Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Three Favorite Scripture Verses

Barb at Suffering with Joy started a blog tag called Three Favorite Scripture Verses. The rules are simple:

1.Write a post on your three favorite verses from the Bible and why you like them.
2. Link back to this post.
3. In your post tag three other bloggers to carry this theme forward, link to you and tag additional bloggers.

My three favorite verses are:

1. "But do you gird your loins; stand up and tell them all that I command you. Be not crushed on their 
     account, as though I would leave you crushed before them."         Jer. 1:17
 This is a verse that God laid on my heart years ago. I knew He was preparing me to do some work
 for Him that a lot of people wouldn't believe nor understand and I was afraid to do what the Lord was asking of me. This verse is like a fire that runs through my veins and even after many years I rely on it
for courage and strength knowing that it is a promise of his own strength to uphold me and I need not worry about my human weakness because He is in charge. I use this verse often on my blog when I am going to give a "word" from Him as in this post  for example (which is even more relevant than ever). Maybe after reading it you can understand why this verse means so much to me. It's not easy obeying the Lord sometimes, especially in these days of unbelief.

2. "He said to them, I AM."              John 18:5
This took place in the Garden of Gethsemane when the soldiers and guards from the chief priests and the Pharisees came to arrest Jesus. The power of this statement made them turn away and fall to the ground
and, to be honest, these words make me want to do the same.  I AM is an Old Testament self-designation  of Yahweh. The Divinity of Jesus is made very clear in this verse. No wonder they fell to the ground!

3. "It is finished"                John 19:30
Jesus' words from the Cross before He died. I meditate on these three words all the time. These words say so much! Jesus completed the task his Father had sent Him for and the salvific work of Christ was done. Here are some beautiful words from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
"It is love 'to the end' that confers on Christ's sacrifice its value as redemption and reparation, as atonement and satisfaction. He knew and loved us all when he offered his life. Now 'the love of Christ controls us, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died.' No man, not even the holiest, was ever able to take on himself the sins of all men and offer himself as a sacrifice for all. The existence in Christ of the divine person of the Son, who at once surpasses and embraces all human persons and constitutes himself as the Head of all mankind, makes possible his redemptive sacrifice for all."

"It is finished".... three of the most beautiful words ever spoken to humankind.

I tag:
Anne at Imprisoned in my Bones
Karin at Daughter of the King
Colleen at Thoughts on Grace

Thanks for the tag Barb! I loved doing this meme!

11 comments:

  1. This is a great idea Mary. I will post mine in a day or two.

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  2. I told Barb the same thing (great idea)! I actually have a ton of favorite verses and my favorites change over time. These three are definitely "up there" on my list though.

    I don't know why my sentences aren't connecting in this post and why there are such big spaces. I tried to fix it but it didn't work. It happened when I left a comment on Barb's blog too. Oh well! It's still readable!

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  3. Thanks for the tag Mary! I'll be very happy to participate, I love these types of MEME's!

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  4. Oh good! I love these types of memes, too! They are simple, scriptural, and beautiful!

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  5. Thank you for your prayers Mary. I love your idea. Blessings to you dear one.

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  6. Mary, that verse from Jeremiah is really powerful and could apply to all Christians witnessing to the Faith. It's a good reminder that God is always in charge and we should not get puffed up with ourselves. Just listen to God and do our job!

    Thanks so much for participating in this meme. As usual, you give me food for thought.

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  7. Colleen,
    Fastest one I ever did too! Loved your scripture choices!

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  8. Hi JBR! Glad to hear from you, my friend :) I hope you are doing well!

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  9. Barb,
    Yes, that's why I love it so much. It reminds us that God is always in control and we need not worry about the work He gives us to do because, as you say, He's the one in charge!

    I loved this meme, Barb! Thanks for the tag! I wish people would do more memes like this one. God bless!

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  10. What impresses me about this tag exercise is how the Bible speaks differently to so many people.

    I like reading, and learning, from other peoples' choices of favorite passages.

    Thanx Mary. God bless you.

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  11. Victor,
    I like reading about other peoples' choices and thoughts on their favorite scriptures, too. It gives me a chance to view it through someone else's eyes and it builds up our faith. God bless you too, Victor!

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