Thursday, October 30, 2008

Favorite Verses and Life Verses

Many of us, in telling the story of our lives with the Bible, talk about a first verse or a key verse. I talk about my three all the time. They are:

Psalm 118:14 - "The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."
2 Timothy 1:7 - "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."
Isaiah 26:3 - "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."

I think the idea of a key verse can help more people connect to the Bible. If someone doesn't read the Scriptures at all or regularly, ask him or her to locate a favorite verse and get back to you with it. The search process will be valuable and help them establish a permanent footing with the Scriptures. So, what's your favorite verse or life verse?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

This is the verse I found to be what Christianity means. I try and live by this verse with God's grace. to understand Christ's wisdom and knowledge will give me the joy and peace of God in order to make God tangible to me because I will find Him in my heart more and be a better witness.

Anonymous said...

I don't really have a "favorite" verse, too many choices. Then there are those which I really don't like (that whole chapter on submission for instance) but convict my spirit in such a way that I just know the Lord has once again injected Himself into my safe little reality to encourage me, to challenge me and draw me closer to Him.

My life verse would be Micah 6:8:
"He has told you, O man, what is good;and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
(ESV, favorite version today)

It shows me that God Himself tells me things, He outlines what is required of me in my relations with others and society in general, and with my God. How cool is that the Creator, the "Divine Other" tells me that He is my God. Not some distant petulant Being but my own with whom I am to walk, I am not to stand in the distance wondering if I am to be hit with a lightning bolt. Instead I am to walk with my loving God being mindful of who is creature and who is Creator. It doesn't get better than that.