My Life Verse

For me, reading the Bible, is more than just sitting down and reading a book. It is having a conversation with a Living God. Sometimes the conversation flows easily. Sometimes there are lulls in the talking. Sometimes God is extremely comforting and encouraging! Other times, the conversation gets quite heated.

That is part of what amazes me about finding a life verse. It is often just one sentence or two from the Bible, but throughout every season of life, it speaks to me. It challenges me in unique ways. It encourages me. It reminds my heart to return to Jesus. No matter what I'm going through, God speaks to me through my life verse. Despite that it is written for all people to read, it feels like God wrote it just for me... like he preordained this as the mission statement for just my life.

Hebrews 4:12 puts it this way:

Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

When it comes to life verses, I cheat a little. Mine is a life book: 1 John. I grew up hearing my dad recite the book from memory every Saturday when we drove to church. I could see God working on his heart though it week in and week out, even though the words he recited were always the same. When I became a teenager, I started to sit down and read the book for myself. I cried. It was like God was speaking right to my heart. Now, 15 years later, when I sit down to read 1 John, do you know what happens? I cry. It's like God is speaking right to my heart. Despite how many times I've read it, it's more than an old comforting text, it's living and active. God convicts my heart of sin. God reveals new things to me. God leads my heart closer to Jesus as I'm reminded of who he has called me to be.

My prayer for every person in Washington Cathedral, and every person reading this, is that you would make God's word a bigger part of your relationship with him. That we could all find life verses, memorize them, and allow God to speak to us through them in living and fresh ways.

Pastor Becca

A love you can't resist

Written by Pastor Tim White I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love is genuine.  2 Corinthians 8:8

What an insightful verse.  The Bible has so much to say about love.  God is love (1 John 4:7-8). Love is the greatest (1 Corinthians 13).  You will know you are a Christian if you love your brothers and sisters in Christ (theme of 1 John).  But here the apostle Paul is saying when God’s love really happens it causes a chain reaction, which is unavoidable.  Like an atomic Bomb.  Can you imagine standing next to an atomic bomb blast and someone running up to you exclaiming what happened and you said, “I didn’t notice anything”?  That is ridiculous.  When Christ’s love happens it is unmistakable, it is a love you cannot resist. 

This morning I woke up early.  After I let my dog out, and I was surprised to see my grandson, Elijah, sitting reading on the chair in the family room.  I asked, “Elijah what time did you wake up?  He replied, “Oh, about 7:30.”  “It’s not about 7:30 yet,” I chuckled looking at the clock. He shrugged, “I don't know… All I know is when I tried to wake up my mom and dad they said they were still sleeping.”

Knowing that they are leaving in a week for Dallas, I smiled and asked Elijah if he would like to sneak out for a cinnamon roll with G.P. He thought about it for a moment.  When he responded he told me he would have to ask his mom and dad because he’s not really a sneaky guy.  I teased back, “You're not?”  With a serious look on his face he answered, “I could be, but I have chosen not to be - I think it is just better that way.” So he asked his parents for permission and then we went to get him a cinnamon roll with their blessing.

When we got back Grandma met us at the door and greeted us, “My two boys sure have sparkling eyes.”  We did, Elijah’s eyes were twinkling because we just had a lot of fun.  My eyes are twinkling because I have a grandson who loves his parents so much that he chooses not to be sneaky guy.  The love that he has been taught and shown is unmistakable, unavoidable, indisputable, it is a love you can't resist.

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Lent Devotion: Study

Introduction:

God wants to meet with you this Lent. He wants to come into the ordinary times and places in your life in a holy way, transforming your life. This week’s ordinary space transformation challenge is: Study.

Scripture Reflection:

1 John 4:9-10 (NLT)

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Challenge:

Write down or paint the word "Study" on a rock or piece of paper as your holy reminder. Then choose an ordinary space in your life where you are going to focus on study. Try to practice study one time in that ordinary space your life this week. Then, watch God transform this ordinary space into a holy space for you.

Practice:

Put the word "Study" in an area of your life like your lunchbox, your end table, or fireplace. When you go to eat lunch, before you watch TV, or when you are relaxing by the fireplace, take a moment to read the story of Jesus' death.

As you study God's word, remember that the creator of the universe loved you enough to die for you. This story is the root of our faith.