For those of you who are NEW to our weekly newsletter… WELCOME… I’m super glad that you’ve signed up to receive our weekly devotional and updates on ALL things GENESIS.
And for those of you who faithfully open this Newsletter week after week to stay connected with ALL things GENESIS, THANK YOU!!
For the past many months, I’ve been sharing with you some of my thoughts, ideas, and prayers stemming from my journal. If you’d like to look back at any previous entries, you can find those HERE.
For today, I wanted to share with you an answer to a question a good friend asked me just last night…
“Michael, what is your favorite Bible verse?”
Just so you know, that’s not an easy question; after all, there are 31,103 Bible verses to choose from and picking just one, well, not an easy task.
I’m not sure how you’d answer that question, but I have MANY favorite Bible verses, passages, and go-to stories within the Scriptures. And just so you know, it’s a good thing to have a few ‘go-to’ verses, passages, and stories to help you navigate the many seasons of life we have to traverse.
So, I could not narrow it down to one, so I shared with my friend two verses that I find myself coming back to time and time again… one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament.
From the book of Jeremiah…
This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Jeremiah 6:16 (NLT)
And from the book of Acts…
“But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”
Acts 20:24 (NLT)
I could say much about these two verses, but for the sake of this devotional, I’ll keep it super simple…
GOD IS AN INVITATIONAL GOD
As I sit with Jeremiah 6, I’m reminded that when I say ‘yes’ to the invitation of God to walk with Him on His path… my soul will rest well.
And maybe like you, I know all too well what it’s like to have a soul plagued with fear, anxiety, worry, and hurt… and that’s not good.
Jeremiah 6 reminds me of God’s heart for me… for you. He wants you and I to experience His presence along His path that leads to rest.
This does not mean that life will be free of pain, suffering, and hardship, but it does mean that none of those things will rob you or I of a soul that can rest well as we walk with God along His path… even when the path has ‘hard things’ for us to walk through.
GOD IS A GOD FULL OF GRACE
I did not always think about God like that.
To be honest, years back I would have said, ‘God is a God full of disappointment.’ And the sole reason I ‘assumed’ that of God was because of my many, many sins and selfish tendencies. For a long time, I just lived under the ‘assumption’ that God’s posture towards me was one of constantly being disappointed in me.
Just so you know… THAT’S NOT TRUE!
God is NOT disappointed in me.
God is NOT disappointed in you.
God is a God who is FULL OF GRACE! And Acts 20:24 not only reminds me of this amazing truth, but it’s shaped what I want my life to be about. If I can just help one more person experience and encounter the GRACE OF GOD, then that is the life I will joyfully give myself over to.
Two verses… are they my absolute favorite verses in ALL the Bible? Well, they were last night, they are today, and they have been for some time. I LOVE ALL of God’s Word, but these two verses have helped shape my walk with God and who I’m becoming along the path.
What about you… do you have a go-to verse… a favorite verse? If you’d like to share that with me, I’d love to know what it is. Better yet, share that one (or two) verse(s) with the people in your life. Whether you post that verse on a social media platform, or you text some of your family and friends what that verse is, take a moment to let others know what that verse is and how God is using that verse to shape you and your walk with Him.
To my friend who asked me last night, ‘What’s your favorite Bible verse?’ Well, thanks for asking! Being able to share that with you reminded me to write these TRUTHS in my journal…
GOD IS AN INVITATIONAL GOD
and…
GOD IS A GOD FULL OF GRACE
