Of course, these verses aren't actually from 2008. They were written nearly 2000 years ago. But they fed my soul in 2008, and I wanted to write about something more substantive than current music.
So I flipped through the pages of my journal to find the verses that had the greatest effect in teaching me, reproving me, correcting me, and training me in righteousness. In some ways, this seems silly. Pick any eight verses, and you could make a case for why those eight verses are valuable for the Christian life. But here are eight that fed my soul in 2008:
8. 2 Timothy 2:8. "Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel..."
This simple command has stuck with me this year, reminding me to make Jesus Christ and his work central in everything I do.
7. Proverbs 29:25. "The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe."
Helping me in the on-going battle with fear of man. This verse will be on my top five list the rest of my life.
6. Psalm 141:5. "Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it."
Because I'm still learning to love correction.
5. Psalm 37:3-6. "Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
Nicole encouraged me with these verses during a trial. Helped me to "trust and obey."
4. Colossians 3:23-24. "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."
One of the Scriptural foundations for "Do Hard Things."
3. 2 Corinthians 5:9. "So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him."
A simple desire to please God in all of life.
2. Mark 15:24. "And they crucified him... "
As we preached our way through the gospel of Mark, this brief, climactic verse floored me.
1. 1 Corinthians 4:1. "This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God."
Mark gave me this verse at my
ordination in April. It has shaped how I think about my role as a pastor and as a Christian.
What about you? What verses had a significant effect on your soul this year?
Coming up:
12/30: Eight Great Sermons From 2008
12/31: Nine Resolutions For 2009
1/1: Ten Questions For 2010
Posted on
Monday, December 29, 2008
by Steve Whitacre