For this week, I am going to step away from our study of I John for one week. Lord willing, we will resume our study of I John next week. It seems that just when you think things are going well something terrible comes and knocks you down again. That's what happened to me this week. It takes a lot of faith and trust in God just to get through the day.
This week, I'd like to share with you some of my favorite verses from the Bible.
Proverbs 12:10--"Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast."-- This verse is important to me because it shows the importance God places on animals. For most of my life, animals have been my only true friends. Many of you know that my best friend was Toby.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we should be concerned for animal welfare. The way animals are treated by some makes me sick. Many dogs and cats are abused and abandoned every year. Other animals are hunted for sport even endangered species. This passage make it clear that God considers a person to be unrighteous if that person doesn't treat animals correctly. A good person treats animals with consideration.
Psalm 50:10--"For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills."-- This passage makes it clear that animals belong to God. So often I here that since man has been given dominion over the earth he can do whatever he wants with the natural world including animals. This verse says otherwise. God created animals just as He created mankind. When we harm animals we are destroying part of the creative work of God.
Psalm 130-- This is one of my favorite Psalms. When I was in college, I sang in the college choir. One of the pieces we performed was a musical arrangement of Psalm 130 by John Rutter. The music was beautiful, as so much of Rutter's work is. This Psalm speaks about calling out to the Lord in the midst of the darkest times. It reminds me of the fact that the Lord hears us when we call upon His name.
Isaiah 55:1--"Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."-- This fantastic verse reminds me that salvation is available to anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord. We cannot earn salvation. The living water provided by Christ is freely given to anyone who come to Him in repentance and faith.
Isaiah 65:17--"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind."-- This verse means a lot to me because it speaks about the fact that one day all things will be made new. When Jesus returns and establishes His kingdom upon the earth, all of the former things such as sin, pain and disease will be done away with. All of the painful memories will be washed away in the glorious presence of the eternal king.
Matthew 8:1-4-- In this passage, a leper comes to Jesus and asks Jesus to heal him. Jesus touched the leper, and the man was completely healed. I came to this verse time and time again when I suffered from a bad skin ailment. I wasn't drawn to the passage because the man in the story was healed. I was touched by the fact that Jesus reached out and touched the leper. In Jesus day, this would have been shocking. Lepers were considered unclean. But Jesus identified with and cared about the hurting people in the world. He ministered to those whom society had rejected. The people of the world may reject you, and friends may turn away, but Jesus is always there with His outstretched hand.
John 11:25--" Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. Whosoever believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."-- Of all the verses in the Bible, this is my favorite. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Because Jesus died and rose again, those who are in Christ need not fear death. When my parents passed away, this verse helped to bring me through the bad times. Both of my parents knew Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Even though they are gone, I know that they are alive in the presence of the Lord Jesus at this very moment. Because Jesus lives, I will be reunited with my parents some day. Glory be to the name of Jesus.
Acts 2:45--" And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need." -- This verse describes the practice of the early church. They helped each other out. If somebody needed something, the other members of the church helped them out. This is how it should be today. Members of the body of Christ should be there to help each other out. Unfortunately, this usually isn't the case. When religious people complain about the government being involved in providing welfare and help to people, they should ask themselves if they and their church are following the example of the earliest followers of Christ.
Hebrews 13:8-- " Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."-- Jesus doesn't change. We can read about Jesus in the Bible and know that just as He was in the Scripture, so is He today. He keeps His promises. He will always be with us.
These are just a few of my favorite verses. I hope that you will read them and ponder their meaning for you life. Amen.
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