marvelous plans and purposes once we have received by faith that priceless and precious gift.

This Christmas season may we unwrap each gift God desires we experience through a relationship with the Savior of the world. It begins with faith and continues through faith expressed day by day in His will and holy Word, until we are face to face with the One who gave all for us.

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (Jn. 1:14)

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Grace exposes the mercy of God. We could never deserve it, nor could we ever earn it. (Eph. 2:8-9)

~Grace teaches us that the love of God is boundless. There is no place it cannot reach and no sinner it cannot transform.

~Grace teaches us the depth of our depravity and our desperate need of the only One who could cleanse and restore us.

~Grace teaches us that there is hope beyond today and the promise of eternal blessings.

~Grace teaches us we can live soberly, righteously, and godly in the midst of a sin sick world.

~Grace teaches us that God has set apart a people unto Himself to live righteously and glorify Him.

~Grace teaches us we need to speak truth and live out truth to be a witness of the One who is Truth. (Jn. 14:6)

~Grace and Truth come by Jesus Christ!

NOVEMBER SCRIPTURE MEMORY CHALLENGE ~DISSECTING BIBLE TRUTH FOR SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT AND DAILY DIRECTION~(Psalm 37:1-7)

“Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.  For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.  Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.  Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.” (Psalm 37:1-7)

Pondering Psalm 37:1-7…”Fret not…Trust in the Lord…Delight…in the Lord…Commit thy way unto the Lord…REST.”

Fretting and resting cannot occur simultaneously within our heart and mind. We must be intentional about trusting what the Lord has emphasized in His word for our own situation or season of life. None of it has come as a surprise to our heavenly Father. If we have trusted Jesus Christ as Savior, His plan for our life will not be thwarted because of the enemy’s tactics; our fear of world events or struggles with our emotions. (Phil 1:6)

Determine not to allow fretting to become your way of life by getting into the Word to learn truth: 

**Knowing who you are in Jesus Christ must be the starting point. (I Jn 5:13) Knowing that I am secure in Him and eternal life with the Savior awaits, envelops my heart with a hope and assurance that cannot be shaken.

**Knowing who He is and the promises that are yours. (Ps. 46:10-11; 2 Cor. 1:20-22)

**Knowing that you must choose each day and moment to trust, follow and lean upon God, His strength and wisdom; no matter what comes your way. (Josh. 24:14-15; Prov. 3:3-7)

Father in Heaven, help me not to fret, knowing the promises You have made, accomplished, and shall bring to pass for my good and Your eternal glory.

May I delight in Jesus, my Savior, expressing genuine trust in Your divine provision, protection, and providence.

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“Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” (Ps. 37:3)

When we express genuine “trust in the Lord” our focus will be towards His sovereignty and desire to work on our behalf. Trusting Him is conducive to our actions portraying submission to and reliance upon the love and power of God at work in my life.

As His child, we have access to the throne of heaven by way of the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ. The privilege to commune with the Father and have the indwelling of His Holy Spirit for strength and daily direction, is not to be taken lightly.  “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man…” (see Eph. 3:14-19)

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Scripture instructs us to be content. (Heb. 13:5) When we allow discontentment to invade our heart, it inevitably breeds envy, if we are not careful to recognize it as sin and repent. (I Jn. 1:9-10)  Discontentment and envy are rooted in a lack of trust for what God desires and promises to provide to His children. If our focus is on what others have and we lack; our heart will follow suit with comparisons and conceiving to acquire things outside of God’s perfect will and plans for us. (Jer. 29:11-13)

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 Delighting in the Lord and our commitment to His way leads to a sweet rest within our soul, as expressed in Psalm 37.  The heart that is content, despite undesirable or awful circumstances, can give thanks and praise to the Lord in sincerity. "..be content with such things as ye have.." (Heb. 13:5) May this be our desire and practice regardless of the season of year or our season life.

A discontented heart cannot express genuine gratitude. With this in mind, we must be careful of discontented attitudes and expressions, for it can grow into anger and bitterness if not dealt with biblically. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.” (I Jn. 1:8-10)  Remembering God's faithfulness and His power at work in our life will short circuit fretting and discontentment.

OCTOBER SCRIPTURE MEMORY CHALLENGE ~DISSECTING BIBLE TRUTH FOR SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT AND DAILY DIRECTION~ (Philippians 4:8-14)

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Phil. 4:8)

Where our thoughts lead us, our heart will follow. We all have them. Thoughts about this and that; good, bad or indifferent. They can and will eventually affect our mood, speech, and actions. So, how do we control them?

We stand fast in the Lord. (v. 1) This is a military term indicating we are not moved or manipulated by the enemy or surrounding circumstances. Our spiritual eyes and attention are firmly fixed on the One directing our heart and life, Jesus Christ. This stance helps us to not be swayed so easily by our spiritual enemies that seek to distract and defeat us, the devil, the world, and our own flesh.

So, first and most importantly, Jesus Christ must be Savior and Lord. Here Paul uses ‘brethren’ which addresses those who have been born into the family of God, through faith in Jesus Christ alone. There must be a relationship with God to 'stand fast in the Lord'.

Focusing on His commmands, His will for our life, His desires for how we relate to others and serve one another, changes the direction of our thoughts and intentions. Because we have his Holy Spirit, we can know and obey what is revealed to the seeking heart through scripture reading and prayer, along with godly instruction and fellowship.

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Diving deeper into our passage, we see the apostle Paul instructing these Believers and us to: "rejoice" (v.4); "let your moderation be known" (v.5); " Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (v.6) 

This means that everything we do or consider should be covered in prayer and supplication. This is when we humbly and earnestly call upon God to intervene or act on our behalf or another.  All of this is to be spoken in a spirit of thanksgiving, trusting God to extend grace and express His love for our benefit and His ultimate glory. We can do all of this as an expression of our joyous anticipation of Jesus Christ’s return. (v. 5)

The result will be a boundless peace which garrisons our heart and mind, in such a way that most will not understand, and words could never formulate to fully describe. (v. 7) All of these wonderful truths are encompassed in "whatsoever things are true,..honest,..just,..pure,..lovely,..of good report,..virtuous,..and praiseworthy." (v. 8)

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Continuing a deep dive into our passage we see the importance of doing. Consider the "…things..learned..received..heard..and seen in [Paul]..." (v.9) Here, the apostle Paul instructs Believers on the importance of following through and applying learned doctrine. This is impossible without hearing and reading God’s word. It will require us to be intentional about setting aside time to hear what God has to say to us, through our personal devotion time or sitting under the preaching and teaching of scriptural truths.  Only then can we apply and put into practice those spiritual principles by the power of His indwelling Holy Spirit.

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Well, what do we do when our thoughts are anything but true, honest, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, or praiseworthy?  We call on Jesus, in confession (1 Jn. 1:9); in reliance upon His strength through the indwelling Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:26); and trusting that He desires to see us have the victory and peace He died to give (I Cor. 15:57). So, we need not lose heart when our thoughts go where they should not.  We just need to recognize it, repent of it, recall God’s truth, and rehearse His promises in our own hearts. "Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!" (Ps. 31:19)

~Please read: (Philippians 4:8-14)
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬-‭14‬ ‭KJV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1/php.4.8-14.KJV

***WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HOW THIS PASSAGE HAS CHALLENGED OR ENCOURAGED YOU IN YOUR WALK WITH THE LORD. PLEASE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION!*** 

THANKS FOR VISITING!