Yes, Moviegoer, all that makes sense, particularly the first paragraph where you described that "expectation" and then being freed from same by engaging in memorization ... I've had the same experience. Profound thanks.
I just want to add to TheMoviegoer, I didn't even think to congratulate you on the 67 - 72% in the three sections of 1 Peter chapter 1. Well done! and we look forward to hearing more about it in the future.
(I say "dear" because you are both, after all, brothers in Christ, as fellow believers in Jesus Christ)
I read Moviegoer with great interest what you wrote, and thank you for your insights.
I appreciate that you mentioned, TMG, the tense understandings; I myself am trying to go slower in my own process here, and to notice more what is going on in the Greek.
For example, Luke 11:8. NASB uses the word "persistence". King James says, "importunity". ESV says "impudence", the NIV says "shameless audacity", in translating the Greek word, ἀναίδειαν, anaideian, which in the original Greek meant "shamelessness".
There is a broader lesson which Jesus is teaching us here regarding being persistent in prayer. (I'd strongly advise any who read this to read the whole passage in context). But anyway, I am trying to go a bit slower and to learn such lessons from the Greek or from commentaries, Bible teachers, etc.
I want to comment about the 80 verses of Chapter 1 of Luke: I began working on those sometime in the hazy past. I don't remember for sure what year it was, but it was well before I started this journey 3 months ago.
At the time I broke it up into maybe 4 or 5 passages, and that's how I did it. Now many of them are at 100%, and most of the rest are in the high or mid-90s.
HOWEVER, if a person breaks everything into smaller passages, it's also ideal to accompany that with moments when you rehearse or repeat or practice the entire chapter as a whole, to keep your feel of the whole chapter -- or to simply read using an old fashioned book, the whole chapter -- to keep the feel of the whole chapter in your mind and soul.
I wish to reflect a bit more on the Gospel of Luke. I'm treasuring this journey through Luke specifically as a person in my late 60s. As one gets older, you simply begin to think more, "Well, mathematically speaking, it's simply logical that the moment of meeting Jesus is much nearer than before". One becomes more confronted with the actual reality of that fact. For that reason I truly treasure so much, the words of Jesus in Luke. I treasure too all of Luke's intervening narrative, every word. But the words of our Lord Himself -- that one whom we will all meet -- and now here I will refer to Final Asgard's memorized epistle, Philippians -- Paul says there that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (See Philippians 2:10-11).
I love our Lord Jesus, and I look forward very much to being in His presence in heaven. Pie in the Sky bye-and-bye? No, not in my opinion. I need to be more heavenly minded, I think, in order to be more earthly good (Colossians 3:2, set your mind on the things above)
As an old man, I am also long-winded LOL. Thank you for permitting me to take this liberty and share my long thoughts. Love our Lord and be devoted to Him.
Well I agree with FinalAsgard and also offer my good wishes and prayers for you as you start Romans! I'm wondering too, is the "joshua19" in your username, does it mean Joshua 1:9?
JDJDJD, I'll put on my to-do list to create a new blog post with screenshots of my spreadsheet, showing the review queue, and try to explain using the screnshots how it all works.
But I'll do all that in a new post here on LSN (with a link to the blog). This one now has 31 replies, I suppose it's time to draw it to a close LOL.
But I thank everyone for their very encouraging words!
Thank you FinalAsgard. The proof is in the pudding, as they say. I've got to keep going.
I think I will make my next report in three months, on 5 November, and in a new post, since this one now has 29 replies :) Today I've been thinking, since this will take years to complete -- a quarterly report seems more suitable.
thank you for the comments. It's necessary to invest some time into designing and building the spreadsheet (I use Google Sheets), but once that is done, entering new data and sorting, etc., are not actually all that time consuming. I find it to be very beneficial.
Yes, it would be great if some better tracking mechanisms could be built into the site itself.
I will just add, that one reason I try to limit the number of verses to ten to fifteen, is this: often, if it's a passage I don't know so well, I immediately hit the back button on my browser when I'm done and review it again, and perhaps even three times. If the passage is longer, there seems to be less value to doing that (at least for me, maybe my mind is just old)
Also for me, it's a bit of a psychological barrier. If I get up in the morning and see that I have four passages of 15 verses due that day, it's achieveable in my mind. But if I have three passages due of 45 verses each ... that's a little tougher to overcome.
Using my spreadsheet I can also easily postpone a passage to the next day, if I need to. By sorting my spreadsheet, I can then easily see which passages I didn't get to the previous day.
Thank you to the three of you for your encouraging words :)
My passages are generally, if possible, ten to fifteen verses; but they might be a little longer if necessary. I try not to have passages longer than twenty verses.
Yes Moviegoer, often I follow the breaks in my printed Bible, but not always :)
That's really great, a very important badge I think. Consistency in our spiritual lives is so very important. Congratulations also on the three million.
Congratulations! I pray that as you memorize, you will also meditate on the Lord, on who He is, what His character is like, how much He love us, and upon His many other attributes.
I pray the same for myself. Lord, help us to keep our focus directly upon You. Grant that we may walk with You, every day and every moment, 100%. Hebrews 12:2
Nice to see :) I really love the Gospel of John. But then again, I also like Luke very very much, and also ... well, it's hard to choose! The Word of God is so precious.
Well, thank you for sharing. Keep on muddling through! :) I'd suggest, spend a few days or a week repeating chapter 1 every day or a couple of times a day, even though it's not on your review queue, to get it firmly into your memory again :)
JDJDJD, good morning, and thank you for sharing that. It's very moving. It's quite a testimony about her, that "she never complained during her illness". May I Lord Jesus, be less of a complainer and more thankful towards You. I look forward very much to meeting her in person someday just as I also do other believers whom I've known, who've gone on to be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:17.