God's Promises

This past Friday night our church held another Youth Night. It was our fourth (one each month). This last one was different than all the previous ones in that we were teaching the kids about apologetics and preparing them for life outside "The Bubble."

As an aide, and as an encouragement, we gave them each a book entitled God's Promises For Your Every Need. The book contains only scripture but the verses are arranged by topic. The Bible is a big book, abs it contains ALL of verses, but, if you are looking for a verse dealing with a certain topic, the one you are looking for CAN be hard to find.

After one of the boys received the book, I noticed him flipping through the pages, searching for something.

"What are you looling for?" I asked.

"Something about confidence," he replied.

"Try the index up front," I suggested.

[He was really looking for this! And then he found it!]

"You Need Confidence! Page 146!"

Flipping, flipping, . . . then he arrived.

"I can do all things through Christ to strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13

"Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise." - Hebrews 10:35, 36

"Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus." - Philippians 1:6

There were several verses as well. 

The teens of today need to be prepared for when they leave home and set foot in this worldly world. What better way for them to be ready then by arming them with God's Word.

If you would like to arm yourselves with this weapon for use against the forces in the spiritial realms, it's on Amazon for less than five bucks. That said, it is actually priceless, if it can help save just one of these little ones.

God's Promises For Your Every Need - Amazon

The Music In Me

Can you recite Isaiah 55:12 from memory? I bet you could, if you sing one particular worship song in church. If you do, this should sound familar.

"You will go out in joy

    and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills

    will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field

    will clap their hands." - Isaiah 55:12

Or how about Matthew 11:28-30? The only way I can recite those verses is because of a song I heard 10 years ago. There's a link to that song below.

Right now I am memorizing Ephesians 6:10-11. Not because I am trying to. I'm

 listening to a music CD as we prepare to teach VBS this summer. 

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." - Ephesians 6:10-11

Why is it easier to memorize things if it is set to music? All of a sudden a song pops into our heads and we can't stop singing it. Why? We learned our ABC's as children singing a song, right? And you still know it, right?

I think singing songs engages our memorization super power. It's because of who we were created to be. Worshippers.

"My chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise." - Isaiah 43:20-20

Let us "go out with joy and be led forth in peace" today. We were created to worship and memorize His Word. To sing His praise!

"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." - Deuteronomy 11:18-19

So, let us sing God's praises, now and forevermore!

Come To Me - Aaron Shust

Highlighter

Do you highlight things in books as you read them? I never used to . . . but I do now. I'm not talking about the random novels we read for entertainment or to help us fall asleep at night. I'm wondering if you highlight or underline things in The Bible.

My memory ain't what it used to be and I need all the help I can get remembering things. Although most people only retain 10-20% of  what they read anyway so maybe I'm not so bad.

When I was in college and had to purchase books for the upcoming semester I always bough new ones. I could have rented my books I guess or even purchased used ones but I didn't. There something special about a brand new book. Clean. Fresh. Untouched.

Of course, if I had purchased used books in school, already underlined, I could have cut my studying time in half. All the important stuff would have already been underlined. That is, of course, unless the person doing the underlining was an idiot. Then I'd REALLY be in trouble! Besides, the highlighted parts would only be important in the mind of the person doing the highlighting, not me.

I use a highlighter when I read my Bible. If there is something I want to remember or if there is something that really jumps out at me, I highlight it. It's easier to find when I'm searching for verses. I can go right to the highlighter ones and don't have to skim over everything again.

And I use a rainbow of colors to do my highlighting as well. The various colors don't mean anything. I just like to see all the colors. But some people use a color code. For example, purple might be the commands of God. I don't go that in depth but it would be cool to do sometime.

I underline things too. But just the REALLY important stuff. Stuff that I have already highlighted but just want to add to the importance of a verse or two.

What would happen if we could buy pre-highlighted Bibles? Would we then find it easier to understand or remember the really important verses? Or maybe that's why Bibles come without highlights. BECAUSE IT'S ALL IMPORTANT!!!

It is important to remember those verses that have special meaning to each of us. But it is more important to remember the verses that are really important to God. Hopefully, the more we read and understand, the more verses we will have highlighted in our Bibles. And more of what is important to us will line up with what is important to God.

"18 “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes." - Deuteronomy 11:18