My Life Verses - Part 1

Something that has had a major impact on my life is the time I spend reading my Bible. When I was racking my brain trying to determine what I would post about this week (I am trying to get a new blog post out every week, not necessarily at any specific point in the week, just some time between every Sunday and Saturday, so hold me accountable.) I found myself searching through my Bible for lessons I have learned recently. I then realized, I should just put a whole bunch of verses that I claim as my life verses. 

My definition of a life verse is any verse that has had a significant impact on the way I live my life. With these life verses, I will be first giving the verse, and then giving a little bit of explainationof  what that verse means to me. Also, as you are probably noticing my title, this is part 1. I called it part 1 for many reasons. The first of which is I do not want my post to be too long, so if I begin to notice it starting to grow to a very excessive length, I will cut it off and continue later. The second reason is that I plan on continuing to add life verses as I continue to live my life, so this list could hypothetically continue until the point in time where I have listed every verse in the Bible.

But enough "seasoning" for one post, lets get on to the "meat and potatoes" of this post:

• "No temptation has overtaken you except that what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so you can endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)

This verse above all else speaks to me that God is always with us. He does not promise us that we will live an easy life, or that we will go without temptation. But he promises us that if we keep our faith in Him, we will be able to endure anything that comes our way.

• "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it.'" Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)

This verse is a great reminder to me that God is always there. Even if we cannot see Him, He is there leading and guiding us. It also implies that we need to listen to what God is telling us, because it is the right way to walk. This verse reaffirms that we as humans still have free will. We have the right to choose whatever we want to do, and through it all God will stick with us and guide us. He will continuing to point us in the correct direction regardless of how much we mess up.

• "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with anyone that is born of the Spirit." John 3:8 (NIV)

This verse reminds me that we cannot have any true knowledge of where our future is leading us. We can be trying to point our lives and choosing our path, but ultimately we do not know where we are going to end up, just like the wind is unpredictable. But, throughout all of our unknowing, God still knows where our life will end up. All that being said, we should let the wind be, we cannot control its speed or direction, we can only try to follow where it is going. We should do the same with our lives, we should not try to control our speed or direction, but interpret where it is that our life is headed when it changes direction.

• (9)"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (10)Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Galatians 6:9-10 (NIV)

I think my understanding of these two verses is much more straightforward. Continue to good and you will be rewarded for your efforts. Whenever you have a chance, do good to all people. Now the tricky part, is when you stop doing good things for the right reasons, and start doing them for the glory that comes from being considered a "good person", you start to do things for the wrong reasons. Being selfish and cocky can turn a good action into a conceited action in an instant.

• (9)"To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: (10)"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. (11)The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: 'God I thank you that I am not like other people - robbers, evildoers,adulterers - or even like this tax collector. (12)I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' (13)But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'GOD, HAVE MERCY ON ME, A SINNER.' (14)I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."" Luke 18:9-14 (NIV)

This passage is very similar to the verses I listed before it. It touches on the subject of the reason why we do the things we do. It shows that even if the things you do in your life are considered "good" things, if you lose track of the reason why you do them or you become selfish in your actions, you will not truly be doing good. I also like that this passage looks at a humble person directly compared to the selfish Pharisee. "GOD, HAVE MERCY ON ME, A SINNER." If that is the attitude that all Christians had in all of their actions, I think the perception of Christians overall would be much better. That phrase, "GOD, HAVE MERCY ON ME, A SINNER." is one that I strive for in my life. It in my opinion is the epitome of humility. It shows that you recognize you are not perfect and do not expect to be perceived as such. I want to live my life in the same manner as the tax collector. Standing at a distance, unable to even raise my head to the heavens, and pounding my hand on my chest, humbling myself before God because I know I am not perfect.

If you have any questions for me, or would just like to discuss something with me, let me know.

Thanks for Reading!

Logan Cullison