Having a favorite means nothing

We all have a favorite bible verse.
For some it could be as simple as John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
For others it could be one of the many stories from the Old Testament from Noah to Moses to Daniel.
And even others have a verse that they can recite from memory they call their favorite.
As for those, the most popular has to be Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
And most of us have a few favorite verses that we always turn to. For me, it is Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
There is no problem with have a favorite verse.
But is there.
For most of us, our favorite verse might just be one that has been told to us time and time again and when we are with Christian friends and they ask do you read the bible? We respond with that verse. We might never have read the bible, or maybe haven’t picked one up since our youth. And for the context the verse is in, don’t ask because most people can not name the five words before or the five words after their so called favorite verse.
It is so bad, that a study a few years ago asked Christians if they knew what John 3:16 is. Almost 99% did and almost all of them got the verse right within a word or two. But when asked if they knew what John 3:15 or 3:17 said, just 6 percent got that right.
And that is the problem with having a favorite verse.
IT becomes like a story we have been told or a television episode we saw.
We can recall it, we can recite it but we really don’t know what it means or where it stands.
Having a favorite bible verse is like muscle memory to most Christians – they have said it over and over it becomes second nature.
And when that happens, the Word of God loses its impacts and becomes a catch phrase – instead of saying “You got it dude,” we say “Be Still and know that I am God.” And over time, we forget what the verse means.
So instead of having a favorite verse, try something knew – get a life verse.
What is a life verse?
A life verse is a verse from the bible that is your go to. It is the verse that best describes your walk and your faith. It is a verse that you completely understand. A verse you try to live every day, and even more important, a verse you turn to when you need strength or wisdom.
And finding one is not as easy as it sounds.
Finding a life verse means reading the bible with an open heart and allowing God to speak to you.
He will tell you when you find your life verse, you will not tell Him.
And, like in my case, it might become your verse before you even need it.
Months before I had my life verse moment, I had read the book of Job. And then one night, when things were going wrong, a verse I read months ago came into my head.
That verse?
Job 23:10.
“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.”
So what does this mean?
This verse has three statements of faith in just 19 words. The last time so many few words made such a statement, Abraham Lincoln was speaking in Gettysburg.
First, it says that no matter what God is with us.
It then says that God will test us.
And lastly it says, that we will come out of those tests better than we were. We will be golden.
Whenever life throws me a curveball, I turn to Job 23:10. I am reminded that God is with me, and what is going on is just a test and when I come out of it I will be better.
This verse fits into my life perfectly.
And that is what a life verse does.
A life verse is not one we go around and quote to our Christian friends to show them that we knew the bible.
A life verse is something we recite in our darkest moments or in our hour of need to keep us focused on what is more important – and that is God.
When we focus on our life verse, our prayer life becomes better and thus our relationship with God improves.
And that is what we need as Christians.
It is time to delve into the bible. It is time to go away from our responses when asked what our favorite is and start living through His word.
Favorites come and go, but when we live our life by His word and turn to His word when we are down and in need, that is when we truly become golden.

So what is your life verse?