Favorite Passages in Scripture
I heard the phrase "life verse" for the first time the other day. I guess it is the habit of attaching yourself to a Bible verse and making it your own, or adopting a verse as your personal motto to write on your white board or put as your Myspace headline or something, Well, I do not have a life verse, but it got me thinking about the verses in the Bible that seem to linger longer than most in my head, and I thought it might be a good idea to list some of them and think about what they mean to me.
"His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die." He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. (Job 2:9-10)
That question that Job asks his wife always resonates with me: "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" So often when bad things happen in our life, we have a tendency to blame God, and when good things happen, we praise him. The implication of this kind of thinking is that God is centered around us and working for our benefit all of the time, and that is simply not the case. Bad things come from God just as good things do, and when it hits the fan, this verse always reminds me that God is at work no matter what. The trouble in my life could be a punishment for my own sins, part of a lesson God is trying to teach me, a test, or even the byproduct of God's blessing on someone else. Job's own story shows that God is just in the end, and his action, whatever their effect on us, are perfect. This verse always helps me to keep that in mind.
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31)
There are two things I like about this passage. The first is the obvious meaning of the passage - that God, who controls every aspect of the world down to the smallest sparrow, knows me more than I know myself and will always be there to provide for me. The second is the tone of the whole passage. It's so casual and friendly that I feel like if I c lose my eyes I can really picture Jesus speaking these words to a crowd of people. I can imagine him pointing out a sparrow in a tree, making his comments, and smiling to the people as he says "you are worth more than many sparrows." Passages like this, where Jesus sounds less like a writer of proverbs and more like a friend in conversation, make him seem real to me.
Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take whatever pleases him and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. O king, Araunah gives all this to the king." Araunah also said to him, "May the LORD your God accept you." But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." (2 Samuel 24: 22-24)
This passage helps me to look at my life and think "What are my sacrifices costing me?" How far out of my way do I go to do something for God? This passage is a constant reminder to me that I can not be a lazy Christian, and that if I am going to serve God, it will cost me something, and I should be more than willing to give up whatever is required.
Matthew 5, 6, and 7
These three chapters are too long to list, but these verses, commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount, are some of the most powerful in the whole Bible. Every time I read them I am challenged to live a Christ-like life in the fullest sense, to take my faith and live it out in my daily interactions with people, in what I support, in what I say, in what I do, and in what I think. If people lived out these verses here, we'd have a lot less problems in the world, which is why it's at least important to try.
Those are the passages that come to mind at the moment. I'm sure I'll post more as they come to me.
"His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die." He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. (Job 2:9-10)
That question that Job asks his wife always resonates with me: "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" So often when bad things happen in our life, we have a tendency to blame God, and when good things happen, we praise him. The implication of this kind of thinking is that God is centered around us and working for our benefit all of the time, and that is simply not the case. Bad things come from God just as good things do, and when it hits the fan, this verse always reminds me that God is at work no matter what. The trouble in my life could be a punishment for my own sins, part of a lesson God is trying to teach me, a test, or even the byproduct of God's blessing on someone else. Job's own story shows that God is just in the end, and his action, whatever their effect on us, are perfect. This verse always helps me to keep that in mind.
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31)
There are two things I like about this passage. The first is the obvious meaning of the passage - that God, who controls every aspect of the world down to the smallest sparrow, knows me more than I know myself and will always be there to provide for me. The second is the tone of the whole passage. It's so casual and friendly that I feel like if I c lose my eyes I can really picture Jesus speaking these words to a crowd of people. I can imagine him pointing out a sparrow in a tree, making his comments, and smiling to the people as he says "you are worth more than many sparrows." Passages like this, where Jesus sounds less like a writer of proverbs and more like a friend in conversation, make him seem real to me.
Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take whatever pleases him and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. O king, Araunah gives all this to the king." Araunah also said to him, "May the LORD your God accept you." But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." (2 Samuel 24: 22-24)
This passage helps me to look at my life and think "What are my sacrifices costing me?" How far out of my way do I go to do something for God? This passage is a constant reminder to me that I can not be a lazy Christian, and that if I am going to serve God, it will cost me something, and I should be more than willing to give up whatever is required.
Matthew 5, 6, and 7
These three chapters are too long to list, but these verses, commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount, are some of the most powerful in the whole Bible. Every time I read them I am challenged to live a Christ-like life in the fullest sense, to take my faith and live it out in my daily interactions with people, in what I support, in what I say, in what I do, and in what I think. If people lived out these verses here, we'd have a lot less problems in the world, which is why it's at least important to try.
Those are the passages that come to mind at the moment. I'm sure I'll post more as they come to me.
Labels: Christianity
posted by Matt Andrews at 10:35 AM
1 comments
