Week 33: A Kernel of Wheat Falls to the Ground

Day:  230          Verses Memorized:  566          Working On:  John 12

The John Squad
Please click here to chart your own progress - even though I'm the only one still doing this

My Progress:
This week I reviewed every previous chapter and was pleasantly surprised at how easily I could recite each one after only a short time of practice.  However, I officially declare myself "Chapter Sixphobic."  At any rate, because God has super-motivated me lately and my review went well, I decided to go ahead and start memorizing Chapter 12.  So I'm pretty good with the first 30 verses and plan to finish that this week.  This is the longest chapter left, so after this week, they should start to go rather quickly (I hope).  However, while they are shorter in length, I believe they will be more difficult emotionally.  But we'll just take one verse at a time. 

Some Thoughts:
I have many favorite verses from this chapter already and I'm only halfway through.  First of all, the coolest thing about this chapter comes in the first verse, "six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived..."  Now, I had just spent a week memorizing how Lazarus died.  It took me extra time to get down the parts where the mourners are comforting Mary and Martha.  Large crowds were gathering to weep at the loss of Lazarus.  Then this week, I decided to skim over Chapter 12 to see what was ahead and the first thing I read, "...where Lazarus lived"!  God just continues to show me how He can transform anything:  water to wine, blindness to sight, sin to righteousness, and death to life.

My next favorite verse of this chapter, "and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume."  I love this story of how Mary pours perfume on Jesus' feet.  And I love how John adds this detail about how the house was filled with its fragrance.  Just another beautiful picture of love that John adds to his Gospel that never ceases to overwhelm me.

This is an amazing chapter.  Jesus is preparing for his death and nobody understands what's going on.  He is entering Jerusalem but receiving half-hearted, thrill-seeking praise rather than true commitment.  I know the Father was always with Him, but I often wonder if He felt alone.  Crowds upon crowds of people, but nobody truly believing in Him.  Twelve devoted disciples, but none of them really understanding Him. 

Jesus sure had a way of painting pictures with His words.  "Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds." 

It makes me sad to read, "now my heart is troubled".  How dare I ever take His sacrifice for granted.
 

Week 32: Lazarus, come out!

Day:  223          Verses Memorized:  536          Working On:  Review 1-11

The John Squad

Please click here to chart your own progress - even though I'm the only one still doing this

 

My Progress:

Chapter 11 is done!  I am astonished that I was able to memorize this entire 57 verse chapter in one week.  I worked intensely the past several days and am proud of this accomplishment.  Initially, I had been intimidated by this chapter because it is rather long with a lot of dialogue, so I was thrilled when it all came very easily to me.  It was definitely a God-thing.  Once again, I am going to commit myself to a week of review.  I am going to resist the temptation to peek at Chapter 12 and will spend significant time this week reviewing previous chapters.  I really mean it.  That's what I'm going to do.  For real.  Review time.

 

 

 

Some Thoughts:

I love Jesus.  He just gets more and more amazing as I memorize each chapter.  His power and authority over life, death, and everything in between is something my mind is just unable to grasp. I can't imagine being there that day, watching a dead man walk out of his tomb. The joy of that reunion must have been remarkable.  My absolute favorite verse of this chapter:  "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."  11:44.  I guess the reason I like it so much is because I know that I was dead to sin and lying in my tomb.  Then came Jesus, my knight in shining armor, calling me out.  He freed me from death, removed my grave clothes, clothed me in His righteousness and gave me life.  (As I proofread this paragraph, I see a lot of "Christian-ese" and realize that many, including myself, have probably said words similar to these zillions of times.  But for me, this time, it's vastly different.  I have a connection with my Savior now that is unparalleled to any relationship I've had in the past.  Each word and verse takes on new significance as He reveals Himself to me in deeper and more meaningful ways.  He has truly opened my eyes after living in blindness.  What a wonderful Savior.)

I'm sad that as I move on to Chapter 12, I have reached the end of Jesus' public ministry and am standing at the beginning of the passion.  I am really not looking forward to memorizing the next several chapters, but I know that God still has a lot of learning and growing in store for me.  I know that He wants me to do this and I will continue in obedience and pray that He will keep guiding me as I go along.

This Thanksgiving I have more to be thankful for than ever before.

 

 

 

 

Week 31: 10 Chapters and Counting

Day:  216          Verses Memorized:  479          Working On:  Beginning Ch. 11

The John Squad

Please click here to chart your own progress - even though I'm the only one still doing this

 

My Progress:
Ten Chapters down.  Oh yeah!  This experience has been somewhat of a rollercoaster.  Some days, I am thrilled with my achievement and give all the glory to God for allowing me to have this ability and opportunity to treasure His words.  Other days, I am completely overcome with frustration and disappointment.  The voice that started out in the beginning as a whisper is now frequently deafening as it screams constantly in the back of my mind, "pointless, you'll never remember all this, you've already forgotten so much, why bother with this..."  I get angry with myself when I begin to listen to this voice more and more.  I get angry with the enemy for putting stumbling blocks in my path.  And while it pains me deeply to say it, I sometimes get angry with God for not allowing it to be easier.  Nevertheless, I press onward and begin Chapter 11 this week.  I am incredibly intimidated by its length and amount of dialogue.  And as always, I need to spend more time reviewing previous chapters. 

 

Some Thoughts:
Chapter 10 is now right up there as one of my favorites.  Jesus is just so awesome in this chapter.  He talks about His amazing power but in the context of His unfailing love for us.  I love the part where He says, "The reason my father loves me is that I lay down my life - only to take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.  I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again."  I spent a long time meditating on those verses.

This chapter just makes it crystal clear that Jesus willingly chose to lay His life down for us.  He says twice in this chapter that He lays down His life for the sheep.  No matter how many times I practiced or recited these verses, I always had to pause and take a breath for a moment.  These are not words to be glossed over or said quickly for the sake of reviewing a chapter memorized.  These words are the foundation of everything in which I believe.  Jesus laid down His life for me. 

• I'm thankful that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  (Ch. 1)
• I'm thankful that Jesus turns my lousy, tasteless water into sweet and wonderful wine.  (Ch. 2)
• I'm thankful that I will never perish but have everlasting life.  (Ch. 3)
• I'm thankful that He gives me living water so that I shall never be thirsty.  (Ch. 4)
• I'm thankful that He heals me at the pool even when I don't even know I'm broken.  (Ch. 5)
• I'm thankful that He provides me with bread of life so that my spirit will never hunger.  (Ch. 6)
• I'm thankful that He has sent the Holy Spirit to guide me through this life.  (Ch. 7)
• I'm thankful that He forgives my deepest sin and looks on me with love.  (Ch. 8)
• I'm thankful that He opens my blind eyes.  (Ch. 9)

And...

• I'm so thankful that He lays down His life for the sheep.  (Ch. 10)