Friday, May 16, 2014

Favorite

Pick my favorite Bible verse?! "Pick your favorite verse and tag others blah blah..." I'm not very good at picking favorites. I like many things. Sure I like some things more than other things, but often my favorite book (currently "This Present Darkness") or movie (currently "Wall-E") or artist (currently "House of Heroes") or song (currently "House of God Forever") or food (currently French Fries, but I could possibly substitute them for anything grilled or smoked or slathered in wheat) is dependent on the season or my mood. Goodness, I sound like my sister. Lately tagging friends to do an activity has been all the rage on Facebook. It started with the Polar Plunge, which was ostensibly for raising money for cancer treatment and PLEASE HELP THE BABIES but was really more to see all of your friends get completely drenched in icy water and chuckle from the comfort of your Cozy Computer Chair. (I'm not sure where you find yourself at this moment, but I have stationed a lay-z-boy in front of my computer.) This newest trend has been far more spiritual and far less wet: "Share your favorite Bible verse." My brother Shane nominated me, sharing some fantastic verses of his own. It was only fair, I suppose, since I nominated Shane for the Polar Plunge.

It'll be a piece of cake! They said.




Okay, no problem, right? Well, actually yes problem. I've found myself in the midst of an incredible journey and a lot of verses have been speaking to me through it all. There are several verses that I enjoy any time of the year, but God has given me a fresh understanding of several passages thanks to the things I've been experiencing lately, and that understanding has threatened to overthrow those verses that long held the spot of "Most Favorite". Some of these revelations and concepts span entire chapters, not just a tidy little phrase that pegs all of my hopes, dreams, and Christian values into one thought-provoking verse. I do have a few of those that I often turn to.

Like Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Like I John 5:4 - "
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."

Yes indeed, excellent verses. But as I have seen my possessions get snatched and my brother graduate and my brother-in-law's business burn to the ground and the Holy Spirit move through my church in a raw way and my friends get married and my plans, hopes, and dreams get broken and replaced with far better plans, hopes and dreams from the Master... entire passages have spoken to me in new ways. In 2 Corinthians 5 it speaks about walking by faith, not by sight.
In Galatians 4, Paul exults that we would be slaves under the Law but thanks to Jesus' suffering and sacrifice, we have been adopted as sons and daughters.
In Isaiah chapters 40 to 66, there is a fresh breath of hope amidst desolation.

A month ago, I attended a Secret Church online simulcast coordinated by David Platt. I would love to meet that man of God in person someday, but it was wonderful to tune in with 60,000 people worldwide and get deluged with Biblical truth for six straight hours. One of the points he hammered on during those six short hours was that we should really consider adding regular fasting to our lives, much like prayer and worship. Another point he stressed is that we must treasure God's word and really dive into it. So when my friends mentioned they were going to try to read the entire Bible in a week, I jumped on that bandwagon faster than a teenaged boy at a potluck. I informed the group that a week was entirely too short, so they consented to lengthening the deadline to two weeks. I also confessed that I wouldn't have time to read ten hours of Bible a day, so I'd be listening to an Audiobook version. I downloaded the free "Spoken Word" app on my phone and hopped to it.

Now, many people might try to tell you that Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible, but that particular chapter practically RACED on by in comparison to a few chapters in Numbers and Jeremiah. Also racing were the days of the assignment, and by the time Week 2 was finished, I was far from Revelation 22. In fact, on the sunset of Week 4, I'm in Ephesians. I plan to finish the Bible, even though the deadline has passed. It has been an incredible experience cramming the Bible into a short span of time. Clearly, there is just no way to comprehend it all or remember everything, but it does a great job of giving the big picture. God has often timed it perfectly to encourage or chastise me at the exact moments I needed to be inspired or admonished. Like
Shawn:
"Maaan the future is looking pretty awful."
Abba Father: OH? LISTEN UP CHILD. I AUTHORED ISAIAH, NEHEMIAH, AND DANIEL. SPOILER ALERT: I TAKE CARE OF MY KIDS.
Shawn: "Oh my life is awful and woe is me."
Abba Father: IS THAT SO! WELL GUESS WHAT BOOK FOLLOWS ESTHER? TEE HEE IT'S THE BOOK OF JOB. GO AHEAD AND FEEL SORRY FOR YOURSELF AFTER READING THAT. DON'T WORRY, I'LL WAIT. 


Never before had I compacted the Old Testament and New Testament into such a short span of time. The striking differences contrasting Religion and Relationship have jumped out at me and grabbed me by the neck. I strongly recommend this exercise for anyone. The Bible can be listened to in roughly 70 hours, so it's totally doable in a month.

After much deliberation and consternation, I was left thinking, "to choose a favorite verse is to say that I like the other verses less." and that's just not the truth. That's just a crafty cop-out to keep from choosing a meaningful verse. No cop-outs for me. No retreating from the wind-whipped bank moments before the Polar Plunge. Lately, the verse thundering through my mind day and night, morning and evening, has been 2 Timothy 1:7

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

Such an amazing contrast! God says "You may have the spirit of fear, which brings powerlessness and loathing and a mind that resembles a scrambled egg, OR you may have my Spirit, which freely provides an unlimited supply of power, love, and clear thinking."
I choose Your Spirit, Jesus.

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