You can only remember if....

When Peter went to Cornelius' house in Caesarea Maritima (read the whole story in Acts 10-11), he witnessed the salvation of Gentiles. "Repentance that leads to life" was bigger than any of the disciples imagined.

When Peter described the phenomenon, he said, "Then I remembered the word of the Lord, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'" (Acts 11:16). Peter remembered the words of the Lord because those words were burned into his memory.

You can't remember something unless you’ve heard or learned it. You can’t recall information, feelings, or truths unless you have those facts and emotions stored in your mind. You can’t recall scripture unless you’ve read and memorized it.

Memorizing scripture gets the words of God into you.

If you put scripture in your mind, it sits ready for recall when you need it. And you will need it! To answer questions. To comfort when troubled. To turn on the light of understanding when life takes a downward tumble.

I love to memorize long passages but most people don’t want to hear me say these verses. I started memorizing the book of Acts and after I had memorized chapters 1-9, I couldn’t get anyone, not even my own mother, to sit still long enough to listen to it.

But it was good for me.

One day I was teaching a lesson on JOY from Philippians 4:4-5. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

One of my points was your joy will help you in troubled times. As I was speaking to my class and giving this point, it seemed that my examples were kind of weak and preachy. (I was thinking – this isn’t working) Then, all of a sudden a verse from Acts 5 popped into my mind.

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. Acts 5:41-42

I quoted it to the class showing when joy overcomes suffering and shows in your behavior. The disciples could have been sad, mad, or depressed, but instead they rejoiced and never stopped proclaiming the good news.

I had not planned to use the verse but it was in my mind from memorizing and it came to me when I needed it.

If you memorize Scripture, it will enhance and enrich your life and your presentations.

So if you haven’t started memorizing, start now.

Today I am starting to memorize Psalm 30. Will you join me? It will be an adventure. And as the title of the Psalm says there will be JOY IN THE MORNING when we do it.

If you will take this challenge, email me at kaeporter@gmail.com or add your comment here.

Thanksgiving Preparation

This morning began with reading from the Acts. Scattered by fear and persecution, the New Testament Christians moved throughout Asia and Europe. As they moved, they took with them the good news and the truth that they couldn't deny: Jesus is alive!

Difficulties, troubles, and problems often lead us to new opportunities. As Mark Batterson capably proves in his book In a Pit With A Lion On a Snowy Day, our scariest lions may be our greatest opportunities.

I am certainly a living picture of this truth. Loss of an executive job, including the prestigue, salary, security, position, and perks scared me. But God intended it for good. Today I am pursuing my dreams and discovering how reliable God is as provider.

I'm reminded of friends who turned their adversity to ministry:
Teresa Griggs - lost her young daughter now ministers to women in distress
Carmen Leal - whose husband suffered with Huntingtons disease now heads a national caregivers conference.
Tricia Goyer - whose dsyfunctional teenage life now encourages and ministers to young moms
Lisa Copen - ravaged daily by agressive RA ministers to all those who live with silent diseases
Pamela Sonnenmose - whose dramatic weight loss led her to help women become healthy

How many more can I name?

God works when lions show up. Now that truth gets me prepared for Thanksgiving!