We all have our favourite
verses. Some of them we love because they’re comforting. Others we may have
memorized for that extra boost of confidence or encouragement they provide when
we really need it.
But here are five verses that I
believe would absolutely change our lives – for the better – if we really
believed them.
1. Matthew
10:37 – “Anyone who loves their
father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son
or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
When it comes to the sayings of
Jesus, this is one I wish wasn’t in the Bible. And I’m not alone in that. I’ve
heard many young moms ask me how they can love Jesus more than their own child.
And furthermore, how could God actually expect them to? Yet Jesus wasn’t
suggesting that we be negligent in our concern for others. Nor was He merely
suggesting that we like Him a lot. He was commanding total allegiance. The Son
of God who became our Saviour demands and deserves to be first place in our
hearts.
I believe He was fleshing out
the “first and greatest commandment” when He said this, and showing us what it
looks like in our lives to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”(Mark
12:30). If we really believed Jesus when He said we must love Him
more than our own parents and children – more than what is closest and dearest
to our hearts – our lives would look radically different in how we honour Him,
sacrifice for Him, and show a daily love and devotion toward Him.
2. Romans
8:28-29 –
“All things work together for good, for those who are called according to his
purpose…”
Here’s one we love to quote,
especially the first part of the verse. But when we look at the entire verse,
along with verse 29 – “For those whom he foreknew he also
predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…” (ESV) –
we get the bigger picture of what God is doing in the lives of believers when
we encounter struggles. In the NASB translation, we discover that “God causes all things to work together for good” in
order to make us more like Christ. When we truly believe that God not only
works in, but causes events
in our lives to conform us to Christ’s character, we will no longer doubt,
worry, stress, or become anxious when hard times hit us. We will instead rest
assured that God is at work in every situation in our lives to make us more
like His Son and nothing – absolutely nothing – takes Him by surprise.
3. Galatians
2:20 – “I have been crucified
with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live
in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself
for me.”
If you and I really considered
ourselves crucified with Christ and our motto was “I no longer live, but Christ
lives in me” we’d be much less concerned about our personal image or reputation
and we’d be all about Him and His concerns. When we truly die to self, we no
longer worry about whether or not we’re getting respect for who we are and what
we do. We wouldn’t be bothered by misunderstandings that cast us in a bad
light, situations that are to our disadvantage, circumstances that humiliate
us, jobs that are beneath us, or rumours that are untrue. Being crucified with
Christ means His name is my name. I can live knowing He’s got my back because
it’s His back.
That must be what Christ meant when He said, “whoever loses their life for me will find
it” (Matthew
16:25, NIV).
4. Philippians
4:13 – “I
can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” How we
love this verse because it appears to be a victory chant for our ability to do
anything. We perceive it as God wants me to prosper, therefore I can do
all things. But in context, the Apostle Paul was saying he has
learned to live in whatever circumstance God put him in. “For I have learned to be content in whatever
circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know
how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the
secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering
need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (verses
11-13, NASB).
Are you wondering if you can
live on your meagre salary? Is God calling you to a ministry and you don’t know
how to fund it? Are you wondering how you will persevere in your physical
condition or continued diagnosis? This verse is an assurance to us that as we
surrender to Christ, He will enable us to live in whatever circumstances He has
called us. Next time you start to think I just can’t live like this remember
you can also do all
things (even endure your situation) through Him who gives you
strength.
5. James
1:2-4 – “Consider it pure joy…
whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of
your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you
may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” One of the most difficult
struggles for believers is understanding why we have to struggle at all. Yet
this verse packs a promise. Our testing and trials produce in us perseverance,
which in turn results in our maturity and completion. In the NASB, we are told
that the endurance learned through suffering will make us “perfect and complete, lacking in
nothing.” Isn’t that what we strive for? To be perfect as
Christ is? Yet we can’t without His help. God’s Word tells us, straight-out,
that we can be perfected in Christ Jesus when we not only endure our difficult
situations, but when we actually consider them joy. If you and I really
believed this, we’d be much happier at the things that continually bring us
down. We’d be joyful, knowing we were on our way to maturity and completion in
Christ.
What do you think? Are you ready to start
really believing these verses and living differently? The choice is
yours.
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