My Favorite Bible Verse

To me, choosing your favorite Bible verse is a lot like choosing your favorite child.  You love all of them, but for different reasons. And yes, sometimes some of them get on your nerves.

I grew up in a church where we memorized creeds, not scripture, read our prayers out of the book of prayer.  I was in my early 20’s when I joined my first Bible study. There one of the members asked for prayer to find a babysitter, as she was returning to work after the birth of her child.  Feeling certain that there is no prayer for a baby sitter in the book of prayers, I asked her, “Are you sure we allowed to pray for that?”  She shared with me what became my favorite Bible verse, Philippians 4:6 which says, “in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

As I learned more about God as the parent I never had, I came to love 1 Peter 5:7, which clearly states, “he cares for you.”  I finally had a parent that really cared about me, and a new favorite verse.

Life continued, and with it many trails associated dealing with a mentally-ill, alcoholic mother, but I was still felt the joy of the Lord.  When people asked me how I did it, I shared my new favorite verse, Phil 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice.”

When I felt distressed, Psalm 31 became a favorite, reminding me to trust in God even in my distress. When I struggled with guilt over my past, I clung to 2 Cor 5:17, which says I am a new creation. It seemed no matter what was happening in my life, I always had a favorite verse to mirror it. That’s because (as Hebrews 4:12 notes) “the word of God is alive and active.”

The Word of God is living, and He has a verse for us, wherever we are in our life.  Whether we are rejoicing or mourning, there is a verse for u;. (and there is a verse for that actually in Ecc… a time to mourn and a time to dance…)

So whether you have 1 favorite verse, or 100; Whether you always keep the same favorite verse, or like me your favorite verse changes regularly, remember that God gave us His word, because he loves us and wants to be there for us no matter what we are going through.  

What’s your favorite verse?

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com

Be God's Valentine

Do you get any Valentines yesterday? Valentine's Day is a great day to write and receive love notes. There is nothing sweeter than having the one you love share their feelings with you.  Getting love notes from your kids is especially sweet. Reading "You are the best mom ever" is a wonderful feeling.

But what if you are alone on Valentine's Day? Or if even with your family around, you weren't feeling the love?  Remember that God is love. (1 John 4:8) And God wrote a love letter to us. It's called the Bible, and here are some excerpts from that love letter.

I love you. (John 3:16)

There is nothing you can do that will make me stop loving you. (Romans 5:8)

I will never leave you. (Joshua 1:5)

You are valuable to me. (1 Cor 6:20)

I rejoice over you with singing. (Zeph 3:17)

I will do more for you than you can ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20)

I want to encourage you and give you hope. (2 Thess 2:16-17)

There is nothing than can separate me from you. (Romans 8:38-39)

Be Mine. (1 Cor 6:19-20)

Hallmark holidays can be hard when you aren't in the perfect relationship. But then no relationship is perfect...except the one between you and God.  Won't you be His Valentine?

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com

Blow Gently

I was blowing bubbles with my daughter the other night. As we took turns, I noticed that when I blew, lots of bubbles would come out of the wand. Yet on her turn it seemed only a few bubbles would come out. Each time I heard her "Pffffft" as she blew with all her might with little results. Then I let her in on a little secret. You get more bubbles if you blow gently, than if you blow hard.

It reminded me of the Biblical principal, evangelism. Evangelism is the preaching of the Gospel. It is telling people about Jesus. But over the years, I've learned that if you "blow gently" you get more interest than if you "blow hard."

This principal is clearly stated in 1 Peter 3:15b, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." We are called to be prepared to give an answer to everyone, (blowing). We are to make sure that we keep ourselves filled with the "bubble juice" of Gospel so we are ready to blow. But we are cautioned to do this with gentleness. Blow gently.

There are people out there just waiting to learn about Jesus. It's our job to share the message! But we don't force it on people; we gently share it and let the Holy Spirit do His work in them. We don't convert people. We simply share the message, and the Holy Spirit does the rest. So remember, blow gently. Because nobody likes a blow hard!

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com