In the past I
have shared several verses that are close to my heart and that I use
often. Thought it was time to point you
to some of the same verses and a few more.
How these verses qualify as ones close to me is by
some of these qualities:
--- God brings them to my heart often.
--- I learned them when I was young, and they stick
with me.
--- It speaks to the heart and actions of people I
meet often.
--- Particular verses are popular with people and
found on walls of homes.
--- Anything else that makes it important to me.
With that said let’s get to the point. Following are verses I use often and maybe a
hint of why. I pray these will encourage
you or inspire you or make you think:
Set your mind on the things above, not
on the things that are on earth.
I memorized that one as a teenager when I was leaning
how to deal with lust and pride.
Be anxious for nothing, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God. And the peace of God,
which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus.
Many
times as a young adult these verses came to me as Bible promises and kept my
mind and heart straight ahead on the path God put me on.
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.
I believe
the first time I read these verses was when a friend was moving out of town, a
friend I cared for much. She and a
couple others in our youth group would leave notes in my Bible, and this one
stuck out.
And my God will supply all your needs
according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Needing
stuff and needing stuff to happen starts early in life. This was one of the first verses I remember
hearing some one quote.
The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire
wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding.
As a kid
Proverbs stuck out for a few reasons, but as I began to be a pastor one of my
mentors pointed out the power of the wisdom in Proverbs for each day.
'Call to Me and I will answer you, and
I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'
Prayer is
a big deal. As of late I have shared the
importance of #STOPandPRAY when you see a need or when you are asked to pray.
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him
ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be
given to him.
This has been my life verses for almost
24 years. I sign letters with it. I quote it often. It remains truth that I have to cling to.
He will be like a tree firmly planted
by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not
wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.
I love the picture of the tree firmly
planted. At one point in ministry in my
family life there were many trees in front of our home. They would bloom in the spring and be so pretty. They stood as some sort of barrier, and they
were also consistent and strong.
That is enough for now, but I give you
two last verses. They were quoted above
but in a different translation. Read
them. Think hard about them. I bet you may even get a chance to share this
with some one very soon.
Don’t worry about anything; instead,
pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has
done. Then you will experience God’s
peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your
hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
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