My Life Verse

On Monday, I mentioned that as a class assignment I was asked to choose a life verse. I listed some of the verses that others had chosen, and some of you responded by asking what verse I had chosen.

I will confess that I had difficulty with this assignment. The Bible is full of guidance and comfort, and I have a hard time choosing one verse and fashioning my life around it. There have been instances in Christian culture where someone wrote a book about one verse or concept that swept through the community like wildfire (think, Prayer of Jabez or The Shack). People jump on a bandwagon, there is a lot of press and buzz, and then its over and gone. While I am not saying there is anything wrong with these books or movements, we do better to build our lives on the whole of scripture, rather than on one verse or passage that is often taken out of context.

That being said, I love the Word of God. I love studying it, praying it, and holding it close. While it was difficult to narrow it down to just one, the verse that I seem to come back to over and over again in my life is 2 Peter 1:3-4:

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. Through these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that you may participate in the divine nature, and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

He has given us everything we need for life and godliness. Not, he will give, but he HAS given. Rather than exist in death and defeat, we have been given everything we need for life. We have this through knowledge of him.

Not only that, but because of his glory and excellence we also have his promises. Simply because of who he is, we can trust his words and have confidence in the future he promised. We can believe the rest of scripture because of the nature of Jesus. We can have complete confidence in the written Word because of the Word that spoke.

As if that isn’t enough, by believing in these promises, we participate in the divine nature. God lives within us, remakes us into the likeness of his Son, letting us become like him. Rather than live in slavery to sin, we can escape by being like Jesus.

These two verses overwhelm me. I have been given everything I will ever need to be a participant in the nature of the God who is holy, who is Creator, who is Savior. I am also left without excuse. God has given me everything I need. It is up to me to get to know him, to know his nature. I can only do that in relationship with him, through prayer and study of the Bible. He has granted me the promises, and it is up to me to know what they are.

 This was not one of the more popular life verses chosen by my class. Its not one of the more well-loved passages that are quoted so often by long time believers. For me, it is the heart of the gospel. Because of Jesus, I have everything.